Infinitely Virtual 2018 Predictions: The Year XaaS Ran Out of Gas
By Adam Stern | VMBlog.com
Why the ‘As-A-Service’ Model Works So Well For Digital Transformation
Digital transformation has a way of changing not just technology, but the entire way we do business. Such is the case with the lightning-quick development of the As-a-Service (aaS) model. It seems like overnight, XaaS has changed how numerous industries are running – from sales to transportation, and everything in between. In the aaS rabbit hole, we’ve moved far beyond software and data delivery. It seems as if aaS is becoming a preferred method of moving through life… As one executive noted, XaaS is becoming a mind-set as much as it is a strategy. For as society that moves fast and likes to keep its options open for the next big thing, XaaS is the perfect solution. – Forbes (6-2-17)
Whew. I’m certainly out of breath.
But Forbes isn’t stuck on any kind of a limb. Here’s what Accenture says of XaaS: “There’s a new era of service delivery and you don’t want to be left behind. Now’s the time to transition to as-a-Service’… to innovate faster, drive revenue and reduce costs.”
TechTarget likes what it sees, too: “What is XaaS (anything as a service)? XaaS is a collective term said to stand for a number of things including ‘X as a service, ‘anything as a service’ or ‘everything as a service.’ The acronym refers to an increasing number of services that are delivered over the Internet rather than provided locally or on-site. XaaS is the essence of cloud computing.”
Call me a curmudgeon but I’m considerably less smitten with XaaS, which, as an organizing model for IT and cloud computing, doesn’t merely suffer from diminishing returns. It epitomizes no returns. Since this is a post about 2018 predictions, here’s mine: a year from now, XaaS will be on fumes. Life support. Kaput.
