Showing papers on "Software as a service published in 2005"

Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software

Abstract: What is the status of the Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) revolution? Has the creation of software that can be freely used, modified, and redistributed transformed industry and society, as some predicted, or is this transformation still a work in progress? Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software brings together leading analysts and researchers to address this question, examining specific aspects of F/OSS in a way that is both scientifically rigorous and highly relevant to real-life managerial and technical concerns.The book analyzes a number of key topics: the motivation behind F/OSS -- why highly skilled software developers devote large amounts of time to the creation of "free" products and services; the objective, empirically grounded evaluation of software -- necessary to counter what one chapter author calls the "steamroller" of F/OSS hype; the software engineering processes and tools used in specific projects, including Apache, GNOME, and Mozilla; the economic and business models that reflect the changing relationships between users and firms, technical communities and firms, and between competitors; and legal, cultural, and social issues, including one contribution that suggests parallels between "open code" and "open society" and another that points to the need for understanding the movement's social causes and consequences.

Logistics information systems: An analysis of software solutions for supply chain co‐ordination

Abstract: – To review the development of software applications and their functionalities/benefits in relation to supply chain management and present scenarios on future development., – A range of recently published academic and non‐academic pieces of work that can be classified as pertinent to the area in question. These sources employ both theoretical and practical views on the topic of supply chain co‐ordination software and related functionalities and resulted benefits., – There is a significant overlap regarding the functionalities of software applications and the trend of convergence is about to intensify. At the same time the need for real time information will become crucial, putting emphasis on flexible IT‐systems that can deal with large amounts of data and are easy to interconnect. In turn this will lead to the growing importance of system integration software and the process of creating standards., – As a result of continuous development and convergence of IT‐solutions and turbulent business environment more applied research will be needed in the area of product configuration, RFID‐technology, standards in relation to interoperability of software applications (EAI technologies). This scrutiny is based only on written resources and no consultants or manager interviews were employed. Therefore the views of companies are not presented on the issues covered., – The selection of the appropriate software solutions for a company will need more time, expertise and money and the role of suppliers of software packages will become more significant., – This scrutiny stipulates the way the functionalities of software applications evolve with overlap one another and thus helps both researchers and companies to gain a clearer view on the development of supply chain software applications.

Configuring and allocating software product technical services

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for configuring and allocating software product technical services. A service policy configuration defining one or more service models for the developing software product is received. A software product taxonomy, including one or more themes and corresponding technical services, for the developing software product is received. A service profile, including context on how the entity intends to utilize the developing software product, is received. The entity is authorized to utilize technical services associated with the developing software product in accordance with one of the service models in response to receiving the service profile. In other embodiments, a service request selection is made from a menu that lists themes and technical services associated with a software product. The service request is allocated to the identified service provider based on request allocation criteria. An entity is at least notified of a received answer.

Predictors of customer perceived software quality

Abstract: Predicting software quality as perceived by a customer may allow an organization to adjust deployment to meet the quality expectations of its customers, to allocate the appropriate amount of maintenance resources, and to direct quality improvement efforts to maximize the return on investment. However, customer perceived quality may be affected not simply by the software content and the development process, but also by a number of other factors including deployment issues, amount of usage, software platform, and hardware configurations. We predict customer perceived quality as measured by various service interactions, including software defect reports, requests for assistance, and field technician dispatches using the afore mentioned and other factors for a large telecommunications software system. We employ the non-intrusive data gathering technique of using existing data captured in automated project monitoring and tracking systems as well as customer support and tracking systems. We find that the effects of deployment schedule, hardware configurations, and software platform can increase the probability of observing a software failure by more than 20 times. Furthermore, we find that the factors affect all quality measures in a similar fashion. Our approach can be applied at other organizations, and we suggest methods to independently validate and replicate our results.

Evaluating the software as a service business model: from cpu time-sharing to online innovation sharing

Abstract: The evolving literature on the new Software as a Service (SaaS) concept gives a coherent picture of the technical arrangements required between the vendor and the customer in order to enable the new online renting of applications. Many of these articles describe the new SaaS model as a new and customer-friendly way of IT outsourcing, where the vendor will own both the software and the IT infrastructure required for the online service, and where both parties will benefit from simple and attractive revenue logic, which is no longer based on the application development investment. What is not clearly observed yet is that the SaaS model will ultimately change the supplier-customer relationship from one-to-one to one-to-many. Therefore, it will also change the customer-vendor relationship to a typical utility based ecommerce relationship. Better understanding of the Software as a Service model will therefore require applying an ecommerce business model. In this paper we will use the value creation model of Amit and Zott (2001) to analyze the value drivers proposed in the research articles and software industry organization reports of the SaaS concept. We will synthesize the benefits and risks of the major stakeholders and discuss the types of value sources covered. We conclude that the promised customer benefits are not easily realized as many of them are at the same time major risks for the provider. Therefore, the SaaS model will require both an effective supplier network and an innovative and fair revenue logic involving lock-in in order to enable a continuous flow of shared software innovations and to succeed in transforming the software product business into service business.

