| I addressed one of the most common bugaboos | | | | Vendors who offer both SaaS and on-premise |
| about software-as-a-service - concerns over its | | | | applications - much like Microsoft and SAP hope to - |
| integration capabilities - recently, citing users who say | | | | can better offer their customers the kind of |
| integration isn't a big issue because of the | | | | customization capabilities and control over data and |
| Web-services based architectures upon which many | | | | processes that SaaS pureplays cannot, writes |
| SaaS vendors have built their applications. Their good | | | | Greenbaum. |
| advice: Grill vendors about integration during the vetting | | | | I couldn't agree more. In fact, earlier this year I opined |
| process. | | | | that SAP should focus on offering online tools or |
| Integration was one of the concerns mentioned by | | | | services that would extend the capabilities of its |
| SMBs that Forrester Research surveyed about SaaS | | | | on-premise software, something of interest to |
| earlier this year. Other issues were total cost of | | | | companies of all sizes. |
| ownership, security, impact on application performance, | | | | Rightly or wrongly, plenty of folks just aren't quite |
| lack of customization, complicated pricing models and | | | | comfortable putting sensitive data in the cloud. That's |
| difficulty finding the desired applications. Most of these | | | | why, writes Greenbaum, smart SaaS vendors "will |
| same factors also show up on a list of SaaS | | | | have a hybrid offering precisely to capture these |
| concerns among larger companies. | | | | customers and either convert them when they see |
| This isn't exactly news. Over and over again, we've | | | | the light or keep them from going to the competition." |
| heard about these same worries slowing broader | | | | A hybrid approach, which is inherently more flexible |
| adoption of SaaS. And they aren't going to go away. | | | | than a traditional suite of on-premise software, lets |
| Which is why a number of folks, including ZDNet's | | | | customers have their customization cake, eat it too |
| Joshua Greenbaum, believe that a hybrid approach | | | | and, heck, maybe even get the recipe. They can |
| incorporating both SaaS and traditional on-premise | | | | customize apps to their hearts' content, in instances in |
| delivery models will ultimately prevail. (Sorry, Marc | | | | which customization lends a strategic benefit, while |
| Benioff, the rumors of traditional software's death | | | | opting for a less costly and complicated straight SaaS |
| have been greatly exaggerated.) | | | | model elsewhere. |
| Customers always want choice, Greenbaum insists. | | | | |