Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1037
www.iltanet.org 58 Peer to Peer provide organization and infrastructure without the expensive equipment costs and upfront expenditures of the past. As business becomes more dynamic and complex, an organization's allocation of resources becomes even more important, as exemplified by the recent shift from client-installed software applications to a hosted or Software as a Service model. Indeed, SaaS represents the largest shift in the software industry in decades. By embracing SaaS, an organization can achieve a lower total cost of ownership with few, if any, technical resources required to implement and support an application. Some key advantages of the SaaS model include: increased usability and functionality of software • applications Recurring and more predictable revenue and cost • structures Reduced implementation, training and ongoing support • time Minimized overall business risk with greater data • accessibility and security Because it is a more cost-effective way for businesses to achieve their objectives than traditional applications, Software as a Service is one of the fastest growing segments of the information technology industry. Why SaaS Is Thriving SaaS is more than just a novel idea. Rather, it is part of a wider movement toward Internet-based automated services. The larger trend driving SaaS is the same one driving Web 2.0 applications, wikis, blogs, social networking applications and every other expression of today's increasingly web-connected world. Fundamentally, the underpinnings of the Web allow organizations to cut out much of the location-dependent limitations that interfere with communication, collaboration and trade. In the same way, software used to suffer from being location dependent: It had to be delivered in a box and installed in the same building as the end user. Of course, the Web removes those constraints, enabling delivery of software over the Internet, which ultimately enables SaaS. This, in turn, allows SaaS to become the foundation for unique and innovative forms of communication and trade. One of IT's emerging trends is the convergence of software vendors into the SaaS market. Software giants such as Oracle have even begun to unveil SaaS offerings, which has led to a rush of smaller software producers scampering to release web- delivered software applications. Industry experts have noted that 15 to 20 percent of traditional application software vendors have already either begun new initiatives or gained access to SaaS assets and development experience through merger and