Trend: Software as a Service
The SaaS model is gaining popularity at both the consumer and business level. Given the ease of use of most SaaS applications, anyone with a computer, access to the internet and affinity with web and mouse technologies can become a user. In many cases, SaaS applications offer tiered pricing, whereby you only pay to upgrade. Customer Relations Management, Human Resource Management, Accounting and email are just a few markets already showing SaaS success.
Highrise
Highrise, one of the range of products from web application company 37signals, is a tracking system that enables you to make notes, keep track of conversations with (potential) clients, set reminders, dedicate pages to clients and build lists of designers that your company has used in the past. The application can be used on an individual basis, or together with colleagues. Data is backed up nightly and written to multiple disks instantly; information is kept secure. Another of 37signals’ products, Basecamp, enables you and your colleagues to easily track and organise all aspects of a project in one place.
Flickr
Another popular online application is Flickr. Anyone from professional photographers to amateurs can use it to manage and share photos. Photos can be uploaded to Flickr from the web, mobile phones, home computers and photo software programmes, and can be made available for all Flickr users or invited persons. The photos can then be viewed on the Flickr website, via RSS feeds, by email or by posting to external blogs. The info attached to the photos such as titles and tags is searchable, making them easy to find at a later stage.
Google Docs & Spreadsheets
Google Docs & Spreadsheets is a free web-based word processing and spreadsheet programme. It can be used to save existing documents online or save them on a computer, and share new or edited documents with others in realtime. Google Docs is integrated with Gmail, therefore attachments can easily be opened, edited, uploaded and sent - all from the same account.
Photoshop
Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen recently confirmed that Adobe Photoshop will soon be available online. Although more limited than the packaged version, the online version will be ideal for those (especially individuals) who cannot justify the cost of purchasing such a programme. The online version of Photoshop is set to compete with other photo editing applications such as picnik.com and Google’s Picasa.
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