Facebook to Pay $20 million and Amend its Terms of Service

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The Sponsored Stories feature combined a user’s name and photograph with an advertiser’s logo, along with a statement that the user “liked” the company.  The Plaintiffs asserted that “liking” the product or service was not tantamount to consent to use profile photos for marketing purposes.
The court considered the enormous size of the potential class and direct payment issues.  Residual funds remaining after direct payments and attorneys’ fees are disbursed will be held for the benefit of consumer protection and online privacy organizations.
The settlement notwithstanding, it remains unclear whether the plaintiffs could show they were harmed in a meaningful way.  The court believed that there was a  “substantial hurdle” to proving a lack of consent on the part of plaintiffs, noting that Facebook argued that its users chose to indicate on Facebook that they liked certain entities or activities.
In the settlement agreement, Facebook agreed to provide greater disclosure and transparency regarding how names and profile pictures will be used and provide “additional control” over the program.  However, concerns exist regarding proposed changes to Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and many believe that this should have put an end to the Sponsored Stories program, or mandated opt-in participation.  It is presently an opt-out program.
The court stated that “the implication underlying many of the arguments is that any imposition on the privacy interests of Facebook members is per se wrongful.”  The court ultimately cited Facebook’s position that the service is meant as “a platform for sharing information,” that users join voluntarily and that, despite costing the company millions of dollars to provide, its services are free.
“While it does not follow that Facebook has carte blanche to exploit material belonging to, or regarding, its members in any fashion whatsoever,” the court said, “neither is it foreclosed from adopting a Statement of Rights and Responsibilities that is not as “pro privacy” as some may prefer.”
Amongst the most aggressively argued objections to the settlement related to perceived flaws regarding the protection of minors.  Specifically, arguments were advanced that the agreement should have required parental consent prior to a minor’s name and likeness could be used in the program.  The court believed that even if state law imposes a parental consent requirement for minors older than thirteen, the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act may preempt such a requirement.  COPPA’s express preemption provision, coupled with its decision to require parental consent only for children younger than thirteen, could bar any attempt to impose a parental consent requirement for teenagers upon Facebook.

Richard Newman is an Internet Lawyer at Hinch Newman LLP specializing in advertising, intellectual property and digital media matters. His practice includes conducting legal compliance reviews of advertising campaigns, representing clients in investigations and enforcement actions brought by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general, commercial litigation, advising clients on promotional marketing programs, and negotiating and drafting legal agreements.

Hold Mail Service

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The Postal Service can hold your mail while you’re away on vacation. Sign up at 

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I need information about the best free Web hosting service.

So this is a super fun, so I'll get right to the ...

We had a cluster failure today we need to return back from 2 weeks (May 16, 2013).

That means anything done between 16 May and 1 June is gone.

More information can be found here.

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SATA Windows XP Driver Finding Service

Anyone who is trying to create or ‘slipstream’ their Windows XP CD (as described here) and needs the SATA (Hard Disk) controller drivers to put onto the CD/DVD using a program such as nLite and simply cannot find the drivers for their system.

Simple really – After you submit your details using the form below, Rosco will locate your SATA driver and send you a direct download link within 48 hours – usually much quicker though!

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If the driver can’t be found or doesn’t exist, you will get a refund – no questions asked.

Securely send Rosco $5 via PayPal or AlertPay.Complete & Submit the short form below.Your SATA driver package will be sent to you as a download link.This is not a CD creation assistance, private tech support service.  After you’re sent the driver download link – my work is done (I might consider a CD creation assistance service in the future…make me an offer I can’t refuse!).The driver will be from official sources (motherboard/chipset manufacturers, PC manufacturers, etc) and will be tested and verified to be VIRUS FREE before being sent to you. Your email address is safe – not shared, poked or prodded.Happy New Year (it might be June by the time you’re reading this).
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We’re at your service for repairs, too

You trust your insurer to take care of a claim when you have one.

At Progressive, we take care of your claim—and can manage your repairs, too.

• Just drop off your damaged car at a Progressive Service Center; you can even pick up a rental at the same time—saving a trip.
• Go back to your normal routine; we coordinate the entire repair process and call you when you can pick up your car.
• A trusted shop performs your repairs—which are guaranteed for as long as you own or lease your car, even if you move to another state.

“I love how easy it was to take them my car, sign a couple papers and be given the keys to the rental that was right there waiting for me,” says a Service Center customer in Phoenix.

