For all the talk about cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS) and other so-called on-demand models, a new survey indicates many companies still employ more deliberate software distribution methods that often keep users from getting the applications they need in a timely matter.
The survey of 1,000 professionals at medium- to large-sized organizations in the U.K. and the U.S. found that 52 percent said they have to wait up to a week or more for work-related software they’ve requested. The survey was split evenly between U.K. and U.S. firms. [login]
In addition, 40 percent said they had to follow up on the initial request and 15 percent said they never received the software they requested. The survey was sponsored by software and services company 1E and conducted last month by IT market research consultancy Van Bourne.
Other interesting nuggets in the survey results included the fact that 9 percent said they didn’t know their company’s own procedure to request new software and 69 percent said they weren’t aware of the cost of software they request (72 percent in the UK and 65 percent U.S.).
The news come at a time when companies like Salesforce (CRM) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) are pushing cloud-based models of software distribution that make applications readily available. At the same time, millions of consumers are getting used to the software-on-demand model on mobile devices like the Apple iPhone and various Android-based devices.
In the enterprise, these services still generally require administrative approval for the employees to download new software, but the apps themselves are readily available. 1E and other firms offer so-called self-service application provisioning systems designed to let IT distribute traditional enterprise applications more efficiently.
Gartner analyst David Coyle said in a release that there are a number of benefits to more efficient software delivery.
?If a self-service project is run correctly, the benefits go well beyond service desk contact reduction and can improve customer satisfaction, provide incident trend analysis, identify training opportunities, and consolidate the knowledge that currently exists in silos across the support organization,” he said.
TAGS: SaaS, cloud computing, on demand, Salesforce, IT efficiency
