When ITBusiness.ca compiles its list of year-end “best practices,” the first words that spring to mind are buzzwords. Often, they can represent just hype, and sometimes they may be the beginning of a massive shift in the way IT is perceived and deployed. The term “Saas” (software as a service) may fall somewhere in the middle.
The concept isn’t entirely new – it is akin to what a lot of people used to call ASPs, or application service providers – but gained currency this year as more and more vendors started to adopt it. As companies like Salesforce.com and NetSuite made names for themselves, SaaS followed suit.
It’s entirely possible that SaaS will follow become more slogan than tangible technology – like “on-demand” or even “Web services” – but 2006 was the year that you could say “SaaS” and people would pay attention. Here’s our round-up of news, editorials and case studies from the past year.
Editorials and expertise
None of your SaaS
When did it become unfashionable to call yourself an ASP?
That’s a lot to ask …
Thirty — that’s right, 30 — questions to ask before trying SaaS, with Stephen Ibaraki
Thompson and the 10s
Symantec’s boss talks goals, the MS rivalry and SaaS
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SaaS in the news SAP makes play for hosted customer relationship management Salesforce.com delivering software as a service message to Canada |
SaaS in action
Sussing out SaaS
The software-as-a-service model can help SMBs simplify daily IT tasks
Parishioner converts his church to software as a service model
Application helps congregation enter content into MS SQL database
Tomorrow in “Best Practices,” The year of Microsoft: Vista, Office, partnerships and acquisitions
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