The challenges they faced were access and security: the ability to read files held in a central server from anywhere in the world and the notion that such a system would be tamper-proof were both fanciful.
In 1999, Oracle's Marc Benioff launched Salesforce.com, and the boundaries of global business were stretched overnight. Taking its lead from web-based email services, Salesforce allowed executives to take the load off their own corporate servers and store files that needed frequent changes in a secure, off-site location. The documents and data could then be accessed from internet terminals in any country, with secure password protection in place to avoid unwelcome visitors.
The package ushered in a new business tool: Software as a Service (SaaS). No longer would managers need to ensure that their staff's computers were installed with the latest, hot-topic application. Saving a fortune in installation costs, the application could instead be accessed remotely, allowing personnel around the world to share and update vital documents as soon as their company had signed up.
A decade on from the Salesforce launch, market research firm IDC has predicted that SaaS will become a touchstone for companies looking to make savings in the recession. With such a keen market on the horizon, IDC has raised its prediction of SaaS growth in 2009 from 36% to 40.5%. It also expects 45% of US firms to spend a quarter of their IT budgets on SaaS by 2010.
CPA Global's FoundationIP is set to play a part in this exciting period of growth. A document-rich arena with a global dimension, IP portfolio management poses a range of logistical challenges. With FoundationIP, CPA Global has provided a user-friendly solution for IP professionals, both in-house and external, that will enable them to manage data and documents charting their IP Rights or those of their clients. Special features include legal updates to ensure that renewal deadlines will be met, plus access rights allowing authorised third parties, including external counsel or corporate service providers such as CPA Global's docketing and renewals teams, to input information on the rights-holder's behalf.
Neil Berrecloth, business development manager at CPA Global Software Solutions, says: 'Like in other SaaS applications, the key benefits with FoundationIP are cost, speed of access and scalability of use. The SaaS model offers an alternative to the potentially high up front costs of the traditional licence model, which requires companies to choose software and pay the full implementation and infrastructure costs for it at the very beginning of an IT project.
'The SaaS approach of FoundationIP vastly improves the initial return on investment (ROI). As a web-enabled system, FoundationIP can make its software available instantly to any member of an organisation, no matter where they are. There are no set-up costs, no hardware fees and no hidden IT costs. If users have an internet connection and an authorised log-in, they can get instant access to their IP work, clients and colleagues.'
For more information on SaaS and FoundationIP, please contact the FoundationIP team.