Cloud Computing Issues

Abstract: Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software and information, are provided to computers and devices on-demand, like the electricity grid. It aims to construct a perfect system with powerful computing capability through a large number of relatively low-cost computing entity, and using the advanced business models like SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) to distribute the powerful computing capacity to end users’ hands. Cloud Computing represents a new computing model that poses many demanding security issues at all levels, e.g., network, host, application, and data levels. The variety of the delivery models presents different security challenges depending on the model and consumers’ Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability, Authenticity, and Privacy are essential concerns for both Cloud providers and consumers as well. This paper introduces the existing issues in cloud computing such as security, privacy, reliability and so on. This paper surveys the security problems of current cloud computing.

Software as a service: A look at the customer benefits

Abstract: This paper introduces readers to the concept of software as a service (SaaS) and helps them evaluate a business case for where to use SaaS in the enterprise. While the underlying concept behind SaaS — renting your business application as a service — is not new, changes in technology and the software landscape now make this model a viable and smart alternative to licensed software. By looking at the history of enterprise computing, the author illustrates why this new wave in computing models represents a natural evolution in technology. More importantly, by examining the hidden costs behind licensed software or the total cost of ownership, the author helps the reader better evaluate the trade-offs between licensed and hosted software.

Feature analysis for service-oriented reengineering

Abstract: Web services together with service-oriented architectures (SOA) are playing an important role in the future of distributed computing, significantly impacting software development and evolution. With the adoption to Web services technology, more and more existing non-service-oriented software systems turn to be legacy systems. They require a service-oriented reengineering process in order to survive in service-oriented computing environment. If the reengineering goal is to expose the services of a single object or any underlying function-oriented middleware, many problems will arise including semantic mismatches, service granularity issues and state management. Attempting to masquerade software assets from a lower level of abstraction can often cause significant mismatch and exposure problems. In this paper, by using feature analysis, an approach to supporting service-oriented reengineering is presented. Service identification and packaging process are performed and resulted into a service delegation.

The Co-Evolution of Systems and Communities in Free and Open Source Software Development

Abstract: Because a Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) project is unlikely to sustain a long-term success unless there is an associated community that provides the platform for developers, users, and user-turned-developers to collaborate with each other, understanding the well-observed phenomenon that F/OSS systems experience “natural product evolution” cannot be complete without understanding the structure and evolution of their associated communities. This chapter examines the structure of F/OSS communities and the co-evolution of F/OSS systems and communities based on a case study. Although F/OSS systems and communities generally co-evolve, they co-evolve differently depending on the goal of the system and the structure of the community. A systematic analysis of the differences leads us to propose a classification of F/OSS projects into three types: Exploration-Oriented, 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200, Hershey PA 17033-1240, USA Tel: 717/533-8845; Fax 717/533-8661; URL-http://www.idea-group.com ITB10128 IDEA GROUP PUBLISHING This chapter appears in the book, Free/Open Source Software Development, edited by Stefan Koch. Copyright © 2005, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. 60 Ye, Nakakoji, Yamamoto and Kishida Copyright © 2005, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. Utility-Oriented, and Services-Oriented. Practical implications of realizing the co-evolution and recognizing the different types of F/OSS projects are discussed to provide guidance for F/OSS practitioners. INTRODUCTION Many definitions exist regarding Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) (DiBona, Ockman, & Stone, 1999). The major difference in those definitions comes from the difference in distribution and re-distribution rights. In this chapter, we use the term Free and Open Source Software inclusively to refer to those systems that give users free access to source code, as well as the right to modify it. F/OSS grants the right to run, read, and change its source code not only to the developers of a system but to all users—who, in fact, are potential developers. Developers, users, and users-turned-developers form a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). A community of practice is a group of people who are informally bonded by their common interest and shared practice in a specific domain. Community members regularly interact with each other for knowledge sharing and collaboration in pursuit of solutions to a common class of problems. A F/OSS project is unlikely to sustain long-term success unless there is an associated community that provides the platform for developers, users, and users-turned-developers to collaborate with each other. By allowing users to become co-developers, F/OSS encourages natural product evolution (O’Reilly, 1999). To understand how this natural product evolution happens, we conducted a case study of four F/OSS projects and systematically examined their similarities and differences. Our study examines not only the evolution of F/OSS systems, but also the evolution of the associated F/OSS communities and the relationship between these two types of evolution. The case study leads us to the proposition that a strong correlation exists between the evolution of a F/OSS system and that of its associated community. F/OSS systems evolve through the contributions made by its community members, and the contributions made by any member change the role that the member plays in the community, thus resulting in the evolution of the community by reshaping community structure and dynamics. Although F/OSS systems and communities generally co-evolve, they co-evolve differently depending on the goal of the system and the structure of the community. The difference results in different evolution patterns of F/OSS systems and communities. To treat such differences systematically, we propose to classify F/OSS projects into three types: Exploration-Oriented, UtilityOriented, and Service-Oriented. Such a classification provides the basis for finding better technological and managerial support for a particular F/OSS project. 23 more pages are available in the full version of this document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart" button on the product's webpage: www.igi-global.com/chapter/evolution-systems-communitiesfree-open/18720?camid=4v1 This title is available in InfoSci-Books, InfoSci-Software Technologies, Science, Engineering, and Information Technology, InfoSci-Select, InfoSci-Computer Science and Information Technology, InfoSci-Select, InfoSci-Select. Recommend this product to your librarian: www.igi-global.com/e-resources/libraryrecommendation/?id=1

