SaaS

What does SaaS really mean for business as we move forward with this technology approach? Is it really something new or just a modern re-invention of the shared computer time model. I am not old enough to have been booking time on a time-shared computer system, however if I consider the following "In the 1960s, several companies started providing time-sharing services as service bureaus" it would seem that we have really only come full circle. Is SaaS only a new way to put spin on a paradigm that already existed in the technology arena.
I am not trying dispel any benefit that an SaaS or service bureau approach can have for our business environments if applied correctly. I am more trying to point out that the concpet that we call refer to as SaaS has existed for many years, almost as long as computers have been in existence. I firmly believe that we need to think very pragmatically how we would go about applying an SaaS approach to our businesses. I think the most important thing we can do when considering an SaaS approach is to give the same sort of thought we would to any technology approach, will this make my business faster, more profitable, more attractive to my clientele and or reduce my costs.
Whilst I believe that in my career there have been some water shed moments where technology is concerned, like server based computing (citrix), wintel virtualisation (vmware), accelerated low bandwidth performance (riverbed) I am not convinced that SaaS equates to one of those. SaaS is really only a natural progression like VoIP has been for basic telephony. The next real big paradigm shift, I contend, is the reality that "convergence" brings making our businesses go faster, become more profitable and more attractive to our clientele. If we are able to realise the "convergence" of multiple technology disciplines, like IT, IS and T, in our businesses then we reap the benefits of enhanced productivity which will increase our revenue, decrease our costs and improve our profitability.

More to come on how I think "convergence" can influence our productivity in the age of information and conceptualisation.