Towards a Service-Based Internet

Today it is almost impossible to remember what life was like with no computer, no mobile phone, and no Internet for accessing information, performing tra- actions or exchanging emails and data. New technology is bringing wave after wave of new bene?ts to daily life: organisations are doing business with each other via the Internet; people are ?lling in tax declarations online and booking their next vacation through the Internet. In general we are all progressively - ing (and dependent on) software and services running on computers, connecting mobile phones and other devices, and exchanging information on the Internet. People like to shop around and exercise choice. So do businesses and public administrations. Today they can buy a complete software package that best suits their needs, even though they may never use some of the tools it o?ers, or other desirable tools are not available. In the future they may no longer have to compromise on choice. Alternative approaches like "Software as a Service" and "Computing Resources as a Service" are emerging. Software is provided on-line as a service when and where it is needed, and the same for computing resources needed to run software. Such an approach allows individuals and organisations totapintoande?ectivelyharnesstheimmensewealthofinformation,knowledge and analytical resources when they need them, paying only for what they use. Customersareboundtobene?twhenthereisasu?cientlyrichchoiceofservices.