Several SaaS providers have announced they support Google Chrome. Yet IT shops should consider two things regarding any immediate claims of Chrome support: It's still a beta product with known security issues and bugs, and their SaaS vendor's developers have had only a few days to tweak Web applications to support Chrome.

NetSuite, provider of a SaaS-based ERP suite, announced Friday "native support" for Chrome. Using Chrome, NetSuite users will see performance speed improvements for Ajax-powered editing and drag-and-drop features, the company said. A NetSuite subsidiary that provides SaaS professional services automation, OpenAir, has found speed improvements for such functions as assigning project resources and managing project tasks. NetSuite also supports Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.

A company called NETtime Solutions, which provides on-demand time and attendance services, says its SaaS is "100% certified" for use on Chrome. Internal tests show full compatibility, and 12% rendering improvements over Internet Explorer and 23% speed improvements over Firefox, NETtime said in a press release.

And a company called EnterpriseWizard, a provider of a customer-relationship management SaaS, said its August 2008 release supports Chrome.

These SaaS companies, and perhaps others, see opportunity in the enormous amount of interest Chrome has garnered worldwide, and they want to ensure customers that'll they'll support any browser they choose to use.

But with their declarations of support coming so close after Chrome's beta release, it's questionable what their developers could have done -- or needed to do -- in the few days' time since they've had access to the open-source browser. Technology executives at SaaS providers Salesforce.com, DemandTec, RightNow Technologies, and SciQuest have indicated that support for a new browser isn't something that typically happens almost overnight.

If you haven't seen Chrome in action yet, take a spin through our Google Chrome image gallery and have a look at the browser that's being touted as a game-changer.