This week’s Computer Weekly kicks off our Buyer's Guide to private cloud. It also contains our RSA conference coverage of the latest IT security trends and the future for Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative. And we discuss the role of apprenticeships in encouraging more young people to work in IT. 

<div> <div> <p>Software as a Service (SaaS) offers a low-cost, non-physical server platform alternative to on-premise application deployments. In this expert e-guide discover why small and midsize enterprises are attracted to the SaaS ERP and CRM deployment model and how SAP offers a range of products to cater to this need.</p> </div> </div> 

<p>Software as a Service (SaaS) applications offer great promise and are growing in popularity. But cloud-based infrastructure and services complicate network architecture considerations. Download this survey-driven analysis by Forrester to learn how to overcome cloud-related performance issues by extending optimization to SaaS applications.</p> 

While a Software as a Service (SaaS) enterprise resource planning (ERP) system deployment might hold the key to success for one manufacturer, it could have a negative impact on another. Read this expert e-guide to learn the pros and cons of SaaS ERP and discover 6 ways it differs from on-premise software. 

Before implementing any cloud solution, it's critical that an organisation understand the time, effort and costs associated with it. This white paper explores the pros and cons of today's SaaS offerings, and takes an in-depth look at how they apply to email archiving as regulatory and storage requirements continue to proliferate. 

Read this paper to uncover five perks of selecting a software as a service (SaaS) enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. 

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a term that many business people misunderstand. Read this white paper to learn what SaaS is, how it can help your organization, and what's important when evaluating your options.  

You may have heard of software as a service (SaaS) solutions for manufacturers, but are unclear as to how they can benefit your enterprise. View this brief video to learn how manufacturers can leverage SaaS to manage their entire operations without the heavy load of on-premise resources. 

Access this white paper to discover 8 reasons to consider video conferencing and 12 tips for improving the success of the video conferences you hold. 

This white paper looks at cloud-computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS) technologies and what you need to know about these emerging trends. 

Nucleus has found NetSuite customers are both satisfied and loyal, as NetSuite enables them to rapidly deploy ERP functionality that is integrated with other components without the cost and timeline of traditional on-premise systems. 

<p>Steelhead Cloud Accelerator is a unique technology integration that can offer performance improvement for SaaS applications consumed by enterprises. It combines the best of WAN optimization with the best of Internet optimization to provide a seamless transition for users between private and public clouds. Learn more.</p> 

This week's Computer Weekly examines how the Football Association's IT director is using technology to help improve the prospects for the England national team. Our Buyer's Guide to government IT looks at the future of open source in the public sector and we report from Infosec 2012 on the rising number of cyber attacks. Read the issue now.