“To not have to do anything myself is worth being with Progressive.”

Right now, there are 54 Service Centers countrywide. And more are opening in other cities—starting with one in Silver Spring, Md., in February.

Learn more about Progressive’s Service Centers:

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Goodbye, U.S. Postal Service?

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This Christmas could be the Post Office's last, says John Avlon. The U.S. Postal Service is bleeding money and heading toward insolvency John Avlon: Congress can save the postal service in deal on the fiscal cliff He says the urgency is clear, let's hope for a Christmas miracle Avlon: But be prepared that Washington dysfunction can doom the postal service Editor's note: John Avlon is a CNN contributor and senior political columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He is co-editor of the book "Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns." He is a regular contributor to "Erin Burnett OutFront" and is a member of the OutFront Political Strike Team. For more political analysis, tune in to "Erin Burnett OutFront" at 7 ET weeknights.

(CNN) -- It's the time of year for dashing through the snow to the crowded post office, with arms full of holiday gifts for family and friends.

Not to break the atmosphere of holiday cheer, but this Christmas could be the last for the U.S. Postal Service. It is losing $25 million dollars a day and staring down insolvency -- unless Congress steps in to pass a reform package that reduces its costs.

With just a few days left in the congressional calendar, there is still some small hope for a Christmas miracle -- maybe the Postal Service can be saved as part of a deal on the fiscal cliff. But with even Hurricane Sandy relief stalled, skepticism is growing.

The real question is, what's taken them so long? After all, back in April the Senate passed an imperfect but bipartisan bill by 62-37. It would have saved some $20 billion, cut some 100 distribution centers, and reduced head count by an additional 100,000 through incentives for early retirement, while reducing red tape to encourage entrepreneurialism and keeping Saturday delivery in place for at least another two years. At the time, Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware said, "The situation is not hopeless; the situation is dire. My hope is that our friends over in the U.S. House, given the bipartisan steps we took this week, will feel a sense of urgency."

To which the House might as well have replied, "Not so much."

In August, the Postal Service defaulted for the first time, unable to make a $5.5 billion payment to fund future retirees' health benefits. The headline in Government Executive magazine said it all: "Postal Service defaults, Congress does nothing."

The usual suspects were at fault -- hyperpartisan politics and the ideological arrogance that always makes the perfect the enemy of the good.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa greeted the news of the Senate bill by calling it a "taxpayer-funded bailout." His primary complaint was that the Senate bill did not go far enough. He was not alone -- Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe also expressed disappointment at the scope of the Senate bill, saying that it fell "far short of the Postal Service's plan."

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Washington insiders said that action would be taken after the election, when lawmakers would be free to make potentially unpopular decisions. But despite a series of closed-door meetings, nothing has been done.

It's possible that the nearly $20 billion in savings could be part of a fiscal cliff deal. Sen. Joseph Lieberman has suggested that ending Saturday delivery, except for packages, could be part of a compromise that could save big bucks down the road. Another aspect of a savings plan could be suspending the USPS' onerous obligation to fully fund its pension costs upfront, a requirement that would push many businesses into bankruptcy. And last fiscal year, the post office posted a record $15.9 billion loss.

"As the nation creeps toward the 'fiscal cliff,' the U.S. Postal Service is clearly marching toward a financial collapse of its own," says Carper. "The Postal Service's financial crisis is growing worse, not better. It is imperative that Congress get to work on this issue and find a solution immediately. ... Recently key House and Senate leaders on postal reform have had productive discussions on a path forward, and while there may be some differences of opinion in some of the policy approaches needed to save the Postal Service, there is broad agreement that reform needs to happen -- the sooner the better."

The urgency couldn't be clearer -- but even at this yuletide 11th hour, signs of progress are slim to none. If Congress fails to pass a bill, we'll be back to square one in the new year, with the Senate needing to pass a new bill which will then have to be ratified by the House. There is just no rational reason to think that lift will be any easier in the next Congress than in the current lame duck Congress, where our elected officials are supposedly more free to do the right thing, freed from electoral consequences.

So as you crowd your local post office this holiday season, look around and realize that the clock is ticking. The Postal Service is fighting for its life. And Congress seems determined to ignore its cries for help.

"Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor gloom of night" can stop the U.S. Postal Service from making its appointed rounds -- but congressional division and dysfunction apparently can.

Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.

Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon.

