Cloud computing is starting to become real. I say that not because senior IT leaders at three of Computerworld's most recent conferences -- Premier 100, SaaScon and SNW -- couldn't stop talking about it, but because we're moving out of the "Why should I do this?" stage and into the "How can I do it?" phase.

What's more, the blind fervor is gone, replaced by healthy skepticism and active grappling with the frustratingly complex issues that need solving before CIOs will feel comfortable signing up with software-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service or infrastructure-as-a-service vendors. Many see the potential benefits of at least one of these cloud-based services for their organizations, but they need vendors to clear a number of hurdles before they will seriously consider adopting services-based IT.

Software as a Service (SaaS) has many benefits for enterprises, including lower capital costs vs. deploying enterprise software, faster feature upgrades, and fewer operational burdens. But SaaS is not free of problems or risks, as a panel of SaaS-savvy CIOs can testify. Integration of on-premises software and SaaS applications, integration with partners, responsibility for security, managing multiple SaaS vendors and evolving SaaS standards are just some of the challenges raised by CIOs speaking at SaaScon 2010, a two-day conference held this week in Santa Clara, California.