Why SaaS?

For most organizations, technology management is just too complex.  Dealing with huge, upfront investments and failed deployments, as well as uninstalled “shelfware” and endless finger-pointing when things go wrong, it’s a struggle to find acceptable solutions to that meet their technology requirements.

The Pain:

• Escalating security vulnerabilities
• System administration and application patch management (Updates)
• Growth in IT related expenses that conflict with tight budgets
• Managing distributed networks and secure remote access
• Complexity and security of Enterprise Messaging Solutions (Exchange, Wireless Messaging)
• Backup/disaster recovery
• Lack of affordable, capable IT personnel
• Web site administration
• Policy, compliance, auditing (Hardware, Software, Asset Management)
• Software licensing
• Management of inappropriate content (pornography, gambling, job search, online games, etc.)
• Excessive SPAM and other unwanted content
• Device and location dependence (Must work in a specific place  or on a designated device)
• Unreliable access to business assets and resources (Data, Applications)

Give me SaaS

This is where SaaS, or Software-as-a-Service, comes into play. Using Google at home and perhaps, Salesforce.com at work, we’re all becoming more familiar with the best technology solutions on the market, accessible through a web browser, and without the expensive cost or hassle of managing these technologies ourselves.
So why are businesses flocking to SaaS in such large numbers? Much of it comes down to ease of implementation and basic economics. Other reasons include:

• Other common services - accounting and legal, are less confusing, not mission critical, yet mostly outsourced
• Pay as you go with a fixed cost vs. variable (and less predictable) support costs
• Increased requirements for compliance and data security
• Economic downturn requires less travel and more activities, like screen sharing, scheduling tools, voice over IP, etc.
• Difficulty retaining high quality IT professionals

SaaS-based services seamlessly integrate with existing, on-premise systems as well as other SaaS offerings in a simple, “pay-as-you-go” subscription model.  By eliminating the need to install and run applications on premise, SaaS eliminates expensive upfront licensing fees, software upgrades, lengthy implementation cycles, and ongoing maintenance and support costs.