LOGIN | REGISTER NOW | SUBSCRIBE
 
print Printable version 
Most Read Latest News Blog Resources
Three non-programming books for your booklist
Aside from programming skills, developers should know how management works and how to oper...
Microsoft pushes Windows Phone 7 development tools
Ahead of the smartphone's release, Microsoft is letting developers download its tools in a...
Windows & .NET Watch: LightSwitch turns up
Microsoft's newest development environment will need to go a long way to fulfill its poten...
JavaOne returns with an Oracle twist
Oracle OpenWorld will be bigger than ever this year as the event adds JavaOne to the sched...
Digg!  Digg
Reddit  Reddit
Slashdot  Slashdot
Share on facebook  Facebook
Share on Twitter  Twitter


            iphoneapp GET THE APP!

Programmable SaaS? That's platform as a service


By Alexandra Weber Morales
June 1, 2008 —  (Page 1 of 7)
Ted C. Mesa is not a geek—“you’d need my CIO to give you that answer,” he says when pressed about the technical underpinnings of his company’s shipping management software-as-a-service—but he knows his business. As president and founder of Point&Ship Software, in Walnut Creek, Calif., Mesa has merged overnight package delivery experience with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, formulating a novel Web-based solution.

“In 1997, one of our clients said, ‘We want to be a paperless company by 2000.’ So we retooled our billing system and added in other carriers. Then, Sarbanes-Oxley kicked into gear, meaning public companies and every private company exceeding US$40 million in revenue had to validate and categorize all expenses. Thanks to the Enrons and MCIs of the world, shipping has shifted from the mailroom to the boardroom.”

Meanwhile, shipping’s importance continues to rise. Increasingly, Point&Ship’s .NET and SQL Server-based SaaS is interacting with other applications, such as a major retailer’s point-of-sale (POS) system. “At the POS, they can literally click on our logo and tell the customer how much shipping will cost. The big-business implication is: It’s real-time information and it’s also capturing an expense they don’t capture today.”
 
Not only have Mesa’s customers embraced the Web as an interactive platform, but also, according to Mesa, “No one is looking to put in servers anymore; everyone wants on-demand services. Our clients are saying everything is browser-based.” According to Mesa, that interest prompts him to consider a new evolution: offering his shipping management service as a programmable platform.

“Platform as a service is the quantum shift we’ve all been waiting for,” Mesa said. “You’re nimble, your ROI drops significantly and the impact is immediate.”

While companies such as Point&Ship don’t make the nightly news, they are vital to a new ecosystem built around PaaS. But how has this evolution emerged?

Many paths to PaaS
When it comes to software, the big new thing isn’t always so new. In 1961, Turing Award-winner John McCarthy predicted utility computing. But nearly 40 years passed before the application service provider (ASP) concept approached viability.

 Related Search Term(s): Cloud computing, SOA & SaaS

Pages 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 


Share this link: http://www.sdtimes.com/link/32212
 

Add comment


Name*
Email*  
Country     


  • Comment
  • Preview
Loading



 
 
 
 
News on Monday
more>>
SharePoint Tech Report
more>>


   

 
 
Download Current Issue
ISSUE 9/1/2010 PDF

Need Back Issues?
DOWNLOAD HERE

Receive the print Edition?


 
blogs tab
VMworld hops to it
Data center operating systems play a big part at VMworld, but it's still too soon.
09/02/2010 01:42 PM EST

Certificate program for secure cloud computing
The Cloud Security Alliance introduces user certification.
09/01/2010 04:20 PM EST

What does the Army's Crusher tank and RIM's tablet computer have in common?
RIM plans to use Crusher tank technology on its yet-to-be-announced tablet.
08/25/2010 04:16 PM EST

 

Events calendar tab
Intel Developer Forum
9/13/2010 to 9/15/2010
San Francisco
Intel

JavaOne & Oracle Develop
9/19/2010 to 9/23/2010
San Francisco
Oracle

Oracle OpenWorld
9/19/2010 to 9/23/2010
San Francisco
Oracle

ESC Boston
9/20/2010 to 9/23/2010
Boston
TechInsights

High Performance Computing Financial Markets
9/20/2010
New York City
Flagg Management