How True Software-as-a-service Delivers More Value
Understanding the next generation of enterprise software
Understanding the next generation of enterprise software
Introduction
Delivering a Better Customer Ownership Experience:
Life with Legacy Enterprise Software
The Customer Ownership Experience
For True Software-as-a-Service
Introduction
Delivering a Better Customer Ownership Experience:
Life with Legacy Enterprise Software
The Customer Ownership Experience
For True Software-as-a-Service
- Fast implementation: True SaaS offerings require no installation or technology investment for new customers and are completely configurable over the Web. For simpler self-service applications, a customer can start using the software immediately; for more complex business process automation software that requires configuration and data loading, go-live still occurs within a month or two. Customers start achieving benefits within weeks for no up-front cost, rather than spending millions and waiting many months for results.
- High configurability: Next-generation SaaS offerings have been architected to avoid customization, which prevents having to spend significant time and cost in the implementation project and also avoids the "strait-jacket" of being locked in to current software version for years. Instead, SaaS software is highly configurable, allowing the customer to implement varied processes, business rules and data simply by changing switches in the software.
- Continual upgrades: Upgrades are frequent, automatic and free with true SaaS offerings. New features are configured to be "off" until the customer wants to take advantage of them, but customers always have access to the most recent innovations and improvements in the latest version. In addition, SaaS providers are able to continually build in significant improvements to their software, primarily because their development resources are not wasted on maintaining many different software versions in a multitude of unique customer environments.
- Best-practices expertise and content: In addition to building in more innovations and value into their software, SaaS providers often create add-ons that build in best-practices such as templates, content and configurable functionality for specific circumstances. Some vendors also provide best-practices consulting services and end-to-end implementation services to ensure that their solution achieves high adoption and dramatically improves the customer's business results.
