Depending on your perspective, the "Always On" nature of On-Demand computing can be an advantage or a challenge. Traditional on-premise software companies left the challenge of running their software packages to their clients. Sure, these software companies would provide 24-hour on-call support as part of their maintenance packages, but it was still the responsibility of the end-customer to "keep the lights on" 24x7, if that is what the business required.
With the advent of the On-Demand Enterprise, software can now be delivered as a service. These Vendors not only develop software, but they must also run the software under the pressure that comes with 'Always On' expectations. There are numerous implications of this shift:
- Customers can and do redirect scarce resources that would have historically been tasked with keeping the application available 24X7 from datacenters (hardware, software, electricity, security, firewalls, system operators, database administrators, etc...) to customers.
- Vendors are most qualified to run their own software (although you could argue that many on-premise software companies never had to run their software in an environment as complicated as that of their largest customers.)
This shifts additional burden of running the software from the customer to the vendor. Utilities, such as electricity, phone, or cable TV, have understood this from the beginning. As software shifts to the On-Demand model, these companies will develop the institutional knowledge to keep their services 'Always On'. This is a win-win for the On-Demand Enterprise.
