This diploma thesis deals with the theme of Software as a Service (SaaS) model. Software as a Service is one of the main trends in ICT sector during the past few years. The aim of this diploma thesis is to introduce readers this model in its wide ranging consequences and to accomplish a comparison of selected applications from office suite in SaaS model with applications from office suite Microsoft Office. Diploma thesis can be divided into two parts - the first part focuses on the theoretical basis (chapters 2 - 5) and the second part focuses on practical part (chapter 6). The third chapter (the first and second chapters are introduction) describes Software as a Service model and provides answers to the most frequently asked questions that belong to this model. Chapter number four introduces other trends in ICT industry and seeks and finds synergies between SaaS model and those trends. The next chapter deals with the "Does IT Matter?" question and SaaS model. Practical part of diploma thesis (chapter number six) includes comparison of applications from office suite in SaaS model (Google Docs and Zoho Office Suite) with selected applications from office suite Microsoft Office. Pieces of information for creation of this thesis are public accessible resources and resources accessible from University of Economic in Prague. Web 2.0 tools can provide relevant information. This thesis can be useful as instructional material for students and for interested persons. It can be also useful as a source of arguments for persons with competence of choosing information systems.

This Master's Thesis focuses on integration of software that are provided as services (SaaS) into current on-premise information systems of enterprises. In enterprise computing, services such as SaaS are usually integrated into cloud services. In recent years, cloud services have been experiencing a dynamic growth, and, in various forms, they have been entering enterprises of different sizes and fields. At the same time, the experience show that implementation of SaaS into enterprise computing faces many challenges due to the fact that the SaaS vendors have exclusively focused on improvement of software functionality and the integration itself has completely remained out of their attention. Given that, the integration of SaaS is rather complicated or even inaccessible for many enterprises. In particular, small and medium-sized businesses are a very specific target groups and the traditional integration platforms are unaffordable for them. The goal of this thesis is to develop a methodology based on MeFIS that would cover integration of SaaS into on-premise-based information systems in small and medium enterprises. In this thesis, first, I will define the terms used in integration of IT and cloud services and describe the essential principles, tools, and technologies used. Second, I will conduct a literature review of available sources to find the best methodology for integration of SaaS, which would take into account the specific needs of small and medium enterprises. Third, I will develop a methodology based on the methodology framework MeFIS (Methodology Framework for IS/ICT Systems). At the final stage, the developed methodology will be applied in one company in the Czech Republic. The emerged integration challenges will be described and their solutions will be developed; thus, this thesis might also serve as a specific example of SaaS integration into enterprise information systems within small and medium-sized businesses.

Cloud-Technologien ermöglichen Endnutzern das flexible und bedarfsgerechte Beziehen von IT-Leistungen über das Internet. In einer Public Cloud können die Dienste oder Ressourcen von beliebigen Unternehmen und Endnutzern zeit- sowie ortsunabhängig verwendet werden. Nutzer von Cloud-basierten Softwareanwendungen haben keinen Einfluss auf die sachgerechte Verwaltung und Überwachung der darunterliegenden Cloud-Infrastruktur. Infolgedessen haben sie zunehmend Bedenken hinsichtlich der Sicherheit ihrer Daten oder in Bezug auf die Performance bzw. Verfügbarkeit des Dienstes. Um diese Bedenken abzubauen, müssen die nichtfunktionalen Eigenschaften eines Dienstes betrachtet werden, da sie dessen qualitative Wahrnehmung beeinflussen. Derzeit steht Endnutzern weder ein vollständiger Kriterienkatalog zur Bewertung von Cloud-Diensten als Orientierungshilfe zur Verfügung noch sind Cloud-Gütesiegel oder Zertifikate ausreichend verbreitet. Mangelnde Fachkenntnisse und verstreute oder nicht verfügbare Qualitätsinformationen führen dazu, dass Endnutzer die Dienstqualität nur erschwert oder gar nicht bewerten können. Das Ziel der Dissertation ist, Cloud-Nutzer bei der schnellen und umfangreichen Überwachung und Bewertung der Qualität ihrer Public-Cloud-Dienste