What is Software as a Service (SaaS)?
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-based delivery model where applications are hosted by a service provider and made available to customers over the internet. Unlike traditional hosted solutions, SaaS eliminates the need for businesses to install and maintain software on their own servers, offering a more streamlined and efficient approach to software management.
Download our eBook and discover why:
- SaaS solutions are designed to scale with your business needs
- One of the most significant advantages of SaaS is its cost-effectiveness
- Staying current with software updates is essential for maintaining security and functionality
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The key benefits of SaaS
To decide which approach is right for your company, it’s helpful to compare the benefits of on-prem CMMS versus cloud CMMS software. But before you make any side-by-side comparison, you’ll need to decide which features you’ll need. Certain features can only be delivered using cloud-based technologies, so creating a checklist could prove key to your decision-making process. For example, have seen with Microsoft Office 365 that sometimes it is better to deliver new and enhanced services only from the cloud – such as Permit To Work, Risk Assessments and BI Connectors.
Scalability
SaaS solutions are designed to scale with your business needs. Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, SaaS platforms can easily adjust to accommodate growth without requiring significant infrastructure changes. This flexibility ensures that you only pay for what you use, making it easier to manage costs as your business evolves.
Cost-Efficiency
One of the most significant advantages of SaaS is its cost-effectiveness. With SaaS, there are no upfront costs for hardware or software purchases. Instead, you pay a subscription fee that covers everything from software licences to maintenance and support. This predictable pricing model helps businesses manage their budgets more effectively and reduces the total cost of ownership.
Automatic Updates
Staying current with software updates is essential for maintaining security and functionality. With SaaS, updates are managed automatically by the service provider. This means your business always has access to the latest features and security enhancements without the need for manual intervention, saving time and reducing the risk of vulnerabilities.
Do you have any questions?
Below you will find answers to the most common questions asked about SaaS.
SaaS stands for Software-as-a-Service. It’s a cloud-based licence model allowing you to access software applications over the internet.
There are many benefits to choosing SaaS solutions over traditional delivery models. For example, your software will be hosted, maintained and updated by your technology provider, so there’s less pressure on your internal resources.
There is also no need to invest in expensive servers or other infrastructure to use it – instead, you pay a subscription fee to your vendor partner.
SaaS solutions can be accessed via web browsers and mobile apps, meaning they are very flexible. In addition, your software isn’t tied to a single device or location, so it can easily scale as your company grows.
Software-as-a-Service delivers significant customer benefits. These advantages include:
- Low set-up and infrastructure costs: many SaaS solutions (including ShireSystem) are modular, so you only pay for what you need. This approach makes SaaS a cost-effective solution for companies of all sizes.
- Scalability: with SaaS, you can quickly adapt your requirements to the number of people who need to use your system.
- Accessible from anywhere: you can work wherever you want with SaaS technology: just connect to the internet via a desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile or other networked device.
- Better functionality: SaaS solutions can deliver features that were previously unavailable with on-premises software. For example, ShireSystem has been able to introduce Permit to Work, BI Connector and API capabilities.
- Automatic, frequent updates: some SaaS technology providers (including Elecosoft) will monitor customer feedback to develop and deploy useful new functions and features. It’s much simpler to develop industry best practices and share them with all software users.
- High security standards: regular, automatic updates mean SaaS software providers can keep pace with the latest security standards to ensure all users enjoy high security levels.
- Optimal performance: Elecosoft will monitor the performance of servers, networks and storage to optimise customer service.
With the right technology and best practices, SaaS can be far more secure than any on-premises application.
Elecosoft is ISO 27001 certified, which means that we follow industry-leading principles for managing security infrastructure, ensuring we are maintaining the highest levels of security and information compliance. Our security protocol includes: Encypting customer data, Monitoring, Virus Protection as well as Server Hardening/Patching (ensures the security of your ShireSystem). Please ask if you’d like more detail about this. Following these protocols helps us to protect ShireSystem and our other SaaS solutions from malicious attacks and data breaches.
Your ShireSystem will be hosted in secure UK-based Microsoft Azure data centres.
Backups are managed as a service within Azure cloud. It is a fully managed SQL Server database service that offers an enterprise end-to-end backup and disaster recovery solution.
Recurrent database snapshots are taken and then all transactions are recorded allowing any point-in -time restore over the last 35 days. Additionally, databases are configured to be taken once a week and stored for 6 weeks and a further backup is taken once a month and stored for 6 months.
Backups are managed as a service within Azure cloud. It is a fully managed SQL Server database service that offers an enterprise end-to-end backup and disaster recovery solution.
Recurrent database snapshots are taken and then all transactions are recorded allowing any point-in -time restore over the last 35 days. Additionally, databases are configured to be taken once a week and stored for 6 weeks and a further backup is taken once a month and stored for 6 months.
Why is SaaS CMMS a better option?
Let’s look at why SaaS software is a better option than on-premises technology – and how switching to a SaaS-based CMMS system like ShireSystem could save you time, money and complexity:
Lower up-front costs
There’s no hardware to buy or on-site installations to manage; a SaaS CMMS can be deployed remotely via the cloud.
Quicker to deploy, use and update
Remote installation and integration allow companies to deploy and start using CMMS software rapidly.
Automatic improvements
The fact that SaaS CMMS software is managed remotely means that technology providers can automatically update systems with the latest features and upgrades.
Easier to access
With a cloud-based CMMS platform, every user can have their own login to access tasks and information via their web browser or CMMS app.
Simpler to scale
when new people join your company, all they need is a secure login to access the CMMS system. No further technology installation is required.
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