It is useful to blog about anything you are thinking or doing which has some relation to the key course skills of teamwork, project/time management and artisanship.

In 2014, the European Commission declared UBL 2.1 was officially eligible for referencing in tenders from public administrations (one of the first non-European standards to be so recognized). It is expected that the adoption of UBL as a standard message representation will increase as it defines a royalty-free library of standard XML business documents that not only supports invoicing but also all other aspects related to the digitization of the commercial and logistical processes for domestic and international supply chains (e.g. procurement, purchasing, transport, logistics, intermodal freight management).

In addition to data and messaging standards, there are multiple alternatives for communication methods like email or secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). Peppol is a set of artifacts and technical specifications that facilitates easy data exchange across disparate government systems and their suppliers. Many EU countries have adopted Peppol as a communication method including Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Norway, Poland, and SloveniPEPPOL’s most recent usage statistics can be accessed at PEPPOL statistics (ionite.net).

What is Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)?

A CSV (comma-separated values) file is a text file that has a specific format which allows data to be saved in a table structured format.

A CSV (comma-separated values) file is a text file that has a specific format which allows data to be saved in a table structured format.

Software as a Service? Software as a Service is an interesting concept. It implies that, instead of purchasing the software, you are purchasing it as a service—which really means the right to use the software. You are also (usually) purchasing a hosting and infrastructure service along with the rights to use the software. SaaS providers maintain the hardware, perform upgrades, backup your data (sometimes), and otherwise perform all of the “keep the lights on” services and activities required to keep the software running. Imagine a typical, 1990s style software purchase: You buy a source code control system. You set up a server and install the software. You pay ongoing support costs: providing power to the server, keeping the server cool, applying security and operating system updates to the server. You pay costs associated with administering the hardware and labor costs to update and upgrade the software. You carry risks—a botched upgrade or a hardware failure—which can cause downtime or lost data. You bear the costs of designing and maintaining a secure system. Do you allow your people to access the software (on the server) from other computers on your network? Do you allow them to access the software when they are not on the network (traveling, working from home, etc.)? How do you prevent your competitors from stealing or, even worse, destroying your data? Now imagine that you’re outsourcing all of the “keep the lights on” activities above: You pay an IT services firm to manage the hardware and the software for you, including the security model. And you just use the software. That’s one of the benefits of purchasing SaaS. To really grasp the economics of SaaS you have to contrast it with the economics of software license purchases.