Software as a Service (SaaS)

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Software has generally been viewed as a product; most software still is offered this  way. If you want to run an application, you buy a software package from a software vendor - often a CD,DVD or web download.You then install that software on your computer and run it as needed. As new versions appear, you upgrade your software, often at considerable cost in time and money. This process can become cumbersome for organizations that must maintain tens of thousands of systems on a diverse array of computer equipment. With Software as a Service (SaaS), the software runs on servers elsewhere on the internet. When that server is updated, all clients world wide see the capabilities -no local installation is needed. You access the service through a browser. Browsers are quite portable, so you can run the same applications on a wide variety of computers from anywhere in the world. Salesforce.com, Google, and Microsoft's Office Live and Windows Live all offer SaaS.