As I wrote in my last blog entry, SaaS (Software as a Service) is gaining more ground in coporate IT strategies but taking a closer look sometimes the CIO is completely left out in the decision making process for SaaS. The nature of SaaS solutions is that they can be implemented and used without even involving the IT department and this is what happens in a lot of companies.
The driving force to implement a SaaS systems is in many cases the operating department (e.g. the purchasing, sales or marketing department). If an operating department needs to move fast to solve an issues or to gain a competitive advantage the barrier for maverick buying a SaaS solution is very low. More and more CIOs find out about these systems long after they have been implemented and used. Of course SaaS solutions are also easy to get rid of from a technical standpoint but do you really want to take the hassle to reverse such decisions?
In my view – if IT wants to maintain its leading position, they need to proactively incorporate SaaS in their strategies and offer expert support in the SaaS selection process e.g. when it comes to the negotiation of service level agreements and the concept of a future integration concept for SaaS solutions.
