MSPmentor

Software as a service (SaaS) sounds so simple. But the SaaS model gets complicated when businesses depend on multiple SaaS applications from multiple companies. The big challenge: How can an organization — or a managed service provider — coordinate data between multiple SaaS clouds? SnapLogic, an open source startup, is working to address that issue.

I met SnapLogic CEO Chris Marino during OSCON (Open Source Convention) 2008 in Portland, Oregon. Marino described a future where businesses rely on a mix of SaaS applications and on-premise applications.

Imagine this scenario: A company leverages…

• SugarCRM for hosted customer relationship management;
• Quickbooks for on-premise accounting;
• Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) for cloud-based storage; and
• SuccessFactors for hosted HR management.

At first glance, there are no trusted pipes to route and manage data between those four applications. But SnapLogic, based in San Mateo, Calif., is working to become the glue that ties multiple SaaS and on-premise systems together.

If SnapLogic works as advertised, it could become a key tool for businesses and MSPs to more effectively manage structured data — regardless of where the data resides.

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