Software as a Service (SAAS) as It Pertains to Enterprise Architecture Essay

Software as a Service (SAAS) as It Pertains to Enterprise Architecture - Essay Example The concept and notion of architecture date back to the prehistoric times. Originating in the design and architecture domains, the concept has been invariably associated with the principles of structure, symmetry, functionality, and harmony. Rapid advances in technology during the 20th century gave an impetus to the development of new, enterprise architectures; the latter remain the most complex, challenging but nonetheless desirable elements of productive business functioning. The Software as a Service (SaaS) model marks a new stage in the evolution of enterprise architecture and paves the way for the smooth integration of various EA frameworks with the principal business operations and functions. In contemporary business environments, the choice of SaaS is justified by the need to consolidate IT applications and models and reduce the costs of IT management at all levels of organizational performance. It is through SaaS deployment that organizations can easily achieve the desired fu ture state of technologies where computing is integrally linked to communication, and seamless integration of technological efforts into end user-centered frameworks precipitates the creation and sustained usability of cost-efficient and flexible IT models. Software as a Service: A Brief Introduction Understanding the SaaS model is important for understanding its place and role in enterprise architectures (EA). â€Å"SaaS is software deployed as a hosted service and accessed over the Internet†. ... Software as a Service: A Brief Introduction Understanding the SaaS model is important for understanding its place and role in enterprise architectures (EA). â€Å"SaaS is software deployed as a hosted service and accessed over the Internet† (Carraro & Chong, 2006). Actually, it is due to the rapid expansion and accessibility of the Internet that SaaS is gradually becoming a fundamental ingredient of many enterprise architectures. Thousands of end-user organizations move to adopt SaaS frameworks and applications, in order to automate front and back-office business operations, enhance accessibility of data, and guarantee security of information (SaaS, 2011). The Software as a Service model is: Loosely coupled services and components – that SaaS avoids tight coupling characteristic of earlier models means that the framework has a potential to reduce the costs of maintenance and integration. Configuration over programming – the SaaS framework depends on smaller compo nents, which are coupled and shared to create business solutions based on minimal codes. Agnostic to databases – the choice of relevant databases is usually left to the needs of the SaaS provider. Agnostic to topologies – most enterprise architectures and computing topologies constantly involve, but the use of SaaS guarantees applicability, seamless integration, and deployment of various SaaS elements in any topology. GUI agnostic – enterprises using the SaaS frameworks have the free choice of GUI technologies, including performance and firewall issues, and makes it easier to integrate and design loosely coupled architecture elements, including Flex user interfaces. Agnostic to data sources – the SaaS