Is This the Year PaaS Goes Mainstream?

While many people are nevertheless unfamiliar with the concept of PaaS, Gartner has as a matter of fact been tracking PaaS since 2007. In its latest report about the research, the technology firm said that PaaS revenue would rise about 38 percent from $512.4 million in 2010 to $707.4 million in 2011.

"I think that PaaS is a foundation for a major transformation of how people build software," said Dave West, an analyst with Forrester. "Imagine a world where business-type people, or until further notice business developer types, assemble their applications from a combination of PaaS and software as a service. This is particularly true for systems of engagement, with a strong focus on the consumption in other words than the creation of information. It will be interesting to see how the PaaS vendors shake out in the then and there year."