Question

What is "software as a service" ? Is it like the paradigm behind cloud-computing? http://www.saas-class.org/

Answer 1

also, what is cloud computing?

Answer 2

Cloud computing is the idea that computing services are located elsewhere and are accessed over a computer network.

Answer 3

Software as a service is where instead of selling software like a product, like Ice Cream or Microsoft Office, you offer it like a service, like a repair man. Instead of selling the software, you sell what it does, like hosting a website.

Answer 4

right

Answer 5

SaaS is any software that is offered free or by subscription over the Internet. Most often these are fully functioning programs, but instead of running on your computer, they run on a remote server. GoogleDocs is an example, but there are many others. SaaS is often linked with cloud computing because the applications (and often your data) resides in the Cloud (euphemism for the Internet stemming from its depiction or symbol in network diagrams). Cloud computing is just want the name implies, computing in the Cloud. Whether it be productivity software like word processors and spreadsheets, or storage like Dropbox or iCloud, or ERM and CRM. If it is happening (running) in over the Internet on a remote server it is Cloud computing.

Answer 6

Software as a service is not necessarily a remote run service. Some Static Analysis engines(code checking tools) sell their products as a year to year license and you run the software on your own hardware, but purchase that right on a yearly basis.

Answer 7

I disagree. What you are describing is software as a product. The company is not providing a service, they are simply requiring you to renew your license for their product each year. With SaaS you are paying the company to host, maintain, and deliver the software on-demand from and computer or thin client (and sometimes even store your data, although that is called storage or server capacity as a service). See the difference?

TechTarget.com defines SaaS like this:
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a vendor or service provider and made available to customers over a network, typically the Internet.

SaaS is becoming an increasingly prevalent delivery model as underlying technologies that support Web services and service-oriented architecture (SOA) mature and new developmental approaches, such as Ajax, become popular. Meanwhile, broadband service has become increasingly available to support user access from more areas around the world.

SaaS is closely related to the ASP (application service provider) and on demand computing software delivery models. IDC identifies two slightly different delivery models for SaaS. The hosted application management (hosted AM) model is similar to ASP: a provider hosts commercially available software for customers and delivers it over the Web [this model is similar to iTunes or the AppStore-jagatuba]. In the software on demand model, the provider gives customers network-based access to a single copy of an application created specifically for SaaS distribution.

Benefits of the SaaS model include:

easier administration
automatic updates and patch management
compatibility: All users will have the same version of software.
easier collaboration, for the same reason
global accessibility.

The traditional model of software distribution, in which SOFTWARE IS PURCHASED FOR AND INSTALLED ON PERSONAL COMPUTERS [emphasis by me], is sometimes referred to as software as a product.