December 21, 2012 -- Updated 1043 GMT (1843 HKT) John Avlon says as the U.S. Postal Service is heading toward insolvency, Congress has a chance to save it. December 20, 2012 -- Updated 2052 GMT (0452 HKT) Gun marketers play on male self-image and ideas of masculinity, encouraging men to buy more and more weapons, says Paul Waldman. December 21, 2012 -- Updated 0103 GMT (0903 HKT) Peter Bergen says the film is attracting growing criticism for exaggerating the role of coercive interrogations in finding bin Laden. December 20, 2012 -- Updated 1313 GMT (2113 HKT) Douglas Rushkoff says our first instinct is to protest Instagram's new terms of service, but we should realize that Facebook paid a billion dollars for the site and needs to earn money in return. December 20, 2012 -- Updated 1958 GMT (0358 HKT) Howard Kurtz says reporters should stay on the story and the issues it raises. Get the latest opinion and analysis from CNN's columnists and contributors.December 19, 2012 -- Updated 2057 GMT (0457 HKT) LZ Granderson says allowing concealed weapons in places like schools and churches would just result in more tragedy, not less.December 19, 2012 -- Updated 2054 GMT (0454 HKT) William Bennett says having armed and trained people could help protect schools and other vulnerable places from gun violence December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1544 GMT (2344 HKT) Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza says the vice president, who shepherded the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act through the Senate, is the right man to lead new gun control efforts.December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1711 GMT (0111 HKT) Ruben Navarrette says with their many demands, many of the young undocumented immigrants brought here as kids are turning people against them, hurting the chances for broad immigration reform December 19, 2012 -- Updated 1933 GMT (0333 HKT) James Garbarino says troubled, lonely boys view the world as hostile, and think their culture condones the use of violence to solve problemsDecember 19, 2012 -- Updated 1438 GMT (2238 HKT) Lori Haas says our elected leaders have abandoned all sense of right and wrong despite epidemic deaths from guns.December 18, 2012 -- Updated 1635 GMT (0035 HKT) Edward Mulvey says we cannot tell which one of the thousands and thousands of young men who are quiet or withdrawn will be a killer.Today's five most popular stories

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Which Web Hosting service is right for your Business?

Let's say you've just finished designing and implementing a great website for your business and you can't wait to start generating web traffic and to buy targeted traffic to it in order to greatly increase the sales volume that makes your business.  Now that you have a great site ready to go, how to find someone to host on the Internet for you?  Well, there many options out there and many items to consider when deciding which type of web hosting is right for you and your business.  Let's go over some examples and go into a few details about why or why not a certain service may be right for you.

The first consideration that you should consider is how much you have to spend on web hosting services.  If you have a lot to spend, then you may need to worry about this aspect, but even if you don't have more money to spend on web hosting, there may still be an option for you.  Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) may also offer an amount of personal space online for you to use as you think you are a subscriber to the Internet services.  Since you're already paying for Internet access, in this case, you don't have to pay for any additional services.  However, these services usually come with limitations and may not be suitable for hosting a business website through.  For example, the space you have available is likely to be small and limited and may not be suitable for hosting a commercial site with all that it entails.  The next limitation is usually that comes only with a simple domain URL, such as "www.myisp.com/mywebpage", for example.  And such a URL might not be appropriate for your commercial website.  Another thing to watch out for is server-side limitations from your ISP.  For example, you might want your website to use a scripting language to the desired functionality, but that language may not be supported by your ISP and you may be out of luck.  In addition, more often, ISPs restrict the amount of bandwidth you can use your free Web site, which can lead to potential clients, being able to access your website if you reach that amount of bandwidth.

Now then, with all of these limitations may be imposed by your ISP'S free web hosting offer, probably doesn't sound like a viable solution for hosting a business website on.  That is probably a correct assumption, however, there's an interesting aspect with this kind of hosting (and free hosting in General).  If you ask your ISP, probably have the ability to remove certain limitations, for a small fee, of course.  And if you only require that some of these restrictions be lifted in order to operate your business website, then you may be able to get those raised for a nominal fee and thus have very inexpensive hosting for your Web site business.  This same type of model and mentality usually accompanies most types of free web hosting services, so keep that in mind.

