SaaS Islands in the Stream?

Okay, stay with me on this one.  I was reviewing a recent Gartner survey that points out that “Many Users are Underwhelmed by Their Experiences of SaaS.” Not surprisingly, “ease of integration” is cited as one of the top factors in whether or not an organization deploys a SaaS application. According to Gartner:

“SaaS vendors must provide more robust integration strategies that recognize the heterogeneous environments that most customers now run and will run in the near future.”

Suddenly Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers popped into my head and I haven’t been able to get their song “Islands in the Stream” out of my head ever since. Is it me or is this classic ditty really a metaphor for a line of business purchasing and implementing their first SaaS application? It’s a beautiful love story…but for the need to integrate with others. Okay, maybe it’s a stretch, but I figured posting the lyrics here might help get the song out of my head! Sorry about that.

Islands In the Stream (with a shout out to SaaS application users and implementators everywhere)

Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown
I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb
I was soft inside, there was somethin going on
You do something to me that I can’t explain
Hold me closer and I feel no pain
Every beat of my heart
We got somethin goin on
Tender love is blind
It requires a dedication
All this love we feel
Needs no conversation
We ride it together, ah-ah
Makin love with each other, ah-ah

Chorus:

Islands in the stream
That is what we are
No one in-between
How can we be wrong
Sail away with me to another world
And we rely on each other, ah-ah
From one lover to another, ah-ah

I cant live without you if the love was gone
Everything is nothin if you got no one
And you did walk in tonight
Slowly loosen sight of the real thing

But that wont happen to us and we got no doubt
Too deep in love and we got no way out
And the message is clear
This could be the year for the real thing

No more will you cry
Baby, I will hurt you never
We start and end as one, in love forever
We can ride it together, ah-ah
Makin love with each other, ah-ah

Repeat chorus

Sail away
Oh, come sail away with me

Repeat chorus

Fade:

Repeat chorus