by Javier Solis Garcia
21. January 2010 11:31
For a long time, telecom operators have been regarded as a potential player in the SaaS (Software as a Service) model, a way of delivering applications by hosting them on a data center and making them accessible over IP networks. In 2006, Dr. Matthew Lucas posted an article Editorial: Software as a Service (SaaS) and the Telecoms in which he lists his top 10 reasons why telecoms should care about SaaS. It's worth a read.
A point I would like to make is that this approach to distributing applications not only allows operators to leverage their network infrastructure and sales channels but also one of their major skills, to deliver services within a SLA.
According to a release from Gartner in November 2009, SaaS is regarded as a growing business. In the last few months some of the major European operators have made movements in this sector and we see how the existing portfolio of enterprise operator-run value added services increases with new this new approach. For instance, Deutsche Telekom is reinforcing their position and is set to take over SAP European software business based on news in September 2009.
The SaaS model is not only restricted to large enterprises. Last year, Telefónica entered into an agreement with NEC for a Software as a Service platform that will target small and mid sized companies.
Let’s see what happens in 2010 with SaaS. I expect that it will continue to gain momentum.