The next consideration is for those who are ready and willing to pay a decent price for their websites be professionally hosted.  When looking for a web hosting service of high quality, it is important to keep in mind a few things before making your final decision.  Business Web site is an important tool to increase growth and revenue, so you'll want to make sure it is available to as many people as possible as often as possible.  With that said, you want to investigate the stories of uptime of any potential service provider.  A service of high-quality web hosting should have very small amounts of time, and their percentages of uptime really should go over 99% of the time to adequately accommodate a commercial site.  Another thing to check is the level of customer service and support that the hosting service offers its clients.  If your website happen to go for whatever reason, you want to rest at ease knowing you can immediately contact your hosting service and can easily let them know of the outage and have them quickly and efficiently make the necessary corrections.  The next item to think is available disk space and bandwidth.  Some hosting services put limits on both of these, then surely we suggest that you check what are the limits and those limits are going to be compatible with your expected amount of data throughput and web traffic.

The next examples of web hosting opportunities are directed more to those who are technically savvy and comfortable maintaining and operating its own Internet server.  Both of these options have the potential to be very effective, but generally require more work on your part and a lot more knowledge to keep your website running smoothly.  The first of these options is to find a web hosting service.  This service offers basically a server in their data center, some electricity for power, a power cord and remote access to manage and configure.  With this form of hosting, you don't need to be responsible for the hardware side of web hosting, but everything else is pretty much up to you to get the right job.  The next type of hosting that is along those lines is to host your server on ISP with your registered domain name. This type of hosting is by far the most complicated and time-consuming, but having the benefits as it gives you 100% and an instant control of everything that has to do with your website hosting business.

Now that you've had a taste of what types of hosting options may be available to you, it is important that you review each of the options available in order to get the hosting service that is right for you and your business in order to generate the maximum amount of premium traffic and targeted visitors that lead to successful transactions online.

Tags: web hosting services, web traffic

This entry was posted on Monday, July 23, 2012 to 5:51 and is filed under Web Hosting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Virgin Atlantic Offers Mobile Service in the Skies

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By Deanna Cioppa

What goes through your head when the flight attendants announce that it's time to turn off phones and electronic devices? Is it "ah, finally, peace and quiet," "wait! I forgot to call [someone not that important]," or do you smile snidely and take no heed of their direction? Well, you're not going to hear that announcement for much longer, on Virgin Atlantic flights anyway.

With the official reveal of its Airbus 330-300 (flying between New York and London), the airline is offering in-flight cell phone usage for its flyers. According to a release, passengers on the new Airbus will be able to make calls, send and receive texts and emails, and have access to the web at 35,000 feet, via General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). By the end of the year, the airline says the service will be available for nearly 20 of its aircraft. The cost of the service is a bit steep—one British pound (or about $1.59) per minute, but can go up based on your network provider.

While the service is available throughout the plane, Virgin says it's mainly directed at business travelers who need to make a short call or send an email or two—"exceptional situations," as the airline puts it. To that end, only six users will be able to connect to the service at a time.

Despite that low number, some have been voicing concern over the potential for loud (or worse, boring) phone chit-chat in cabins. After Tuesday's announcement, the Associated Press wrote, "The British airline's new service could be a blessing for business travelers who want to stay connected during eight-hour flights across the ocean. It could also be a nightmare for the passenger sitting next to them."

Sarah McIntyre at Virgin's U.S. public relations office tried to assuage those worries. "This is more about people making a brief call to the car picking them up," she said in a phone interview, and not meant for passengers to be "chatting away." The feedback during the airline's trial period with the new service, she said, has been "very positive so far."

This development and the new Airbus is part a $160 million investment by Virgin Atlantic. Other digital goodies include a "technology hub" in the new airplane's Upper Class cabin with connections for smartphones, USB, and tablets, and a new in-flight entertainment system called Jam.

The service, dubbed AeroMobile, is initially available for customers using the O2 and Vodafone mobile networks. Service will still be unavailable during takeoff, landing, and within 250 miles of US airspace.

What do you think of Virgin Atlantic's new phone service? Weigh in in the comments below.

Photo credits: Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic

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What kind of service business owners to sell?

What kind of service business owners to sell? SEO? Have a Facebook? PPC? Website design or social media marketing?

The kind of service you provide, regardless of the client's business needs. We've seen yesterday, the automated system to generate leads is really strong enough (in some cities selling any service) have any real business for more than. But some of my subscribers to buy it because of the price. But if you can afford it, I recommend because it really took the lead in a variety of niches and hundreds of my applications to the city. Personally, I like very much to make it easier to find a clue and it was glad. click here to download the software if you do not have already.