The Computer Industry

Abstract: Acknowledgements Introduction The Prehistory of the Computer Industry, 1880-1939 The Advent of the Mainframe Digital Computer, 1940-1957 Broadening Scale and Scope of the Mainframe Computer Industry, 1957-1965 The Industry's Supercomputing and Minicomputing Sectors, 1957-1975 The Rise of Software as a Service, Product, Business, and Industry, 1958-1975 Infrastructure for Long-Term Change, 1962-1975 The Personal Computer and PC Software, 1975-1990 The Computer Networking Revolution and the Computer Industry, 1990-2004 Conclusion: Looking Backwards and Looking Ahead

Open source versus closed source: software quality in monopoly and competitive markets

Abstract: The open source model of software development has received substantial attention in the industry and popular media; nevertheless, critics frequently contend that open source softwares are inferior in quality compared to closed source software because of lack of incentives and project management, while proponents argue the opposite. This paper examines this quality debate by modeling and analyzing software quality, demand, profitability, and welfare under open and closed source environments in monopoly and competitive markets. The results show no dominant quality advantage of one method over another under all circumstances. Both open source and closed source qualities decrease in a competitive market. Conditions under which each method can generate higher quality software are examined.

Enterprise Software as Service: Online services are changing the nature of software.

Abstract: While the practice of outsourcing business functions such as payroll has been around for decades, its realization as online software services has only recently become popular. In the online service model, a provider develops an application and operates the servers that host it. Customers access the application over the Internet using industry-standard browsers or Web services clients. A wide range of online applications, including e-mail, human resources, business analytics, CRM (customer relationship management), and ERP (enterprise resource planning), are available.

Software certification and update process

Abstract: An update service is provided for maintaining software of one or more users, or an enterprise. On behalf of users or enterprises, the update service collects information from various software vendors about the certification and updates for their software. Dependencies or issues between the software are determined based on the information collected from the software vendors. A set of applicable updates for particular users or enterprises may then be determined based on the dependencies or issues. The update service may then broker various aspects of the delivery and installation of these updates.

The Move to Web Service Ecosystems

Abstract: This position paper envisions the emergence of a new generation of service-oriented software, namely Web Service Ecosystems, and how these systems will support large-scale collaborative business processes. The paper reviews early manifestations of these systems and identifies challenges that will need to be addressed on the road to this vision.

Integrated development environment for managing software licensing restrictions

Abstract: The present invention generally provides methods, systems, and articles of manufacture that provide a managed software development environment. In one embodiment, software programmers interact with the managed software development environment to develop a target software application. Embodiments of the invention prevent source code from being included in the target software application if the license for the project is incompatible with either the license under which the source code is available or with company policy. Embodiments of the invention further prevent linking to a library file if the library file is available under a license that is incompatible with the intended license of the target software application.

