Applications | Software as a Service (SaaS) - News, Features, and Slideshows

Microsofts Cloud OS Network is designed to give IT customers the flexibility of a consistent platform that spans data centers, Windows Azure and service provider clouds.

It's estimated that 90 percent of Fortune 1000 companies plan to replace their human resources management software in the next four years. Many are replacing these legacy on-premises systems--some of which date back to the 1960s--with cloud-based HR systems. On top of hardware savings, enterprises using SaaS HR say they spend less on support.

Workday's HR software-as-a-service tool wins praise for ease-of-use, but it remains to be seen whether the company's financial module will be adopted as quickly

As organizations become decreasingly skeptical about the cloud, they are increasingly willing to outsource ITSM to a SaaS provider. Doing so lowers costs, improves flexibility and easily accommodates ITIL framework principles.

Cloud's ability to ratchet server power and storage up and down as needed suits the demands of online marketing campaigns that tend to gear up and wind down quickly. So a few years ago, sneaker manufacturer Puma ran fast toward adoption.

The National Democratic Institute has workers in 65 countries -- not all of them friendly. To support its growing global mission, and to improve efficiency without buying more hardware, the nonpartisan nonprofit has spent the last four years migrating to the cloud.

McKee Foods, maker of Little Debbie snacks, turned to Workday's cloud-based human capital management and payroll software. The switch helped it analyze data for decision-making, save money and better survive a snack industry shakeup.