We are working in a different way today for another exciting wso. The main advantage here is the customer moving. I mean, this is not the buyer is sent, lead system. Still confused? Business people will be able to contact you (in most cases, after you pay, I guess) in the first place. It's getting real business ' like ' instead of lead. (Usually we find leads, contact them, and then build a business and customer rights)?

"It may take a few days, but once set, 399 pounds for my first order in less than 12 hours later. I knew it! This can get a little rock and now only bigger because of my need to get serious about outsourcing. "warriors Peckham

This is about finding the lead contact and give him something to remember. Method allows you to earn you the client even before the contact is normally directly. For example, if your customer by phone, email, visit, or a cold nature, you do not need anything. To get the wso, visit: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-special-offers-forum/563608-must-see-5-star-warrior-special-offer-innovative-100k-offline-marketing-success-any-niche-w-warrior-proof-inside.html

NewGenre business solutions (Google top'er ' quality SEO services ') works with a team of experts. Apart from our own online news distribution and operates several services

   

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Samsung became the largest supplier of smartphones

Samsung became the largest supplier of smartphones, and took part in the growing market for robots
Market research firm Gartner, Samsung has become the leading provider of smart phones worldwide in the third quarter, and the robot on the market share exceeded 50 percent for the first time on Tuesday, also said in a sale phone for end users.
Sales of smartphones worldwide 115000000 units in the third quarter of 2011, up 42 percent from the third quarter of 2010. Nevertheless, smartphone sales slowed in the second quarter due to economic conditions, consumers are now out of new models, including the iPhone 4S, according to Robert Cozza, principal analyst at Gartner.
Robot Samsung winners among the operating systems and chip vendors, respectively.
And the number of Samsung worldwide and for the first time, sales of smartphones 24000000, and three times they have sold in the third quarter of last year.
Helped to support the Samsung device, and also provides a wide range of expensive telephone system operating intelligent, and the robot to capture the market share of 52.5 percent, with sales of 60.5 million smart phones based on different versions of the operating system, according to the goat.
In all regions of the world, Nokia is still the second largest supplier of smart phones and Symbian OS Smartphone second in popularity. Consumers bought Symbian smartphones 19500000 by allowing the operating system market by 17 percent. Smartphones based on Symbian is still very popular in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The first Nokia smartphone running Microsoft Windows Phone OS Gold and Lumia 800 for sale in Germany and France will continue to sell and Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK at the end of this month. Microsoft has reached a new low for the third quarter, the operating system programs are not a part of only 1.5 percent of the smartphone market.
To compete with Google and Apple, camps, Nokia needs to broaden its product portfolio, and working with Microsoft for more ways to distinguish them from competition, in accordance with the goat. At the same time, Microsoft has added new features such as hardware technology LTE (Long Term Evolution), which has become more important.
"We do not expect to see a significant impact on sales until the second half of 2012," said Khoza.
Sold 17 million iPhones by Apple in the third quarter, an annual increase of 21 percent, but down about 3 million units in the second quarter of 2011, perhaps because potential buyers are waiting for iPhone 4S launch, which came in the fourth quarter. IOS, which makes the operating system is still popular third with a market share of 15 percent, and the third largest manufacturer of Apple's smartphone.
Now released for the iPhone 4S, and is doing well and expected to Apple, goat, bouncing over the last three months of 2011. With a base price of 4S, and lower for older model iPhone, Apple a serious competitor in accordance with the goat.
Khoza said the fourth quarter, and the battle between the robot and the Apple camp will be a killer, especially in the United States won the HTC start the third quarter, but Apple, in second place and Samsung ranked third behind only.
Microsoft is not the only manufacturer of the operating system down: Research In Motion (RIM), has recorded a new low level of market share in both the U.S. and around the world, 10 percent and 11 percent, respectively. 12700000 units sold, enough to make the operating system from RIM's fourth largest manufacturer of BlackBerry OS and the fourth, according to Gartner.
HTC has the largest seller of smartphones in the U.S., but the company is not only the seller in all regions of the world's fifth. Sold about 12 million smart phones.
In addition to smartphones, and sales worldwide for all types of mobile 440500000 in the third quarter by 5.6 percent during the same period last year. The five largest manufacturers, Nokia, Samsung, LG Electronics, ZTE and Apple.

