The Connection Between SaaS and SoA
One of the most powerful benefits of SaaS is that it can function well with SOA, or Service Oriented Architecture. This means that it can allow applications to send information back and forth. Every software service can function in the capacity of a service provider, and it may expose its functionality for the other applications through public brokers, which means that it can also function as the requester of services, handling the data and the functionality of other devices.
ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is a tool that can be used to strengthen the connection that exists between SaaS and SOA. However, being able to properly adopt SaaS is extremely important. Drivers play an important role in this adoption.
One reason why IT systems have been outsourced is because of the combination of economies of scale with the operations of the actual applications. This means that the service provide can offer applications which are superior and reliable, and they can be done for a much lower cost.
The usage of applications which are based on SaaS has continued to grow, and this has been reported by many analysts who study the IT sector. However, in recent years, the adoption of this technology has continued to increase exponentially. One reason for this rapid growth is a large change in the ways that people work. Because computers have become very widespread, many info workers have computer access and are able to use web interfaces.
Because of this, the learning curve involved with learning fresh applications has fallen greatly, and this means that the IT department doesn’t have to spend too much time holding the hands of the non-IT workers. Another change that has occurred is the fact that computing has become a type of commodity.
Historically, mainframes were heavily guarded because it was felt they gave the organization many strategic advantages. However, today applications themselves are seen as being strategic. In addition to this, the business processes combined with the data are the key factors that actually matter. The computing and applications are thought of as being the cost centers, and they are useful for outsourcing and other forms of cost reduction.
Additional SaaS Factors
It is possible that the usage of SaaS itself could allow the Internet-scale to transform into a commodity. Insourcing the IT systems will require a great deal of overhead which is highly expensive, and this includes things such as healthcare, salary, and liability when it comes to the physical space of the building. Another thing that you have to keep in mind is that applications have become more standardized.
There are many workers that spend a great deal of time working with applications that are for the most part standardized. Many applications and tools are very ubiquitous, and the user can switch from a single system to another very quickly. A good example of this is the spreadsheet and web based email systems that have recently emerged.
Another thing that you will want to keep in mind is that the parametric applications are highly usable. When it comes to the older applications, you had the option of only handling the workflow through modifying the code. However, with newer applications, especially those which are web based, new applications can be created through macros or parameters.
This gives organizations the ability to create a variety of new tools on top of the actual application platform itself. A number of SaaS vendors are now offering a lot of customization for these basic functions. Another powerful benefit of SaaS is that the software vendor who offers specialized tools can work in global as well as local markets.
SaaS Global Reach
For instance, a company that deals with human resource management in the past would have had a hard time finding a market where its applications could be sold, particularly in the global market place. However, applications which are hosted are capable of reaching the entire world market instantly, and this means that specialization inside the vertical market is not just possible, but desirable.
This also means that the SaaS vendors have the option of delivering those products that best meet the needs of their market a lot better than the traditional vendeors. Web systems are today much more reliable than they were in the past, meaning more people are willing to use the net for business functions.