zu unterstützen. Die Berücksichtigung der Nutzerinteressen und -bedürfnisse in Bezug auf die Dienstqualität steht dabei im Vordergrund. Die Untersuchung der verwandten Cloud-spezifischen Qualitätsmodelle hat gezeigt, dass die Modelle unvollständig sind und keine Aussagen zu deren Eignung und Akzeptanz aus Nutzersicht getroffen werden. Folglich werden in der Arbeit zunächst die nichtfunktionalen Qualitätsattribute von Softwareanwendungen identifiziert und nutzerfreundlich kategorisiert. Das daraus abgeleitete Modell bildet die Grundlage für ein Qualitätsinformationssystem, das Endnutzer künftig bei der kontinuierlichen Einschätzung der Qualität ihrer Dienste unterstützen soll. Darüber hinaus wird ein Konzept zur nutzerfreundlichen visuellen Aufbereitung der Qualitätsinformationen entwickelt. Es werden Empfehlungen zur Darstellung, Strukturierung und Verknüpfung der Informationen innerhalb des Systems gegeben. Jeder Nutzer kann individuell festlegen, über welche Qualitätseigenschaften er informiert werden möchte und wann die Qualität eines Dienstes als hoch eingeschätzt werden soll. Mit der prototypisch technischen Realisierung des Qualitätsinformationssystems werden die praktische Eignung des Qualitätsmodells und Konzeptes demonstriert. Ferner belegen die Ergebnisse von zwei Nutzerbefragungen, dass Cloud-Nutzer durch das Informationssystem bei der Qualitätsbewertung unterstützt werden und mit dem System grundsätzlich zufrieden sind.

I denna uppsats diskuteras hur relationsmarknadsföring kan användas av företag som utvecklar högteknologiska SaaS-lösningar för att bygga lönsamma relationer på en tidig marknad. För att svara på frågeställningen “Hur kan högteknologiska SaaS-leverantörer arbeta med relationsmarknadsföring för att attrahera kundgrupperna Innovators och Early adopters på den tidiga marknaden utifrån The Technology Adoption Life Cycle?” har en kvalitativ metod i form av en fallstudie använts. Semistrukturerade intervjuer med respondenter från en SaaS-leverantör och deras kunder nyttjas för insamling av empirin. Detta för att öka förståelsen för vad både leverantörer av SaaS och deras kunder värdesätter i en relation. Urvalet av teori bygger på hur segmenteringsverktyget The Technology Adoption Life Cycle och teorier kring relationsmarknadsföring kan kombineras för att öka förståelsen för hur olika kundrelationer kräver olika tillvägagångssätt på den tidiga marknaden. Genom analyser av den insamlade empirin har författarna av denna uppsats dragit slutsatsen att relationsmarknadsföring är ett brett område. Utöver produkten behöver SaaS-leverantörer fokusera på andra nyckelfaktorer där personal, teknologi, tid och kunskap ingår. Det är dessutom avgörande att SaaS-leverantörer lägger stor vikt på den interna marknadsföringen eftersom alla interaktioner och beröringspunkter med kunden påverkar relationen. Tillit till det andra företaget och engagemang i relationen är ytterligare aspekter som ligger till grund för att bygga långvariga relationer. Dessa relationer är avgörande för att SaaS-lösningen ska kunna nå den huvudsakliga marknaden där kapitalet finns och en prenumerationsmodell ger önskad avkastning.  Genom live-in marketing kan SaaS-leverantören ta del av viktiga insikter från sina kunder på den tidiga marknaden och möjliggöra en kundcentrerad utveckling av SaaS-lösningen. Undersökningen som denna uppsats bygger på har däremot visat att ett fokus på spridning genom word of mouth inte nödvändigtvis leder till ökad exponering och försäljning, samt att utträdesbarriärer inte är ett tillvägagångssätt för att skapa engagemang i relationen. / This undergraduate thesis explores the possibilities of high tech SaaS providers to apply relationship marketing in order to establish profitable relationships in the early market. A qualitative method in the form of a case study was used to answer the research question “How can high tech SaaS providers apply relationship marketing theory in order to attract customer groups in the early market based on The Technology Adoption Life Cycle?”. To collect the empirical material, semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents from one SaaS provider and two of their customers. This was done to increase the knowledge on what SaaS providers and their customers value in a relationship. The segmentation tool The Technology Adoption Life Cycle and relationship marketing theory was applied to increase the understanding of how various customer groups require different approaches in the early market. Through analysis of the collected empirical material, the authors of this thesis have drawn the conclusion that relationship marketing is a broad field. Beside the product itself, SaaS providers need to focus on other key factors such as personnel, technology, time and knowledge. Since