Software » SaaS

From IT to ET: Cloud, consumerisation, and the next wave of IT transformation

IT as we know it is over.

By Johna Till Johnson | 23 April, 2012 21:32

Tags: cloud computing, Configuration/maintenance, consumerization, Data Center, hardware systems, Harvard Business Review, infrastructure management, internet, mainframe, management, Nemertes Research, networking, Nicholas Carr, outsourcing, services, wireless

Is there a 'best' way to set up your private Cloud storage?

Given that Cloud computing is still emerging, it shouldn't come as a surprise that opinions vary widely on the best way to architect the storage. In fact, it seems likely that there is no such panacea - different types of private Cloud almost always require different approaches.

By Jon Gold | 28 March, 2012 06:24

Tags: cloud computing, cloud storage, internet, private cloud, private cloud storage

Are you ready for networking in the cloud?

The two primary forms of public cloud computing, Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), are both growing dramatically in popularity. Over the last few years, the primary focus of the IaaS providers has been on offering the basic compute and storage resources required to run applications.

By Jim Metzler | 31 October, 2011 21:48

Tags: cloud computing, internet, SaaS, Software as a service

Auckland council saves with SaaS docs management

Auckland Regional Council (ARC) has eliminated costly outsourcing of document production by implementing a SaaS solution that handles collaboration and change management.

By Rodney Gedda | 25 February, 2010 14:28

Tags: collaboration, document management, government, New Zealand, objective

What Microsoft Azure means to SMBs: not much, yet

Small and medium-sized businesses have more important things to worry about than Microsoft's new Azure, a cloud-resident platform for building applications served to users online.

By David Coursey | 15 July, 2009 23:16

Tags: cloud computing, SaaS, Windows Azure

SaaS An Easy Sell For This CIO

The tasks in Laef Olson’s working hours can be rather varied. Olson, who is the CIO at Software-as-a-Service vendor RightNow Technologies is on the one hand responsible for IT security and the organisation’s information systems, while on the other he spruiks the strategy and vision for the company's on-demand hosting platform. On many occasions Olson gets a direct audience with company CIOs. What makes it easier for Olson to get traction to the upper levels of management is his past. He has been group vice president of global technology operations of Travelport and Orbitz Worldwide. And before that CTO of cars.com. In these roles he was also a consumer of SaaS products. It is that experience that he uses to relate to customers when on the road. Olson briefly stopped over in Australia last month where CIO Magazine asked him about the maturity of SaaS.

By Howard Dahdah | 09 March, 2009 15:02

Tags: SaaS

Corporate SaaS considerations myriad, complex

Amid the growing popularity of software-as-a-service, IT managers are faced with a sometimes monumental task of developing big-picture strategies and policies to govern service-based applications as well as defining performance metrics and support.

By John Fontana | 09 March, 2009 10:11

Tags: SaaS

Starbucks' Next-Generation CIO: Young, Fast and In Control

Sharp-eyed and highly caffeinated regulars might have noticed the brand-new employee at the Mercer Island Drive Thru Starbucks in November. The newbie, wearing the standard-issue green apron, was receiving a crash course in just about every function at the 1,800-square-foot store. He took a turn as a barista, manned the drive-thru, handed out samples to customers, took out the trash, and assisted a patron who was trying to connect to the Wi-Fi network. He tinkered with the store's point-of-sale (POS) system. He even did some scheduling.

By Thomas Wailgum | 08 January, 2009 08:27

Tags: ERP, starbucks

Washington uses Google Apps to power new intranet

When it came time for Washington, D.C., to create a new intranet for city employees, spending US$4 million on a site based on proprietary portal software just didn't seem like a good idea to CTO Vivek Kundra. But using Google Apps did, he said in an interview Tuesday.

By Elizabeth Montalbano | 15 October, 2008 07:38

Tags: Google, google apps

Will the downturn accelerate cloud computing?

Facing uncertain economic times, enterprises may be more likely to turn to cloud computing services -- such as SaaS (software as a service), Amazon-style utility computing, and managed service providers -- for the lower up-front costs, the faster time to market, and the ability to add capabilities quickly without investing in new hardware.

By Tom Sullivan | 02 October, 2008 07:50

Tags: SaaS

Saved by SaaS: Data backup via software as a service

A data storage crash is the last thing a collision-repair shop needs to worry about. So when John Sweigart realized that the software he was using to manage his business was no longer compatible with the way he was backing up data, he knew it was time for a different option.

By Esther Shein | 30 September, 2008 10:21

Tags: SaaS, storage backup

20 amazing, amusing and alarming IT facts

A new report warns that the cost from lost productivity at work related to the new NFL season could add up to US$10.5 billion. And there we were, thinking the biggest waste of time at work came from fielding an endless stream of IT industry reports?

By Network World staff | 16 September, 2008 09:53

Tags: broadband, corporate issues, data breach, environment, government legislation, SaaS, security

20 more IT mistakes to avoid

Back in 2004, InfoWorld's then-CTO Chad Dickerson polled the best and brightest to reveal 20 IT mistakes that were surefire recipes for cost overruns, missed deadlines, and in some cases, lost jobs.

By Neil McAllister | 16 September, 2008 08:33

Tags: applications, authentication, corporate issues, environment, personnel, programming, SaaS

Saved by SaaS: Data backup via software-as-a-service

The last thing a collision repair shop needs to worry about is a data-storage crash. So when John Sweigart realized the software he'd been using to manage his business, The Body Shop, was no longer compatible with the way they were backing up data, he knew it was time for a different option.

Microsoft's future No. 4: 'Oort services' scenario

Long adept at staving off targeted threats to its core revenue streams, by 2013 Microsoft finally fell prey to the micromarket effect. Linux on increasingly popular UMPCs (ultramobile PCs), the rise of OpenOffice in developing nations, and the customized productivity app marketplace borne of Google's App Engine application-hosting service and its Salesforce and eBay acquisitions -- all chipped deeply enough into Microsoft's core customer base that the company finally had to loosen its grip on the computing industry's once-best legal license to print money, its Office and Windows software business.

Microsoft finally clears throat about services

The deadline Microsoft gave Yahoo for making a deal or facing a proxy fight came and went this weekend without a word from either party. But even if Microsoft doesn't succeed now in its bid for Yahoo, the company made clear last week, both in private meetings with reporters and in public comments, that it's determined - come hell or high water - to move forward with its services strategy.

INTEROP - Conference spins technology as a way to save

Technologies that can improve corporate bottom lines dominated the buzz at Interop Las Vegas, promising efficiencies and returns on investment that may help stave off cuts to IT spending in a tough economy.

INTEROP - Startups take on network security, management

Interop inspires industry veterans and newcomers alike to put on display their most innovative products, hoping to catch the eye of network managers with IT problems to solve.

Software-as-a-service now on menu of large companies

Although some would trace back the roots of software as a service to mainframe timesharing, what we would now call SaaS, or on-demand computing, is really experiencing its second coming.

What cloud computing really means

Cloud computing is all the rage. "It's become the phrase du jour," says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring, echoing many of his peers. The problem is that (as with Web 2.0) everyone seems to have a different definition.