Associating licensing information with software applications

Abstract: A license control module manages the downloading of a software application so the software application can be executed without requiring a separate activation key. In addition, the license control module can incorporate into the software application vendor-defined user customization information to customize the software application. A client computer makes a request to download a software application, and the request is received by a server. The server incorporates licensing information into a download manager to generate a customized download manager that is specific to the download request and that is downloaded by and delivered to the client. The client executes the customized download manager, which in turn downloads the software application and associates the licensing information with the software application, altering the functionality of the application upon execution (e.g., allows it to operate or customizes it to the user, etc.).

Pattern-based variability management in Web service development

Abstract: Application frameworks are widely used in software engineering to support reuse by capturing the shared architecture among a family of applications. Their role in Web service construction has, however, been mostly ignored. Reuse in general has rather been considered in the context of Web service composition than as a means to use existing implementations to build new services with related functionality. In this paper we discuss reuse in Web service development, focusing on families of Web services that share a common architecture and a set of functionalities. Techniques supporting reuse rely on identifying and managing variation points. We propose a categorization of possible variation points in service endpoints, WSDI descriptions, and business logic. A pattern-based approach for managing variation and specifying a Web service framework to an actual service application is introduced. The approach is applied to specify a sample Web service framework.

A Study of Project Management System Acceptance

Abstract: This study surveyed 497 project management software users in a wide variety of project-driven organizations to examine the relationships among: computer self-efficacy, information quality, system functionality, ease of use, project complexity, performance impact, organization size, project size, and user education, training and experience level. The findings indicated that information quality and project complexity are the dominant factors in explaining the levels of perceived system utilization; system functionality and ease of use have a significant effect on software usage; and that a strong relationship exists between perceptions of usage of software and project managers' performance. Inconsistent with prior research, training level was found to have no influence on project management software usage. However, software experience and education level had a moderate effect on the use of the software. Both organization size and project size had significant effects on the use of the software.

Internet Security, Vulnerability Disclosure and Software Provision

Abstract: In this paper, we examine how software vulnerabilities affect firms that license software and consumers that purchase software. In particular, we model three decisions of the firm: (i) an upfront investment in the quality of the software to reduce potential vulnerabilities; (ii) a policy decision whether to announce vulnerabilities; and (iii) a price for the software. We also model two decisions of the consumer: (i) whether to purchase the software; and (ii) whether to apply a patch.

Open Source Enterprise Systems: Towards a Viable Alternative

Abstract: Enterprise systems are located within the antinomy of appearing as generic product, while being means of multiple integrations for the user through configuration and customisation Technological and organisational integrations are defined by architectures and standardised interfaces Until recently, technological integration of enterprise systems has been supported largely by monolithic architectures that were designed, and maintained by the respective developers From a technical perspective, this approach had been challenged by the suggestion of component-based enterprise systems that would allow for a more user-focused system through strict modularisation Lately, the product nature of software as proprietary item has been questioned through the rapid increase of open source programs that are being used in business computing in general, and also within the overall portfolio that makes up enterprise systems This suggests the potential for altered technological and commercial constellations for the design of enterprise systems, which are presented in different scenarios The technological and commercial decomposition of enterprise software and systems may also address some concerns emerging from the users' experience of those systems, and which may have arisen from their proprietary or product nature

Distribution of software based on scheduled time to deploy software dynamic resource state of systems involved in deployment of software and based upon environmental conditions

Abstract: A method, computer program product and network management server for distributing software. The network management server receives a request to deploy an application on a designated target client station at a designated scheduled time. The network management server determines whether to deploy the application on the designated target client station at the designated time based on the resource state of the systems involved in the deployment of the software (e.g., processor usage of the network management server, processor usage of the target client station) as well as the environmental conditions (e.g., bandwidth usage, time of day pricing for connectivity at scheduled time, work orders on the target client station). By taking into consideration the dynamic resource state of the systems involved in the deployment of the software as well as the environmental conditions, software may be deployed on the client stations by the network management server more effectively.

Implementing collaborative manufacturing with intelligent Web services

Abstract: Collaborative manufacturing is a new paradigm for the 21st century manufacturing. This paper proposes a service oriented integration framework based on emerging technologies including software agents and Web services. A software prototype system has been implemented to demonstrate how the proposed service oriented integration framework could be used to establish a dynamic collaborative environment for inter-enterprise collaboration.

