Pros and Cons of Software and Services

The following chart shows some broad customer pros and cons for three major approaches for software and services. Software as a -service offerings generally involve no on-premise servers and require only a Web browser to access them. Traditional software includes on-premise servers and desktop software. The hybrid software plus services approach, which is currently being promoted by Microsoft, includes a mixture of on-premise and hosted server applications which are usually accessible via a browser, but which offer extra functionality when accessed with desktop software.

	Pros	Cons
Software as a service	Little IT involvement in deployment, maintenance, support. Data easily accessible from remote locations, mobile devices. Monthly billing might reflect usage more accurately.	Service provider has access to potentially sensitive data. Limited or no offline capabilities. Network interruptions will affect productivity. Pay-as-you-go model can mean higher costs over