Define SaaS. Do SaaS offerings make sense for this startup (Links to an external site.) ? What would you recommend? Make a case for or against using certain categories of SaaS. Research a business that uses APIs. Are they open or private? What function does the API provide? Are there any competitive advantages because of API use? Firms that buy conventional enterprise software spend a lot of money buying software and hardware. What are the additional and ongoing expenses that are required as a part of the "care and feeding" of enterprise applications? Can you think of "Black Swan" events that have caused computing services to become less reliable? Describe these events and their consequences for computing. Suggest a method (in brief) and find a vendor for helping firms overcome the events that you have described. Compare and contrast REST and SOAP API protocols. What are the key differences and similarities? When might you choose to use one over the other? Some additional light research may be required. What kinds of operating systems (OS's) are used in devices around you? Research the various OS’s that are being used in your personal computer, mobile phone, set-top box for cable/dish TV access, modem to connect to the internet, gaming consoles or in your car. What are the other operating systems that you see around you? Next, excluding the operating systems in computers and phones; what kind of innovation do you expect to see if the OS's in the devices you own are similar or inter-operable? Pick a company that uses APIs. Who are the key audiences for the API and how will they use it? What kind of service is the API delivering compared to any Service Level Agreement agreed to or paid for? Define Web Services. Describe the kinds of web services that would be useful for this startup (Links to an external site.). From a business owner's perspective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing/lump sum licensing software vs designing proprietary software, or subscribing to software as a service (SaaS)?