You may or may not have heard this term. Or you may or may not understand the principles of SaaS solutions. But one thing is clear – SaaS and “the cloud” are here to stay.
So, why is SaaS a better software delivery?
Simply put– SaaS, also called “on demand” is almost akin to when the software company rents you the software and you subscribe to their service the next 3-5 years. Because of this approach to delivering software as a service, SaaS providers are forced to be more cost-efficient and service-oriented because they get paid over time. On-demand software is delivered to your users through the Internet, which means your IT department doesn’t have to have to buy or support any software or hardware – this can save your company a lot of money. Hosted document management is one of the easiest ways to get yourself into the cloud.
What other reasons should you buy, or at least seriously evaluate SaaS?
Relationship & Loyalty. Because you rent the software, your SaaS provider has a
vested interest in keeping you happy because you will want to continue to renew your
subscription to their service. Unlike traditional on-premise software firms who sell you
their software and disappear, SaaS firms are encouraged to stay close their clients and
listen to your input.
Incremental changes & enhancements. It was not only the expense but also the
tremendous organizational disruption associated with large software upgrades that
customers really dislike about the old, traditional software model. On-demand customers
enjoy an ongoing stream of transparent upgrades, that fix bugs, add features and their
service literally evolves and enhances over time.
Less “extra” costs. Since SaaS providers host their software in their own data centers,
your company doesn’t need any IT staff involvement to support their software or
infrastructure (servers, firewalls and security) typically required to run your business
applications.
Configuration. SaaS providers offer more flexibility in the way they set up your
software. Unlike the traditional, on-premise software vendors that bring a cast of
thousands to customize and install your software, SaaS providers can set up an initial
version of your software in minutes or hours rather than in months. Then once they
understand your business needs, the software can be configured without custom
programming. This approach saves you both time and money, and leverages the best
practices on the remainder of their customer base.
“Open” Integration. In this new global economy, it will be difficult for any company
to purchase every type of business application from a single provider. Most on-demand
are developed with integration in mind, so that you can share and use the application in
conjunction with other on-demand and on-premise solutions. Doing so will enable you
to automate as many business tasks as possible, allowing you to do more with fewer
resources over time.