I appreciate the replies guys, it explains a lot about why I see a lot of expensive software when there are open source alternatives which are just as good. I'

I appreciate the replies guys, it explains a lot about why I see a lot of expensive software when there are open source alternatives which are just as good. I'll try get some introductions to people who make the purchasing decisions. I think the bureaucracy will be more difficult. Pricing may be difficult also. I know there are higher expectations for academic institutions in terms of support. Is there any general thoughts on SaaS for these institutions? I don't see too much of it going on (with the exception of GMail).