all interactions with the customer will affect the relationship, internal marketing should be of paramount importance to the SaaS provider. Trust between partners as well as commitment to the relationship play a vital part in the longevity of relationships in the early market. These relationships are crucial in order for a SaaS to reach the mainstream market where a subscription model can show true value for the SaaS-provider. SaaS providers can use live-in marketing to gain important insights from its customers in the early market and develop their SaaS with a customer centric approach. The research that has been conducted in this thesis has shown that focusing on diffusion through word of mouth does not necessarily result in increased exposure and sales, but also that costs of leaving a relationship does not increase the customers commitment to the relationship.

Servitization describes the trend amongst companies of supplementing tangible product offerings with services. A case in point is the cloud computing which represents a paradigm shift of servitization in the IT industry as it allows physical products to be delivered entirely remotely as a service. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) constitutes a delivery business model of cloud computing which allows customers to access a supplier's application through a cloud infrastructure and is seen as a disruptive innovation. Despite the growing market for cloud computing services, the concept is claimed not to be very understood by many businesses. When transitioning from product-oriented to service-oriented value propositions, successful companies have for instance put efforts on the education of their sales personnel. Such employees could be seen as change agents whose goal is to influence the adoption decision making processes of the organization’s clients. Furthermore, as economies have become more knowledge-intensive, Knowledge management has become more critical. Previous research has put little attention to how Knowledge management relates to the diffusion rate of innovations. This study, therefore, explores how management of change agents' knowledge can facilitate the mediation of innovations. A case study was conducted of an IT company experiencing a servitization transition towards SaaS offerings to achieve the purpose of this study. The study is delimited to the diffusion of SaaS as an innovation within the financial industry in Sweden. 12 employees within the Case Company and six clients were interviewed regarding the subjects previously mentioned. The results suggest that the mediation of SaaS is done through personal communication, presentations, and distribution of sales material. The study has found that change agents need to be clear in their mediation efforts of SaaS solutions as the understanding of what SaaS includes sometimes differs between clients and suppliers. Furthermore, customers considered SaaS solutions for systems that they view as not being directly value-adding and for those systems they prefer standardization as it allows cost-efficiency. SaaS allows multi-tenant environments and is therefore suitable for standardized offerings, as standardization corresponds well to the business logic appropriate for a codification Knowledge Management strategy. The Case Company already conducts a codification strategy. However, the finding of this study suggests that they should strengthen it since a focused KM strategy is preferable to attain more of its benefits and to increase the organizational knowledge creation capabilities. Conducting a codification strategy is something they have good capabilities of pursuing and is suggested to facilitate the change agents' mediation of innovations. Sales material at the Case Company is identified as dependent on personal performance and standardizing the material would thereby ensure an even quality. Making a variety of standardized material easily accessible would further allow the change agents to select material with appropriate messages aimed at specific types of customers, which is important since the customers are found to have different preferences / Molntjänster representerar ett paradigmskifte inom tjänstefierings-trenden (servitisering), då IT-företag kan erbjuda fysiska produkter som tjänster via internet. