Beyond AIM: Top Instant Messaging'Clients For Business

InformationWeek Daily - Monday, Feb. 23, 2009

Is SaaS Cheaper? Depends On How Long You Have It Gartner published a report this week on the "five most-common SaaS assumptions." I agree with all of them, but must throw in my own two cents on the first assumption: SaaS is less expensive than on-premises software. Gartner says that assumption is true during the first two years, but not for a five-year total cost of ownership. Well, I say, sort of. I've been trying to get at the bottom of SaaS vs. on-premises software costs in recent weeks. So I recently picked up the phone and sought the opinion of a CIO I know who uses both: Manjit Singh of Chiquita Brands. For example, he has Oracle/JD Edwards on premise, and uses Workday's human-capital management SaaS. Singh acknowledges that the answer of whether SaaS is cheaper depends on the timeframe. Anything beyond five years, he said, and licensed software appears to be a better investment. Still, Singh said, "I would argue in most cases we would update our software every three to five years." In some instances it's a "forced migration," meaning the on-premises software vendor makes it difficult to stay on an older version of the software if it wants to move its customer base to something new. In other cases Chiquita might want to make a change to a better vendor or product. Singh says he's specifically studied a three-year period of costs associated with SaaS vs. on-premises software, and in every instance, "we're either better off with SaaS or it's a break even." That's just on the pure software cost side, he said; it doesn't include what he would pay to hire consultants to integrate or customize on-premises software. There's no question about it: When CIOs are considering SaaS vs. on-premises, how long they plan to have the software should be one of the most important factors in the decision. Mary Hayes Weier [email protected] www.informationweek.com
"There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery." -- Dante Alighieri
Beyond AIM: Top Instant Messaging'Clients For Business Instant messaging has all but replaced the phone as an office tool. We take AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, Yahoo Instant Messenger, and MSN Messenger for a spin and give you the lowdown. How To Succeed At Twitter 10 Great iPhone Apps For Your Business GOVERNMENT NEWS ALERTS Get alerts on government IT news as it happens. SIGN UP TODAY WiMax, LTE Carry On 4G Sparing Match One market research firm believes operators like AT&T that use UMTS will eventually switch to LTE. Laser Printer Emissions Study Leaves Health Questions Hanging Researchers said they found hexane, toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, pentadecane, and other chemicals in ultrafine particles emitted from laser printers. Ariba Goes Open Source With AribaWeb RIA Framework Some of Ariba's motivation for delivering the open source version of the framework is the desire to give back to the community as a measure of appreciation. 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Their response: Think big and transformational. And get going now. Free Download (Registration Required) See InformationWeek's daily breaking news on your mobile device, visit mobile.informationweek.com and sign up for daily SMS notifications. ---------- It's Crunch Time, You Need InformationWeek Analytics InformationWeek Analytics is dedicated to providing you with comprehensive, real-world assessments of technology solutions. These in-depth research reports are written by IT professionals with real world experience, so you can make sound decisions. informationweekanalytics.com/ ---------- Evaluating a New technology? Need Real World Answers? Get them directly from your peers and industry leaders at InformationWeek Forums. These technology specific events will immerse you in real life issues and solutions and provide peer to peer networking to answer your specific questions. informationweekevents.com ---------- Want it all - in one place? Get it at InformationWeek Reports Technology reports - for IT Professionals by IT Professionals. With hundreds of reports in 15 plus technology areas, you will find the research you need, when you need it. Easy to search and download - bookmark it today! informationweekreports.com ---------- 2008 InformationWeek Strategic Security Survey This year, it's all about managing risk. That's the overall finding of our 2008 InformationWeek Strategic Security Study, which quizzed nearly 2,000 IT professionals about their plans and priorities for securing their companies' assets. strategicsecurity.techweb.com/ ----------	WiMax, LTE Carry On 4G Sparing Match Laser Printer Emissions Study Leaves Health Questions Hanging Ariba Goes Open Source With AribaWeb RIA Framework Cox Hires Wireless Network Execs Google Earth's 'Atlantis' Just A Data Glitch Virtualization At The Desktop? 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Software as a Service Research Report No longer a niche software delivery model, software as a service (SaaS) can help small and midsize companies get access to enteprise-class software functionality without having to commit enterprise-level capital resources. Download the full report for free. The Internet & The Developing World The evolution of the Internet has been full of surprises - surprises that have sometimes resulted in radical changes in the commercial landscape, such as the arrival of Amazon, eBay, Google, YouTube, and Skype. Could one of the next big surprises turn out to be linked to developing countries? Read the full report for free from InternetEvolution.com Featured Jobs: The Executive Wing seeking Regional Manager in Boulder, CO Bresnan Communications seeking Account Executive in Casper, NY American Express seeking Chief Compliance Officer in Salt Lake City, UT D. E. 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