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Software As A Service (Saas) : Learning Objectives
Software As A Service (Saas) : Learning Objectives
CHAPTER 2
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Software as a Service
(SaaS)
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OR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
S oftware©
software
asJones
a service&(SaaS)
that resides, along
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with
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programs
in which a web browser is used
and user data, in the cloud.
to access
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Companies
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that OR DIST
use SaaS solutions eliminate the need for in-house (data-center-based) applications, administrative
support for the applications, and data storage. Because SaaS solutions reside within the cloud,
the solutions can easily scale to meet customer needs. Further, most companies can pay for the
© Jones & Bartlett
SaaS solutions Learning, LLC that the companies pay©only
on demand—meaning Jones & resources
for the Bartlett they
Learning,
consume,LLC
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on a per-user NOT of
basis. SaaS solutions exist for a wide range FOR SALE OR
applications DISTRIBUTION
and provide
customers with a cost-effective way to get started and an affordable long-term solution.
▸▸ Define
© Jones and describe
& Bartlett OpenSaaS.
Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
23
Chapter opener image: © JBOY/Shutterstock
Salesforce.com offers a variety of solutions that support not only the small business but
es & Bartlett Learning, LLC
also the ©FIGURE
large enterprise. As shown in Jones2-1,
& users
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can access LLC
the SaaS-based
OR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT device.
Salesforce using a web browser for mobile FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Exercise Salesforce.com was one of the companies to leverage the power of the cloud.
Discuss the features Salesforce.com provides that are well suited for companies large and
small and why the Salesforce solution was well suited for the cloud.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learn
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DIST
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
FIGURE 2-1 Salesforce was one of the computing industry’s first widely adopted
NOT FOR SALE OR
SaaS solutions.
DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
© 2021 salesforce.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Client 1 Client 2
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
FIGURE 2-2 Many SaaS solutions are multitenant, which means that customers may share
computing resources behind the scenes.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Exercise
© Jones For &
an Bartlett
SaaS solution to be successful,
Learning, LLCthe solution must be disruptive,
© Jones meaning,
& Bartlett Learn
the solution should change the way people operate or do business. iTunes, for example,
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DIST
changed the way people listen to music. Discuss whether or not you consider the Taleo
cloud-based solutions disruptive.
© Jones &Understanding
Bartlett Learning, LLC OpenSaaS Solutions © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
The application programs that run as SaaS solutions in the cloud were developed using a specific
programming language and were designed to run on a specific operating system using a specific
© Jones
database management & Bartlett
system. Learning,
An OpenSaaS solution isLLC © an
an SaaS application created using Jones
open- & Bartlett Learn
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DIST
source programming language and designed to run on an open-source operating system and database.
Many customers believe that if a solution is open source, it will be easier for them to
move the data to a different application in the future if the current solution fails to meet their
needs. Because customers do not own the SaaS software, they will not be able to move the
application
© Jones itself.
& Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
Customers who are concerned about moving their data in the future should consider an Open-
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
SaaS provider. That said, most SaaS solutions, open source or not, provide a way for customers to
export their data if the need arises.
© Jones
CASE& Bartlett
2-4 WebEx Learning, LLC Meetings
SaaS for Virtual © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT its
To gain market share, a SaaS solution must be disruptive; it must change FOR SALE
industry. The OR DISTRIBUTION
WebEx solution not only changed how and when people meet, it disrupted the travel indus-
try by reducing business trips, hotel stays, and business meals. For years, millions of users
relied on WebEx to provide a virtual yet face-to-face meeting platform. When the COVID-19
es & Bartlett pandemic
Learning, hit the world, virtual meetings became
LLC © the way companies
Jones conduct
& Bartlett business. LLC
Learning,
In addition to time saved, a side effect of less travel is the greening of business,
OR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
which has less impact on the environment.
Beyond holding online meetings, companies use WebEx (and today, other SaaS-
based conferencing tools) for the following:
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
FIGURE 2-4 WebEx leverages the cloud for face-to-face virtual meetings and
presentations.
Cloud computing inset image created by Sam Johnston. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR
Exercise Assume that your company must invite 500 employees into SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
the corporate office
from states across the country (an average airline ticket of $350). Determine the potential
company savings by hosting the meeting online.
Files
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
Cloud-based
NOT FOR SALE OR
User 1 DISTRIBUTION backup facility NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Files
The SaaS cloud-based backup systems provide reliable and secure storage. Users
simply select the files or folders they want to back up and then schedule when and how
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learn
often they want the backups to occur. The actual backup operations then happen behind
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the scenes, automatically.
Exercise Assume your company has 1000 employees. Calculate the potential cost to
integrate cloud-based backup operations through Carbonite. Do you have an alternative
backup solution?
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Understanding Mashups
Many companies need a variety of SaaS solutions. Depending on the various solution providers,
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the company may LLC
create a mashup, a collection © Jonesjoined
of services & Bartlett
to createLearning, LLC
an overall solution.
OR SALE FIGURE
OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
2-6 illustrates the concept of a solution mashup.
Developers categorize mashups as web based or server based. In a web-based mashup, the user’s
browser (perhaps via JavaScript) combines the various content sources to create a unified display.