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) är en affärs- och leveransmodell inom molntjänst-konceptet vilken ger användare tillgång till applikationer via molnlösningens infrastruktur, och ses fortsättningsvis som en innovation. Trots den växande marknaden för molntjänster är kunskapen angående konceptet fortfarande låg inom många företag. Vid övergång från produkt- till serviceorienterade värdeerbjudanden har framgångsrika företag bland annat fokuserat på utbildning av säljpersonal. Sådan personal kan ses som förändringsagenter vars mål är att influera beslutsprocesser hos för organisationens kunder. Fortsättningsvis har kunskapshantering (Knowledge Management) blivit allt viktigare då världsekonomierna har blivit mer kunskapsintensiva. Tidigare forskning har dessutom sällan lagt fokus på hur kunskapshantering relaterar till spridningen av innovationer. Den här studien undersöker därför hur kunskapshanteringen av förändringsagenters kunskap främjar medlingen av innovationer. För att uppnå syftet utfördes en fältstudie på en IT-organisation genomgår en tjänstefieringstransformation. 12 anställda hos IT-organisationen och 6 kunder intervjuades angående de tidigare nämnda områdena. Studien resultat visar att medlingen av SaaS lösningar sker genom personlig kommunikation, presentationer samt distribution av säljmaterial, och att förändringsagenterna behöver vara tydligare i sin medling då förståelsen utav SaaS tjänster skiljer sig åt mellan kunder och leverantörer. Fortsättningsvis efterfrågar kunder SaaS till de system som inte anses bidra med iv direkta konkurrensfördelar. De vill därför ha standardiserade lösningar hellre än kundanpassade lösningar för att dra nytta utav kostnadsfördelarna som standardiserade lösningar möjliggör. SaaS lämpar sig för standardiserade lösningar då flera användare kan koppla upp sig till samma applikationsmiljö, vilket ligger i linje med en kodifierings-kunskapsstrategi. Företaget som undersöktes i fallstudien använder redan en kodifieringsstrategi, men rekommenderas stärka den eftersom en mer fokuserad strategi skulle leda till en högre realisering av dess fördelar samt öka organisationens kapacitet att utveckla sin kunskap. Fallföretaget har bra förutsättningar att få till en mer fokuserad kodifieringsstrategi, vilket skulle kunna förbättra förändringsagenternas medlande av innovationen. Säljmaterial är ibland för personberoende och standardisering av sådant material skulle därav försäkra en jämnare kvalité. Att dessutom förbättra tillgängligheten av standardiserat material skulle fortsättningsvis ge förändringsagenterna större möjlighet att välja det mest passande budskapet till specifika kunder, vilket är fördelaktigt eftersom kunder visade sig ha olika preferenser.

As a result of the aging and growing population in Europe, the demand for healthcare services continues to rise. It is therefore important to streamline the healthcare sector to manage the growing demand. One way to do this is by implementing digital-health solutions. By either developing digital services and applications in-house or outsourcing this to an external business-to-business (B2B) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) healthtech company, the healthcare sector can adopt such digital-health solutions. The evolution of the healthcare sector has accelerated as numerous innovators have capitalized on opportunities in this area by establishing healthtech firms. Furthermore, previous research shows that there is a need for internationalization among healthtech firms for them to succeed in the long run. This study aims to identify the barriers arising when B2B SaaS healthtech firms expand organically from Sweden to other European markets. This is done by conducting a single case study at a leading Swedish healthtech firm providing a SaaS with a B2B business model. Interviews are conducted and analyzed qualitatively to explore the barriers perceived within the studied organization. Several expansion barriers specific for B2B SaaS healthtech firms are identified. Furthermore, the study shows a new perspective on barriers arising within this phenomenon. This includes barriers regarding laws, language, prioritization, market structures, competition, lack of information, and attaining the first customer. The findings identified from the case study can contribute to streamlining the healthcare sector by encouraging innovation. Moreover, this research can be usedto understand barriers experienced by many distinct companies within the industry. / Till följd av en åldrande och växande befolkning i Europa ökar efterfrågan på hälso- och sjukvården. Detta innebär att det är viktigt att effektivisera hälso- och sjukvårdssektorn för att kunna möta den ökade efterfrågan. Ett sätt att göra detta är genom att implementera digitala lösningar inom hälso och sjukvården. Genom att antingen utveckla digitala tjänster och applikationer inom organisationen, eller outsourca detta till ett externt business-to-business (B2B) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) healthtech bolag kan hälso- och sjukvårdssektorn införa dessa digitala tjänster. Utvecklingen av hälso- och sjukvårdssektorn har accelererat då flertalet innovatörer har kapitaliserat på möjligheter inom detta område genom