Why Software as a Service Is Going to Dominate the Next Several Years in Information Management - Report Example

Why Software As a Service Is Going to Dominate the Next Several Years in Information Management School Affiliation Introduction Software as a service (SaaS) will dominate the next several years in information management because it provides a service that enables businesses to obtain information by logging into a cloud format from anywhere in the world. This creates a process which is quick and efficient and allows for a two-way dissemination of information on a global basis. For businesses that have sales forces constantly updating contact information on their laptops, this is an essential point for the main office to know exactly at any given time, what the sale representatives are doing on a daily basis in regard to customers. Alternatively, a company can upload training videos and sales information to the representatives so they can stay updated with the latest outputs (Sensible Computer Help, 2008). The idea of sharing work began in the late 1990s when large businesses and corporations developed the idea of being able to communicate within a common net arrangement, allowing for documents to be accessed by those approved to open and change information within those documents. It also saved the company email system from being overloaded by employees emailing documents back and forth to different departments. Instead, documents could be placed on the Intranet which was accessible only by onsite employees. Extended sales forces and contract labor had to dial in whenever updating or uploading information into the secure Intranet (Canlas & Gonzales, n.d.). This arrangement later developed into the Client Server Network, a far more efficient means of utilizing management principles within the workplace, such as allocating software programs and other functions to specific people. A diagram of one is shown below. Fig.1 (Sensible Computer Help, http://www.sensible-computer-help.com/computer-network.html) While the Client Server Network is an excellent solution for the workplace, such as being able to utilize a close-by printer, there are some problems with this arrangement. One, if someone turns off their computer, is when a shared file is no longer available to the other computers on that path. Additionally, there is an unreasonable lack of security for the network and the company’s data system (Sensible Computer Help, 2008). In 2010, there began a new type of system which changed how business software was being used. Professor Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School called it the “disruptive innovation.” The term refers to the advanced technology in delivery services of a product that, because of changes within technological access and subsequent pricing, alters the game face of how resources are used and the baseline revenue streams. Microsoft, Oracle and SAP were the first few major leaguers in this area and SAP is also the first company to offer services “in the cloud’ (Fornes, 2010). A diagram below shows the trend from initial small business usage, through redevelopment over time, to finally being able to target the enterprise solution requirements. Fig.2 (Fornes, 2010) As an example, Microsoft began offering Office 365 over a year ago and what the current subscription provides is the use of Microsoft cloud services with the option to also subscribe and download Microsoft Office Professional or Standard software program to use so long as the cloud subscription is active. For a small business owner who does not have the financial resources to purchase full-blown software programs, this service is a great way to get the software at a very affordable price, plus utilize the cloud while working with clients through the cloud Lync system. This year, Microsoft celebrated its first year with the Office 365 service by providing a free edition of the 365 cloud service for educational purposes to all schools, colleges and universities (Nagel, 2012). Another company that has recently jumped onto the same bandwagon is Adobe, software provider of Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Muse, and a host of other programs. Three months ago, Adobe rolled out the Creative Cloud with a subscription service that allows you to download selected software programs such as the ones previously mentioned. Most of these are now in the CS6 version and the whole package costs $49.00 a month to utilize any listed software programs with the Adobe cloud access. Again, for those with a small business, this is a big bonanza at a great cost as more services are available for the small business owner to offer to potential clients, thus enhancing the small business value in service (Steele, 2012). In understanding what the cloud application is, it is important to review the Internet and browser architecture in the pre-cloud environment. Google has already been providing a type of cloud service wherein subscribers to Gmail, for example, can also install the Google calendar, Google Documents, and a host of other online applications through plugins on the Google