http://www.microsoft.com

Software As a Service (SaaS) Software on Demand - Using SaaS the Smart Way

Software as a Service (SaaS) Today's business world demands that business owners quickly adapt to a changing environment. Businesses can improve internal operations when they are able to adapt to emerging technologies trends to reduce operational costs and ultimately improve service to clients. Businesses that fail to adapt find that attempting to function using old, supposedly tried-and-true methods and technologies can cost them significant amounts of money.
When deployed correctly, Software as a Service (SaaS) can help your business reduce overhead costs associated with managing software installed and maintained on servers and client workstations. Software as a Service, also known as "software on demand" provides for quick deployment for many types of corporations and works particularly well within certain types of business operating models. Evolution of Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS began with the development of hosted software space that first appeared commercially in 1998. These first-generation SaaS applications were applications that allowed Web-based access to software through a subscription from the SaaS vendor as opposed to traditional application licensing for software purchased "off-the-shelf."
The licensing model encourages software vendors to restrict the use of their applications by objectively defining how and when the application software can be used. The EULAs (End-User License Agreements) define precisely how an application can be used.
With SaaS, conventional CD software installation onto a workstation is completely done away with, and customers are granted full access to the application from their desktop PC. The PC essentially becomes a "thin client" when using SaaS; virtually all access functions are executed on the vendor's server in a remote data center. Basically, the desktop PC becomes a client and the vendor serves up the application(s) on demand; hence, SaaS is basically software on demand.
At first, only certain companies were eager to adapt to SaaS. However, this group of companies made waves in their respective industries by becoming operationally effective when using SaaS. Today, more often than not, software is developed using the SaaS model because this delivery mechanism is a good fit for certain business operating models.
SaaS is rapidly becoming a preferred delivery vehicle for corporations around the world. In certain instances, business owners are particularly happy with the total cost-of-ownership savings of the SaaS solution compared to that of buying software through conventional reseller channels. With the only financial responsibility in the form of a recurring subscription fee, costs are constant and predictable with SaaS. As many business owners know, this is not the case with perpetually licensed out-of-the-box software. By the third year of ownership of licensed software, total cost of ownership increases because many vendors are pushing for new hardware equipment and other upgrades to your IT infrastructure.
Software as a Service (SaaS) Defined SaaS is just what the term implies: Software is supplied as a service by the software vendor. The application resides off-site at the vendor's datacenter where the vendor is responsible for maintaining the data, servers and all other related hardware. Access to the remotely located application is granted by a subscription that allows end users to utilize the software. Users run the SaaS application over the Internet.
Vendors are able to maintain an application that works for multiple clients without considerable customization or integration issues. With traditional enterprise-level applications, this is not the case where many costs are generated customizing an application for a particular company. With SaaS, those costs are eliminated and the vendor has a single, easy-to-maintain application for multiple clients. Upgrades are a snap as is releasing new versions. When the vendor needs to upgrade its application or release a new version, it simply installs it in their data center, and all customers are instantly upgraded simultaneously the next time the application is accessed.
In most cases the software must be configured in an environment by where customers are able to access multiple applications simultaneously. SaaS is also known as a "one size fits all" kind of solution. By maintaining the hardware, vendors assume much of the operational IT costs associated with maintaining the software and servers that run the application(s). Transitioning to SaaS at your company could save your organization a lot of money by shifting these operational costs over to the SaaS vendor. Doing so eliminates the number of IT hours necessary to maintain the software running in-house on workstations, plus it reduces hardware costs for additional servers and other related equipment.
Shifting these responsibilities to the software vendor changes the customer-vendor relationship. Obviously, firms able to take advantage of SaaS are able to dramatically reduce operational costs and enable IT staff to focus on higher-order tasks within their organization. The SaaS platform also differs radically from traditional licensing methods in how the software is paid for. Gone are the large upfront costs with various consultancy fees and maintenance costs associated with adapting a new application company-wide. Instead, customers pay a subscription fee that may occur on a monthly or annual basis.
SaaS software vendors make the trade-off for the upfront fees for a predictable, steady cash flow from a service-based relationship with the customer. Keeping the customer relationship intact is essential for the SaaS provider to maintain these revenue streams and to keep them flowing. It is this need that drives the SaaS vendor to provide a quality service in their application, along with quality customer service when needed.
Oftentimes, it is the latter quality that many traditionally licensed software platforms are lacking. Regrettably, with certain SaaS vendors some of these companies are all about the customer up front when the application is initially being deployed only to essentially "forget" about the customer when it is time to provide some additional support. Obviously, forgetting about the customer is not in the SaaS vendor's best interest.
