Most people are apprehensive about Software as a Service (SaaS) when first introduced.

Jason Maynard, an analyst at Credit Suisse, compares software to electricity. Most firms don’t own generators, he points out. They buy electricity from the grid.

Here are some great articles and studies on SaaS to get you up to speed:

• SaaS Uptake Rising Despite Economy, IDC, February 09.
• Half of All Developers to Work on SaaS within a Year, Evans Data Global Development Survey, January 09.
• Tail wagging the dog, Rod Drury, Xero, November 08.
• A SaaS Approach for Scary Economic Times, Paul Giurata, SandHill, October 08.
• Eight reasons SaaS will surge in 2008, Phil Wainewright, ZDNet, January 08.
• Software-as-a-Service Myths, Jeffrey Kaplan, Business Week Online, April 17, 2006.
• Software as a Service, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.
• Shop Talk: SaaS vs. open source – what SMB’s should know, Paul Gillin, SMB News, March 2, 2006.
• Seeking the true meaning of SaaS, Phil Wainewright, ZDNet Blogs, December 4, 2006.
• Software as a Service: How far can the pay-as-you-go approach take you? Norm Alster, CFO.com, June 22, 2005.