toolbar. In many respects, this has presented a way to deploy across operating systems to provide a more seamless working arrangement between desktop applications and the browser. However, while it is easy to install plugins from whatever browser is being used, there are inherent risks in that without proper knowledge of what certain plugins can do, personal information can also be accessed without the user understanding what is happening, much like what has occurred on the Facebook infrastructure in recent years (Chee & Franklin, 2010). Essentially, applications that cross over different platforms can move more easily if the coding is built in a lower level language that avoids having to call in more complicated codes in order to make the application work. Adobe AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) is an environment which is wrap-like, allowing for Java and Flash programmers to write code, regardless of whether it will be for Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh, to put it simply. What the current cloud environment is today is the descendant of these previous environments which now allow users from different platforms to be able to access cloud storage and applications without regard to having to download different applications (Chee & Franklin, 2010). Amazon Web Services is a high-level example of what can be done when needing to quickly add storage capabilities and working environments that, if left to the business’s server, would have caused an overload of programming time spent and affected the actual server’s capabilities in a negative manner. Instead, businesses can now go to Amazon’s cloud environment, choose the appropriate web service within that cloud lineup, without regard for the operating platform, and get large jobs done that would have been taxing if left on the company’s server. Additionally, services can be for short periods of time or a much longer period of usage in a subscription structure, much like renting a car only when you need one for a few days (Chee & Franklin, 2010). In a final review of cloud services and software as a service, security of the technology and of customers’ information on those cloud services is a factor that can present the negative side of the SaaS utilization. Most of the companies providing cloud services, such as Microsoft and Adobe, can spend lots of money and hire the right people to develop needed security that will satisfy customers’ concerns that they can feel comfortable in sharing sensitive information over cloud services without worrying about hackers or some other breach of security. It is the level of trust a company must give the consumer, much like the doctor and the patient who must trust that the prescription will work for the problem (Schneier, 2009). So, while there are negatives to SaaS, the positives far outweigh them and with the continual speed-of-light development of technology, SaaS and cloud services can only get better with time. References Canlas, Jr., R., & Gonzales, V. (n.d.). Seven questions to help you start your company intranet. Dig It All Solutions. Retrieved September 9, 2012 from http://www.digitalsolutions.ph/how_to_start_intranet. Chee, B., & Franklin, C. (2010). Applications for clouds. Chapter 4 in cloud computing: Technologies and strategies of the ubiquitous data center. CRC Press. Retrieved November 15, 2010 from http://media.techtarget.com/searchSystemsChannel/downloads/Cloud_Computing_Techn_Strat_of_the_Ubiq_Data_Cent_Chapter_4.pdf. Fornes, D. (2010). The software as a service dilemma. The Software Advice Blog. Retrieved November 10, 2010 from http://www.softwareadvice.com/articles/uncategorized/the-software-as-a-service-dilemma-104071/. Gaw, P. (2008). What’s the difference between cloud computing and SaaS? Cloud Computing Journal. Retrieved on September 9, 2012 from http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com/node/612033. IBM Online. (2012). Software as a service. IBM Smart Cloud. Retrieved on September 9, 2012 from http://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/us/en/saas.html. Ringstrom, D. H. (2012). Cloud computing versus software as a service. Accounting Web. Retrieved on September 9, 2012 from http://www.accountingweb.com/topic/technology/cloud-computing-versus-software-service. Sensible Computer Help. (2008). Choosing the best computer network. Sensible-Computer- Help.com. Retrieved February 27, 2011 from http://www.sensible-computer-help.com/computer-network.html. Schneier, B. (2009). Cloud computing. Schneier on Security. Retrieved November 15, 2010 from http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/06/cloud_computing.html. Steele, B. (2012, August 20). Adobe begins regular updates to Creative Cloud applications, details future improvements for Creative Suite. Engadget. Retrieved September 9, 2012 from http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/20/adobe-muse-creative-cloud-update/. Wainewright, P. (2012, May 31). Cloud computing: Do you have a clue? ZD Net Online. Retrieved on September 8, 2012 from http://www.zdnet.com/blog/saas/cloud-computing-do-you-have-a-clue/1580. Read More