One of the hot discussion topics may not be news to some of you. SaaS, or Software as a Service, is getting more attention in the mainstream these days. It may be the way of the future, simplifying how we work, and making it less expensive to boot! Companies host or maintain software applications for their users, eliminating cost and maintenance for individual users. Many people use Flickr or Photobucket as a way to share photos online, and those are good examples, but there are many more applications out there!
If you have ever clicked on the “more” link on the Google homepage you have seen examples of SaaS. Google is providing hosting for services that people use the most: word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, etc. There are others, but as these are heavily used for work and recreation, I will focus on these.
Anyone who has an Internet connection can use these services. With the high prices of productivity software, more people are exploring these options. With Google Documents, you can create, store, and share documents ranging from proposals or articles to spreadsheets, or slide-show presentations. This ability gives the word "collaboration" a whole new meaning! I store presentations in Google Docs, because you never know about technology. I like to have options before things happen, and Google Docs allows users to have a Plan B.
I started this document in Word, but switched to Google Docs to finish and store it "out there" so I can access it from anywhere with an Internet connection. Google Docs doesn't have all the bells and whistles that Word does, but it is a perfectly serviceable FREE word processor that can handle most jobs. Great for those who switch between computers at work and home to complete projects! Everyone should take a look at this great FREE service, and read some of the user examples for inspiration.
Cheers!
Melody
Thanks Cedar Rapids Public Library!
5 years ago
Posts
1 comment:
Hi -- I have used Google Docs for over a year now, and I agree that they are great alternatives to having local applications (Word, Excel etc.) because Microsoft Office applications can be rather expensive, and the Google Docs apps are free. They are also convenient. I do have a couple of caveats about them --
*Before recommending them to anyone, I always have them check their company's privacy and non-disclosure policies. These apps are "host based" -- that is, all the docs you save, unless you save them locally only, are hosted on Google's servers. Some companies have proprietary policies which might prohibit this in regard to work-related documents.
*This project is still labeled as in the "beta" stage, which means that it is under active development. Google has a reputation for running very clean betas, but you will still run into the odd software bug or two. That said, I have had few problems with these applications.
This is defintely where things are headed in terms of application software -- cost savings, convenience and "documents available anywhere" are things that most users are looking for more and more!
--Heather
Post a Comment