att etablera healthtech bolag. Tidigare forskning visar även att det finns ett behov bland healthtech företag att internationaliseras för att de ska lyckas på lång sikt. Denna studie syftar till att identifiera barriärer som uppkommer då B2B SaaS healthtech företag expanderar organiskt från Sverige till andra Europeiska marknader. Detta görs genom en enskild fallstudie på ett av de ledande Svenska healthtech bolagen som tillhandahåller en SaaS lösning genom en B2B affärsmodell. Intervjuer är utförda och analyserade kvalitativt för att utforska de barriärer det studerade företaget uppfattat. Ett flertal expansionsbarriärer specifika för B2B SaaS healthtech bolag är identifierade. Studien visar även ett nytt perspektiv på barriärer som uppkommer inom detta fenomen. Detta inkluderar barriärer gällande lagar, språk, prioritering, marknadsstrukturer, konkurrens, brist på information och att erhålla den första kunden. De identifierade upptäckterna från fallstudien kan vidare bidramed effektivisering av hälso- och sjukvården genom att främja innovation. Vidare kan denna studie användas för att förstå barriärerna som upplevs av många olika bolag inom denna industri.

This diploma thesis describes Czech legislation on copyright protection of computer programs in European and international law context. The commentary is mostly focused on current, practical issues, which often aren't clearly and satisfactorily solved, or issues which are subjects of current or recent litigations before European courts. First chapter introduces special characteristics of computer programs in copyright law, shortly mentions other possibilities of their legal protection and outlines some problems connected with massive technology development and international dimension of these questions, which are enlarged in following chapters. It also defines basic terminology used in the thesis. Chapter two, called "Sources of international and European law" mainly focuses on international treaties and EU directives, on which current Czech copyright protection of computer programs is based. Following chapter describes Czech copyright protection of computer programs, respecting, in general, structure of Czech Copyright Act and simultaneously gives deeper look into selected up to date problems. It compares computer programs with traditional copyrighted works, explains i.a. concept of "employee's work" and closely focuses on author's moral and, mainly, economic rights. Special attention is dedicated...

A adoção de Software como Serviço (do inglês, Software as a Service ou simplesmente SaaS) está em expansão em todo o mundo, alavancada pelas muitas vantagens que esse modelo de distribuição de software oferece tanto para os provedores desses serviços quanto para seus clientes. Em SaaS, o provedor do serviço também é responsável pelo seu desenvolvimento e execução, o que permite a esses provedores fazerem escolhas sobre a arquitetura de seus sistemas visando diminuir a complexidade e os custos relacionados ao seu desenvolvimento e operação. Nesse contexto, um padrão de arquitetura freqüentemente utilizado é o Multitenant, que torna uma mesma instância do software capaz de servir a múltiplos clientes (tenants) simultaneamente. No entanto, sistemas que utilizam Multitenancy enfrentam uma série de desafios, principalmente no que se refere à flexibilidade em atender os requisitos específicos de cada cliente na customização de processos, de fluxos e regras de negócio, e de interfaces com o usuário. Especificamente no problema de customização de interfaces, embora existam trabalhos na literatura relacionados à customização de interfaces Web, e existam implementações de mercado de mecanismos para possibilitar essas customizações, esses trabalhos e mecanismos ou não são projetados especificamente para sistemas Multitenant ou, quando são, não têm sua arquitetura publicada e seu código fonte disponíveis para serem reutilizados. Assim, esta pesquisa investigou uma alternativa para a customização de interfaces Web no contexto de Software como Serviço Multitenant. Como resultado, foi inicialmente definido e implementado um mecanismo não intrusivo para o desenvolvimento de aplicações Multitenant chamado DORMT (Domain-Based Shared-Database Multitenancy), sobre o qual foi possível construir um mecanismo para a customização de interfaces Web, chamado MHT (Multitenant Hierarchical Themes), baseado no padrão MVC (Model-View-Controller ) e nos conceito de temas e de hierarquias / The adoption of Software as a Service (SaaS) is growing worldwide, driven by the many advantages that this software distribution model offers to both service providers and their clients. In SaaS, the service provider is also responsible for the development and the execution of the software, enabling that choices