It should also be noted certain enterprise software vendors often claim disinterest in developing SaaS applications, claiming SaaS is not able to provide the same level of sophistication inherent in their offerings. These vendors are underestimating the pervasiveness and agility of today's SaaS offerings. Considering that enterprise software vendors generate significant revenues from upfront costs, the reasoning behind the expressed dissatisfaction becomes even clearer.
For small business owners, an enterprise software vendor may not be a viable option. For some vendors, it's simply not cost effective for large enterprise-centric SaaS vendors to support businesses with fewer than 10 end users. With the SaaS application offering, the level of customer service remains the same no matter how many users need access.
Benefits of SaaS Savings generated by the relocation of an application from the customer's location to the vendor's data center are easily observable in terms of reduced IT staff hours or employees and the associated hardware needs. Other generated savings and benefits of SaaS are not so easily observable, are subtle in nature and can be far-reaching in their effectiveness.
These benefits are worth mentioning: o Delivery of standardized software applications across departments, business units and the entire corporation. o Improved security and access to digital documents in-house and outside of the office via the Internet. o Comprehensive training supplied from the same SaaS vendors with a new subscription. o Ongoing customer support from the SaaS vendor continued throughout the term of the contract. o Reduced risk as opposed to retail-boxed licensed software. The software is always accessible, and you don't sacrifice productivity time should a workstation have to be rebuilt and you have to reinstall software.
Anytime a business can embrace an improved operational process, cost savings are realized. Standards applied across the business environment reduce or remove variations in work performance. These variations occur when different employees, perhaps located at different work sites or even different departments within the same building, alter their work process when completing similar tasks. Defining standards helps your business succeed in the most cost-effective manner possible. Under certain operating models, SaaS improves these standards by requiring virtually all employees to access the same version of software. The centralized application provides an access medium employees use to run the software at the office or remotely.
Access to files at the vendor's data center (or in some cases a local workstation) is enhanced through SaaS. Centralized access using high-speed Internet connections improves the likelihood that documents will be easy to find. Security can also be improved by locating the documents off-site. Located on the vendor's data center, your business documents are now maintained within the vendor's security standards. Quality SaaS vendors usually have very high levels of security. Oftentimes, they use encryption to protect documents as the documents pass to and from the data center back the user.
Note: Be sure to review the SaaS vendor's security policy before signing any contract.
Training supplied by the vendor at the time a subscription is purchased is another potential benefit of using SaaS. Reputable vendors provide training - after all, it is in their best interest to train customers to keep that constant revenue stream flowing. Customers will use the software if they know how to use it, and they are able to get what they need out of the application(s).
SaaS training can be tailored to your company's specific needs. Extensive guides are both informative and easy to understand, and interactive help is readily available. Free trial periods are also common with SaaS vendors. During the free trial period, which usually lasts a few weeks or even a month or more, some vendors will take the time to train you on the software in order to acquire you as a client. In a service-based relationship established by virtue of the SaaS subscription, customer support continues for as long as the subscription remains current. This is also essential for the vendor to continue the relationship. Remember, a SaaS vendor wants to keep you happy, and they know that quality customer service goes a long way to retain clients.
SaaS presents far less risks for customers than many traditional licensing models. SaaS vendors reduce the software transaction with the customer down to granting access with a subscription payment. For the customer, should the application not perform as expected, the loss is only limited to the price of the subscription. This is not the case with certain traditional software licensing models, where the total cost of the software is a loss should the application not live up to expectations. Also present within a SaaS licensing model: You're encouraged to consider purchasing more licenses than you need initially or else risk violating the defined EULA. The SaaS vendor isn't concerned with disk copying or reverse engineering of their product. All code is kept on-site, safely where it can't be shared unless access is granted.
SaaS service agreement terms are pretty much cut and dry, and should be displayed on the vendor's Web site. These terms should be read and thoroughly understood. The vendor can easily terminate the customer relationship if a violation occurs by simply refusing access to the application. Before any company jumps into adapting SaaS, it is important to note what specific types of organizations are structured to benefit the most from SaaS. The fact is, there are specific types of companies that should not adopt SaaS. The best companies suited for SaaS are ones that have a unified operating model.
