By providing software as a service over the Internet, with virtualisation and dynamic scalability, users can access services on any Web-connected device, anytime and anywhere; this is denoted 'services in the clouds'. DNV Software has delivered several solutions hosted on the Internet; Nauticus Air and Nauticus Environment are examples of Software as a Service (Saas).

SaaS is a model where an application is used as a service provided to customers on demand, reducing the up-front investment by using a less costly subscription model. Hence, the licensing becomes a variable leasing fee rather than a larger fixed cost at the time of purchase.

SaaS is accessed remotely via the Web, with centralised functionality and feature updating, and central hosting of the solution by the service provider. Software offered to many users, with few customisations, are SaaS candidates. Economies of scale are obtained when the solution is used by a high volume of users.

The concept of ‘cloud computing’ incorporates technology trends such as SaaS and Platform as a Service (PaaS), where services provided rely on the Internet as the backbone for delivering the services.

Nauticus Air and Nauticus Environment provide a solution for environmental accounting and performance management. The idea is to capture data from many sources and store them centrally; users can then analyse and understand trends in their data.

Since data are stored centrally, a range of possibilities will arise related to benchmarking and analysis across industries, customers, and customer assets. By offering software services in the clouds, they will be available for everyone connected, making it possible to get a higher volume of users providing a critical mass of data.