| By Jeff Kaplan |
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| July 18, 2008 10:15 AM EDT |
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Jeff Kaplan's BlogAnyone who has been intimately involved in the evolution of the SaaS or
cloud computing worlds has a right to be frustrated by the blurring of
the lines between the two concepts.
In my case, I view cloud
computing as a broad array of web-based services aimed at allowing
users to obtain a wide range of functional capabilities on a
'pay-as-you-go' basis that previously required tremendous
hardware/software investments and professional skills to acquire. Cloud
computing is the realization of the earlier ideals of utility computing
without the technical complexities or complicated deployment worries.
With this precept in mind, I see SaaS as a subset or segment of the
cloud computing market.
Unfortunately, opportunistic vendors, as
well as uneducated journalists and overly simplistic industry analysts,
are using the terms interchangeably to serve their own purposes.
While
this might infuriate industry purists, the good news is that both ideas
are gaining greater mainstream attention and acceptance as a result of
escalating coverage in nearly every IT industry trade publication and
even more importantly among the major business pubs like the Wall
Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune and BusinessWeek, along with the NY
Times.
I think this positive development far outweighs the
potential confusion that could arise about the nuances between the two
concepts. However, know it is incumbent on every cloud computing and
SaaS vendor to clearly explain their offerings so they don't mislead
potential customers.
The surge in demand for cloud computing and
SaaS is partially due to macro-market factors, such as the recessionary
economic climate and escalating pressures to fundamentally change
traditional business practices. But, growing interest in cloud
computing and SaaS is also the result of the success and satisfaction
of the early adopters who are not only renewing and expanding their use
of these web-based services, but recommending them to others, according
to
THINKstrategies'
research and
consulting experience.
The
'gold rush' stage we are entering in the cloud computing and SaaS
movement will attract plenty of self-serving vendors, overnight experts
and tabloid press who will attempt to exploit this exciting market
opportunity. They will pose a new threat by offering inferior services,
bad advice and distorted stories about the market realities.
For
those of us who have been in the vanguard of the movement and worked
hard to build a viable new industry, we won't defeat these forces by
arguing over terminology. Instead, we will win long-term success by
properly educating our customers and successfully satisfying their
needs.
[This post appeared originally here and is republished in full with the kind permission of the author.]
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