be made in terms of system architecture in order to reduce the complexity and costs related to its development and operation. However, Multitenant systems face a number of challenges, mainly related to flexibility in meeting specific customer requirements in customizing the system processes, flows, business rules and user interfaces. Specifically on the problem of user interface customization, although there are studies in the literature and products on the market that implement mechanism to allow such customizations, these studies and mechanism are not specific to Multitenant systems or the mechanism architecture and source code is not available to be reused. Thus, this study investigated alternatives for Web interfaces customization in the context of Multitenant Software as a Service. As a result, a non intrusive mechanism, called DORMT (Domain-Based Shared-Database Multitenancy), was defined and implemented to allow the development of Multitenant applications, on top of which a mechanism for Web interfaces customization, called MHT (Multitenant Hierarchical themes), based on the MVC pattern, on the concepts of themes and of hierarchies, was built

Motivation. The motivation for this thesis is to explore the only recently evolved cloud accounting phenomenon which in essence is doing accounting no longer within the boundaries of a business, but connected to the Cloud. Problem statement. The aim of this thesis is to examine the way in which cloud computing impacts accounting practice. Few previous studies have been conducted so businesses have not been able to understand the cloud accounting phenomenon thoroughly, preventing businesses from adopting their business models on the basis of the Cloud. This means that businesses have potentially missed out on opportunities for competitive advantages and growth. The purpose of this thesis is to understand the cloud accounting phenomenon in an in-depth manner. Approach. This thesis can be classified as empirical positive qualitative research and empirical quantitative case study which uses an explanatory and exploratory research approach. The case study was conducted in in-depth interviews and the extent of this work encompasses primarily the Swedish accounting environment. It consists of six cloud accounting users and two cloud accounting provider. Results. This study contributes four main findings to the existing field of research. Firstly, the initial adoption decision and acceptance of cloud accounting Software-as-a-Service is based on the perceived usefulness that the Cloud enhances the accounting process in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. The usage decision is voluntary to obtain a better image and status. Secondly, trust was identified as a central component within the relationship between user and provider in cloud accounting service partnerships. Thirdly, the Cloud brings the possibility not only for accountants, but for the entire business to access an unlimited amount of resources. Users can become easily dependant on a provider if they perceive the service as a crucial asset for their business. The dilemma between the trade-off between autonomy and certainty occurs. Users are aware that they need to give up their right for self-government for the benefit of attaining a cloud service, and expressed concerns in respect to privacy and security, implementation issues, legal requirements, and increased costs. Moreover, users fear that they become dependant and locked in with a cloud accounting provider. Fourthly, the Cloud brings the possibility to access an unlimited amount of resources not only for accountants, but for the whole business. Cloud providers offer their service to a broad customer base which means that the structures in different businesses may possibly become more similar.

The diploma thesis deals with the topic of cloud computing and its appropriate deployment in small and medium business. The objective of this thesis is to analyze the offer of Google products and to demonstrate measurable benefits of this solution. Introductory part of the thesis summarizes the history of IT and it is looking for the connection between history of IT and the term cloud computing. This term is described in detail with selected cloud computing characteristics. The main part of the thesis deals with analysis of Google services, technologies and platforms, which could be used in enterprise. The matters are viewed not only economically, but also from the technological and security point of view. In practical implementations are demonstrated measurable benefits of deployment to the Google cloud platform. Finally, the thesis provides the summary of platform's advantages and disadvantages with a description of practical advices for small and medium businesses