JohnnyL’s Blogic

Wikipedia defines Software as a Service (SaaS) as a software application delivery model where a software vendor develops a web-native software application and hosts and operates the application for use by its customers over the Internet.

Dramatically reduced cost for computation and storage resources as well as plummeting network bandwidth costs are greatly increasing the ability to deliver software as a service. It is estimated that by 2011, 25% of all business software spending will be delivered via a SaaS model. That is up from 5% in 2005 (per our friends at Gartner). Clearly, SaaS is becoming an increasingly important part of the IT stack; helping organizations in a multitude of industries manage their day-to-day business. The benefits include reduced costs, bug count and IT resources, faster implementation and iterative development cycles, and always being up to date.

SaaS is already an integral part of Adobe’s strategy in the enterprise space with its products Acrobat Connect and Scene 7. And we will continue to increase our investments in SaaS for both the enterprise and our creative pro audiences.

But what about the consumer space? You’ve probably observed the broadband penetration into the home, consumer comfort with web-based applications and the explosion of sharing on the Internet through social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook.

People are taking more pictures than ever before – an estimated 49.5 billion images were captured on digital cameras and camera phones in 2006. Couple that with the number of people online growing at an ever-increasing rate, at all ages. In the US alone, it is estimated that 20% of the online population is represented by the 18 - 24 year old demographic.

But there has been something missing – a complete imaging solution that offers a broad set of functionality specifically geared to this emerging ‘connected generation’. To continue Adobe’s passion of enabling engaging experiences, we have announced Photoshop Express – a new service that will support this community of mass market consumers in the creation of engaging content in rich environments.

Photoshop Express is fully web based. No CDs. No downloads. No updates or activation. Whenever you log in, you’re using the very latest version. While we have leveraged Photoshop core technology to build this new solution, it is not Photoshop online. It is a targeted solution focused on this new generation of content creators that will extend the power of creativity to the consumer at large. For this audience, it is a complete solution. You can easily upload, organize/sort, edit, store and show off your images. And when you’re done, share them anywhere, including social sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

It’s easy. It’s fun. It’s free. All you need is a browser. To learn more about Photoshop Express, and to participate in our just released beta program, go to www.photoshop.com/express.

You take the pictures. We’ll help you make them look great as you share them with others.