If your business is considering the move to SaaS from conventional software, it's important that you ask yourself these five questions: o How will SaaS support our business better than traditional software licensing? o What is the total cost-of-ownership comparison between a three-year SaaS subscription with bundled services and purchasing software the conventional way? o Are there any special considerations for the SaaS software that would require modifications to your current systems or network infrastructure? o How would your end users' experience change with the SaaS model compared to conventional software? o What time frame is needed to introduce the SaaS application compared to that of conventional software?
The Unified Business Operating Model It's been my firsthand experience that the unified operating model is usually the best fit for SaaS. For businesses that fall under this category, leveraging SaaS can significantly reduce deployment and maintenance costs.
Obviously, not all companies operate under this business model. What the unified operating model has that other types of operation don't is that many applications are accessed through a centralized location. Businesses lacking this centralization may find it difficult to convert to SaaS. Centralized management is also important to the unified operating model as are standardized business units. Companies operating with heterogeneous business units, each with its own localized management and different business processes would also have some obstacles to overcome when transitioning to SaaS.
Transformation into a unified operating model is not impossible. Many businesses strive toward unification by centralizing operations that streamline business processes and ultimately improve customer relationships while reducing operational costs simultaneously. Unified business operating models have transformed many companies operating under antiquated business models that simply don't work as well in today's business world. In the past, many companies diversified into new business sectors and developed individual business units that operated separately from other business units owned by the same company.
The Internet revolution forced many companies to once again centralize business operations to facilitate communications and decision-making for the corporation operating on a global scale. Some companies not able to centralize all their business units spun them off into new, separate companies or sold them off to competitors. Even today, these actions continue. The unified business operating model is not limited to large, global operations. Businesses just starting can quickly establish themselves using this model. Choosing SaaS for application-supported business processes can help your new business venture during its initial start-up. Established small and medium businesses (SMBs) may also be operating in a unified manner.
Risks of SaaS It should be noted that SaaS isn't for every company. While the unified business operating model presents the ideal model to take advantage of SaaS, there are other situations where the solution should not be implemented. Business-critical processes should not necessarily depend upon SaaS. It's important at the beginning to consider the ramifications of choosing SaaS before actually purchasing it. Risk analysis should be thoroughly conducted just as with any other new software platform under consideration. Businesses must consider how essential the SaaS functions are by considering how they would operate should the SaaS vendor to go offline. It's imperative that when evaluating an SaaS vendor, your company examines the vendor's track record of uptime availability.
Do the following: Find other businesses that have adopted the platform and talk to them about their experiences with the vendors you're considering.
Also, SaaS service agreements must be carefully read and understood for all the limitations implied by the agreement. Specifically, it is the payment that is due on time for the subscription to continue. Arrangements must be made ahead of time if, perhaps, your business chooses to have fewer licenses over the next billing period to guard against the vendor expecting more payment for the recurring subscription.
Companies with high-value digital assets probably shouldn't consider SaaS. While performing data functions and storing information on the remote data center may enhance the data integrity of most businesses, this is not always the case with every operation. The customer in the SaaS vendor relationship must consider the promises the vendor agrees to as to how data is stored and maintained no matter what new applications are introduced as the relationship progresses.
Here are some important recommendations to consider with SaaS:
o Know what business operating models benefit most from SaaS and seriously, think through whether or not your company will benefit from SaaS.
o Understand how SaaS impacts cross-functional teams and multiple business units.
o Correlate total cost of ownership of SaaS compared to conventional software licensing models.
o Get the entire service agreement in writing from the SaaS vendor prior to purchasing the service.
o Should a pilot program be implemented, set up an online forum using widely available, free software to allow end users a means to provide feedback on the application's performance.
Finally, SaaS is a relatively new phenomenon that is rapidly becoming a foreseeable choice for certain large and small businesses. Companies ideally structured to take advantage of SaaS are rapidly signing up and in many instances, reducing their overall operating costs.
Of course, considerations must be made when making a change from traditionally licensed software. The fact is, not all businesses are ideally suited for SaaS.
However, it is certain SaaS is here to stay and will continue to grow in popularity as a preferred delivery method of software applications.
Michael G. Perry has more than 20 years' professional experience in management, IT consulting and writing technical documentation related to business process, policies and procedures.
To learn more visit http://sisnv.net/ to email Michael directly. Disclaimer/Release of Liability Statement:
Regarding knowledge shared in this article, Michael G. Perry will not be held responsible for any consequential damages resulting from the application of content or recommendations.
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