SaaS, a way to always have the best software updated and at the best cost.
In a world where technology now covers almost all areas, companies are often faced with the dilemma of spending large sums of money on incorporating and updating their systems. A few years ago, this included the purchase of software or even the in-house development of the great majority of the applications that the business needed. This has changed drastically in recent years, and not because the need for such software has been eliminated. It is the arrival of SaaS that has happened.
What is SaaS?
It is the acronym for Software as a Service, a service model in which a user can operate a software accessed through a usage agreement, without being the owner. This can be hosted in an external infrastructure provided by the supplier or hosted in the company’s facilities. In both cases, user’s access from their devices to an external or internal server.
It is a way of delivering applications as a service over the Internet, or an intranet in the case of SaaS On premises. Instead of developing and maintaining the software, it is simply accessed for use, freeing you from complex software administration and updates.
According to a Salesforce article, “A good way to understand the SaaS model is to think of a bank that protects each customer’s privacy while providing a reliable and secure service on a large scale. All of a bank’s customers use the same financial systems and technology without worrying about someone accessing their personal information without authorization.”
Given the relevance that The Cloud has had in recent years, the idea that SaaS is a software service hosted there has spread. Cloud is an option, but On Premise models can also offer this type of service, just by being installed on an internal server that company users can access from their devices. An option that avoids the risk of hosting sensitive information on an external or public server.
The main difference with traditional software is that it is not sold under a perpetual license, which implies an initial cost that can often be onerous and can come with a monthly or annual subscription for technical support. SaaS providers offer their applications on a subscription basis, with no additional maintenance costs. Consequently, the initial cost of SaaS is much lower than that of any traditional software.
Prices are generally set according to the use of the applications and under certain parameters, such as the number of users that use them.
In addition, companies that use this service do not have to worry about maintenance, the development of new functionalities, the updating of operating systems or similar aspects, as this is taken care of by the provider.
Advantages
The main benefit is not only economic, but also in terms of time, “time to market” is the ease with which we will have available a more advanced tool than it is possible to develop “in house”. Some of its main benefits are:
- Lower costs
This is one of the most tangible benefits at first. SaaS systems offer programs in a format similar to a rental for which a subscription is paid at a much lower price than the purchase of the software. In addition, the cost is for the license to use a single program used by multiple customers. Thus, the licensing costs of a software as a service are low compared to the traditional model.
This allows small businesses and even individuals to use more advanced software that they would not otherwise be able to access.
Maintenance costs are also reduced, since the SaaS provider owns the tool and will keep it evolving at the pace of the market.
- Time savings in the “time to market”.
It differs from the traditional model because the software is already developed, you only have to install and configure it to be able to use it. This reduces the time dedicated to the analysis and development and avoids many of the problems that usually arise in the definition of traditional programs. In other words, in a very short period, in some cases days or even hours, it is possible to incorporate a very advanced tool that has already been tested by other users.
- Scalability and integration
In general, SaaS solutions reside in environments that are scalable or are installed in such a way as to be scalable, and have integrations with other offers, programs, or systems. Or they have connectors to set up such integrations. In this way, there is no need to purchase a new server or develop integrations, but only to enable or configure the necessary connections. This allows the client to have the flexibility to scale its use upwards or to different areas depending on their specific needs.
- Ease to use
Another central feature of SaaS is its ease of use. In general, as they are developed with the needs of multiple customers with different scenarios in mind, they are based on good user experience practices. In this way, users can make proofs of concept and test the functionality of the software quickly, usually with training or user manuals. In addition, you can have more than one instance in different areas of the company.
- Updating and new features
SaaS providers constantly update the solutions they offer and make them immediately available to their customers. In this way, the costs and effort associated with upgrades and new versions are lower than the traditional model that usually forces you to buy an upgrade package or pay for specialized services to update the environment. These upgrades keep the product or tool always up to the highest market standards, allowing you to take advantage of the collective knowledge that the SaaS provider makes available to all its customers.
Data Management as a Service
Conciliac EDM is a comprehensive data management platform with multiple modules and functionalities for the automation of reconciliation processes, integrations, transformation, cleansing, enrichment, elimination of duplicates, consolidations, among others. It is a software as a service on premises, which means that you can count on all the advantages of an advanced product, installing it in a couple of hours, in the company’s own infrastructure. As mentioned above in this article, this allows you to have the great advantage of being able to use a world-class platform, tested by customers from different industries in multiple markets, and with the assurance that the sensitivity of the data to be processed will always remain within the company’s infrastructure.
If you want to know more, leave us your contact or write to info@conciliac.com.