Why Sortware As a Service Is Going to Dominate the Next Several Years Essay

Why Sortware As a Service Is Going to Dominate the Next Several Years - Essay Example 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 cou ld 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 Com puter 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 â€Å"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 â€Å"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 subscrib e 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,