SaaS - The Time is Now.
Software as a Service (SaaS) has been around for a few years now, but some companies are really now starting to see the potential to deploy it in their business with moving data and products into the cloud. Here at GECKO, using our Real Time Programme Management SaaS solution, we are firm believers in cloud technology, which can can help your project/program management workflow, and allows users to manage and review a large portfolio of projects and client engagements in Real-Time.
As way of an introduction, SaaS, as defined by Gartner is ‘software that is owned, delivered and managed remotely by one or more service providers.’
So what are the five most important aspects of a SaaS solution?
- Constantly updated software. Never having to worry about monthly software updates, as the vendor will be responsible for updating the SaaS solution in the background, with no impact to the users.
- Licensing costs are cheaper. With a pay as you go model, you can easily monitor and grow your software requirements as and when you business grows. You only pay for what you need, so you no longer require to pay for licences on computers that might be lying idle.
- Scalability. This is the way the SaaS solution can be adapted to your business model, which makes it much more customised. Combined with data storage and recovery in the cloud, businesses can remove the cost of servers and backups from their budget, as it is all in.
- Works with all platforms. All you need is a decent browser and an internet connection. Even if you are offline, there is the capability to work on documents which will be updated when next online.
- Customer relationship. Before SaaS appeared, a company would buy a licence from a software company, and most product support ended at that point. With regard to SaaS, using a subscription pricing model, the onus is on the vendor to support the software.
For SaaS, the time is now, but what is next? Saas solutions are mainstream enough for big businesses to consider moving business critical applications to the cloud. This will transform SaaS to become the more dominant software platform.