Software process management: practices in china

Abstract: Software process management has been proven a useful means to help software organizations improve their development processes and produce high quality products. It focuses on providing process-related products and services to software developer. Chinese software industry is developing rapidly. Effective software process methods, technology and tools that help them produce quality products while reducing the costs are in desperate need. This paper discusses the current state of project management in Chinese software companies and presents a solution and practices meeting this need.

BladeCenter systems management software

Abstract: The management software for the IBM eServerTM BladeCenter® platform combines multiple management tools and technologies to create an integrated solution for managing, configuring, and deploying the chassis components and attached storage area networks. The IBM software also integrates BladeCenter platform management capabilities with other enterprise system management tools. This paper describes the architecture and capabilities of the IBM Director, Cluster Systems Manager, and Virtualization EngineTM tools, which enable customers to configure, manage, and provision the BladeCenter system. These tools configure and monitor the chassis using out-of-band communications with the BladeCenter management module. Management agents installed on each processor blade provide in-band operating system monitoring and integration into enterprise management applications, such as IBM Tivoli® software. This paper includes a description of the management technologies and design innovations that assist the system administrator with management tasks such as discovery, blade and switch module configuration, asset inventory, out-of-band control, alerting and event actions, storage configuration, operating system installation, application deployment, and provisioning.

Open source business models: ready for prime time

Abstract: Open source software was ready for any enterprise by putting its full corporate support behind Linux, the open source ecosystem has matured into a shoulder-to-shoulder companion for commercial proprietary software. A new tapestry of community resources, venture capital, and informal networks of open source veterans championing new applications is being woven through industries and academia. What open source software really does is open up the low end of the market, and it certainly changes dynamics on the global stage.

HPC needs a tool strategy

Abstract: The High Productivity Computing Systems (HPCS) program seeks a tenfold productivity increase in High Performance Computing (HPC). A change of this magnitude in software development and maintenance demands a transformation similar to other great leaps in industrial productivity. By analogy, this requires a dramatic change to the "infrastructure" and to the way software developers use it. Software tools such as compilers, libraries, debuggers and analyzers constitute an essential part of the HPC infrastructure, without which codes cannot be efficiently developed nor production runs accomplished.The underappreciated "HPC software infrastructure" is not up to the task and is becoming less so in the face of increasing scale, complexity, and mission importance. Infrastructure dependencies are seen as significant risks to success, and significant productivity gains remain unrealized. Support models for this infrastructure are not aligned with its strategic value.To achieve the potential of the software infrastructure, both for stability and for productivity breakthroughs, a dedicated, long-term, client-focused support structure must be established. Goals for tools in the infrastructure would include ubiquity, portability, and longevity commensurate with the projects they support, typically decades. The strategic value of such an infrastructure necessarily transcends individual projects, laboratories, and organizations.

From component-based to service oriented software architecture for healthcare

Abstract: Traditional approach to software development has always been expensive and risky business especially in the complex healthcare market. Object oriented design model moves software development away from monolithic systems towards component-based software architecture. Advances in distributed database, network and Internet technologies, the need for more flexible and responsible business usher in the service oriented architecture (SOA) as the new software design paradigm. Health care activities are defined as coordinated intentional actions packaged as "products" or services that are organized based on workflow management principles. The SOA is considered as highly suitable a new software design model for the healthcare industry. This paper illustrates how clinical objects from an object-oriented clinical information systems can be mapped to the SOA structure.

Integrated development and maintenance of software products to support efficient updating of customer configurations: a case study in mass market ERP software

Abstract: The maintenance of enterprise application software at a customer site is a potentially complex task for software vendors. This complexity can unfortunately result in a significant amount of work and risk. This paper presents a case study of a product software vendor that tries to reduce this complexity by integrating product data management (PDM), software configuration management (SCM), and customer relationship management (CRM) into one system. The case study shows that by combining these management areas in a single software itnowledge base, software maintenance processes can be automated and improved, thereby enabling a software vendor of enterprise software to serve a large number of customers with many different product configurations.

Software upgrades with centralized preparation

Abstract: Interactive software applications are upgraded at a remote service center. The software applications are used at customer locations. Each software application may rely upon customer specific data and customer protocols. Periodically, a revised version of a software application becomes available for use. The customer specific data and/or customer protocols that the previous version of the software application implemented at a customer location may be identified at the remote service center. Subsequently, the revised version of the software application may be modified at the remote service center using the customer specific data and/or customer protocols. The modified revised software application may be transferred to the customer location for installation. The customer specific data may pertain to user interface settings of the software application. The customer protocols may pertain to the type of machines on which the software application operates or specific imaging or other modules of the software application.