If you've used SalesForce.com (CRM), Joomla or Drupal (website content management), or Google Calendar/Documents, then you know they allow users to take advantage of powerful web-based applications without having to worry about licensing fees or even installing them. This is called SaaS: Software as a Service.
In the ECM world, companies like FileBound, Comsquared and Digitech Systems, Inc. offer the same model for document imaging. Why should you care?
- Need to cut costs? SaaS is cost-effective. For example, Docuvation and FileBound by Marex, and ImageSilo® from Digitech Systems, offer hosted capture solutions, and YourSecurePoint from Comsquared offers hosted storage and archival, all of which costs less than what most pay monthly for an iPhone; this new pricing model is one of the components of what we call "third-wave generation ECM solutions" and almost always costs less than licensing seats and click charges of traditional document capture and workflow software; many smaller companies are now able to take advantage of ECM software that was once only affordable to larger companies
- No installations, no updates, no headaches - because an SaaS solution does not install any software on your computer, there is nothing to maintain on your local machine and no servers to implement; the application is invoked by simply pointing your browser to the website that has been set up for your company; thus, you no longer have to worry about ghosting computers and pushing out updates, and all your information is accessible remotely via browser
- Have you put off that disaster recovery plan? Don't worry - SaaS vendors offer guarantees around availability and backing up your data - let you vendor worry about disasters while you can focus on more important things
- Take advantage of fast customization - being web-based, SaaS allows your application to be customized to your business in a much easier way, and much quicker than waiting for the next software maintenance or major release (we all know how long that can take...)
- Leave the capital expenditures in accounting - small monthly fees are budget-friendly and avoid the capital expenditure hassle
Resellers love SaaS because it allows small and mid-sized business the ability to utilize ECM thanks to its affordability, which means more opportunity to provide ECM services locally without having to expand geographically, as well as to generate recurring monthly revenue.
What's the difference between ASP and SaaS?
Application Service Providers (ASP) typically provided client-server access to hosted applications, whereas Software as a Service (Saas) providers actually develop the software, while providing remote and economical access to it. The SaaS bonus: when updates are made to the software, all users have immediate access.
Was this useful? Do you know something not included here? E-mail me at sean.parnell@techinfocenter.com or submit an RFI-request for information.