In server-based mashups, an application running on a server combines the data.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learn
Understanding Service-Oriented
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION Architecture
NOT FOR SALE OR DIST
(SOA)
Most SaaS solutions provide complete solutions, meaning an application that can be used within
a web browser. For example, Salesforce.com provides a web application for customer relationship
© Jones & Bartlett
management, Learning,
TurboTax LLCapplication for filing taxes,©and
provides a web Jones & Bartlett
QuickBooks providesLearning,
a LLC
NOTweb
FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE
application for business accounting. Beyond providing a complete application with a user OR DISTRIBUTION
interface, many solution providers offer specific services that developers can access across the web
HR Payroll
solution processing
© Jones & Bartlett Learning,
MashupLLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
solution
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Project
User management
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
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FIGURE 2-8 Office 365 provides cloud-based subscription access to the Office
suite of applications.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
Used with permission from Microsoft.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
(Continued)
Office 365
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Microsoft Data
Center
FIGURE 2-9 Users can access cloud-based Office 365 documents from any
computer as well as many handheld devices.
es & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
Exercise Assume your company has 1000 employees who need access to the Microsoft
OR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Office suite of products. Analyze theNOT FOR
potential costSALE OR
savings of DISTRIBUTION
using Microsoft Office 365
over purchasing seat licenses for each user.
As shown ©inJones
FIGURE&2-10Bartlett
, an SaaSLearning, LLC with a user, whereas a web
application interacts © Jones
service & Bartlett Learn
NOT FOR
interacts with a program. SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DIST
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an application development methodology with which
developers create solutions by integrating one or more web services. Think of a web service as a
function or subroutine a program can call to accomplish a specific task. As shown in FIGURE
2-11, when a program running on one computer calls a web service, a message, possibly contain-
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
ing parameter values, is sent across the network (or Internet) to the computer housing the web
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service. That computer, in turn, performs its processing and normally returns a result to the caller.
Some developers refer to web services as remote-procedure calls. Further, developers refer to
a set of web services as an application program interface (API). Amazon and eBay, for example,
provide APIs that programmers can use to purchase products from across the web using the
es & Bartlett Learning,
programs LLC
they create. © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
OR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
Parameters
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOTFIGURE
FOR 2-11 To call a web service, a program typically sends a message to the web
SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
service that resides on a remote computer and then waits for the web service to return
a result.
▸▸ Ability to scale with respect to processor demands and data storage needs
© Jones & Bartlett Learning,
▸▸ No LLC
user software to purchase or install © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE▸OR DISTRIBUTION
▸ Redundant server hardware and data storage NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
▸▸ Accessibility through a myriad of devices
Exercise Justify whether Facebook is an SaaS solution.
Chapter Summary
SaaS provides a solution model that allows users to use a web browser to access software that
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learn
resides in the cloud. SaaS solutions allow companies to eliminate or reduce their need for on-site,
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DIST
data-center-based applications. By eliminating in-house applications, companies can also reduce
administrative support for the applications, as well as data storage. SaaS solutions reside within
the cloud, which lets the solutions easily scale processors or disk storage to meet customer needs.
Companies normally pay for SaaS solutions on demand for the resources they consume, usually
© Jones &onBartlett
a per-userLearning, LLC exist for a wide range©ofJones
basis. SaaS solutions & Bartlett
applications. Learning,
Using SaaS solutions, LLC
NOT FOR SALE
customers OR DISTRIBUTION
have a cost-effective way to get started and anNOT FORlong-term
affordable, SALE solution.
OR DISTRIBUTION
Lastly,
this chapter examined web services, which are cloud-based services that developers can call from
within the programs they create to accomplish specific tasks. Many SaaS solution providers offer
their services directly to users via SaaS applications and to developer-created programs using web
services. Throughout this chapter, you have learned the following key points:
es & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
▸▸ Software as a service (SaaS) is a solution model in which users use a web browser to access
OR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
the software that resides, along with the user data, in the cloud.
Companies leverage SaaS solutions to eliminate the need to house and administer an
▸▸
equivalent on-premise solution.
▸▸ SaaS solutions exist for a very large range of applications. Users can access those solutions
© Jones & Bartlett
from anywhere Learning,
at any time LLCof devices.
using a variety © Jones & Bartlett Learn
NOT
▸▸ FOR
SaaS SALE
solutions haveORmanyDISTRIBUTION
advantages: NOT FOR SALE OR DIST
• They eliminate the need for and administration of an on-premise solution.
• They reduce costs by allowing customers to pay on an on-seat basis.
• They improve scalability.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning,
• They LLC
increase device-independent access. © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
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• They increase disaster recovery and business continuity.
Chapter Review
1. Define and describe SaaS.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
2. Search the web and list an SaaS provider for each of the following industries:
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• Sales and customer relationship management
• Accounting
• Income tax filing
• Web-based meetings
es & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
• Human
OR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION resources NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
• Payroll processing
• Backup automation
• Office document creation
• Social networking
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learn
3. DefineNOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
and describe mashups. NOT FOR SALE OR DIST
4. List the advantages and disadvantages of SaaS solutions.
5. Describe the role of OpenSaaS.
6. Compare and contrast a web service and an SaaS solution.
© Jones & Bartlett
7. Define Learning,
and describe SOA. LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
8. Define and describe an API and provide an example. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
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© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
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© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
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© Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC
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