SaaS, Cloudware, and the GDrive
Web 2.0, or the second generation of the internet, will most assuredly include an increased reliance on cloud computing and cloud architecture.
In fact, in order to become, or remain, competitive in today’s declining economy, it is more important than ever that businesses turn to real-time, scalable resources, such as Software as a Service (SaaS). This concept refers to a resource that is only paid for as it is utilized. SaaS prevalence will most likely occur in conjunction with making the software available on the internet, such as on Google’s rumored GDrive.
SaaS provides many advantages to a company. Not only does it require less capital expenditure (and in the case of rumors surrounding the GDrive, little to no additional cost), but it frees up both physical office space and data storage space with onsite hard drives. It is also seen as a green initiative.
Combining cloud with standard network architecture will give a firm the greatest benefits and allow it to easily, quickly, and cheaply expand. It will also reduce the cost of disaster recovery, although some IT professionals are currently being asked to address the pressing issue of security on such a large and widely available network.
Cloud computing is more than just grid computing. Full integration of cloud architecture will ultimately result in the ability of a company to locate their entire internal network on a remote, internet-accessed drive such as Google’s GDrive.
However, only when the concerns of management executives regarding the security of their sensitive data are properly addressed will Cloudware applications for SaaS gain in popularity and spread across corporate America and beyond. This will also pave the way for additional open source strategies.
It is time to gear up and be prepared for the next wave of Web 2.0 computing, including Cloud computing, SaaS, and the world’s largest network drives such as the GDrive, or be left behind the bleeding edge of technology.