A while ago I noted that we would see the emergence on the web of platform vendors, each providing a set of services and APIs and each collecting an ecosystem of partners around them. I noted that the first platform was SalesForce.com and that we were likely to see more, including IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and Google -- and perhaps a few that don't exist yet but rise, Google-like, from the web.
Of course, for this to get started in a big, enterprise-specific, way, someone like IBM had to make a move. They have, announcing their Blue Cloud utility service. Now we shall have to see how, over time, this platform evolves and how richly it is surrounded with IBM and partner services (and applications).
Nothing matters unless customers decide they like this idea, but I would be amazed if some large IBM customers (and quite a few smaller ones, up and down the mid-market) didn't find this a tantalizing proposition. Getting IT for less from a first class vendor who will provide what you need and want and offer it with a QoS guarantee will be very appealing.
We'd guess that a lot of IBM's efforts to enrich it's already bulging software portfolio (such as its recent announcement to acquire Cognos) are designed to provide the broader integrated offering that a web platform vendor needs.
There's a great article on the subject by Dan Gardner at ZDNet, if you'd like to read more.
The licensing policies from Enterprise Software vendors are keeping SaaS from really taking off, since most are geared towards on premise or the ASP Model. A combination of Cloud computing and subscription licenses will really show the savings that SaaS can bring to the table.
Posted by: Hari | November 26, 2007 at 01:59 PM
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Posted by: isvyqghrj nxvtrikgo | February 21, 2009 at 05:18 AM