As organizations
continue to
adopt outsourced
models for
automating
critical
business
processes, SaaS
is becoming more
attractive for
many different
types of service
providers as
well as
independent
software vendors
(ISVs). Under
this model,
software
features can be
easily enabled
or disabled by
customer or user
based on a
specific
industry, work
environment, or
other criteria.
Following
compelling
business drivers
are making SaaS
delivery as a
viable
alternative to
traditional
licensed based
product or
application
delivery:
-
Lower cost
of ownership
of software
-
Flexibility
to change
usage
commitments
as business
circumstances
change
-
Economically
appealing
business
cases
-
Quicker roll
outs
-
Accurately
their
ongoing
expenses
with IT
budgets
being
tightened &
assessed for
better
return on
investment (ROI).
Software-as-a-service
is undergoing a
fundamental
shift in how
software is
acquired, used
and paid for.
Emerging SaaS
models and
offerings are
taking the SaaS
concept far
beyond
first-generation
application
functionality
and deployment,
and into
mission-critical
business
operations for
large and small
firms.
We can classify
software as a
service delivery
in two major
categories:
-
Line-of-business
services,
offered to
enterprises
and
organizations
of all
sizes:
Line-of-business
services are
often large,
customizable
business
solutions
aimed at
facilitating
business
processes
such as
finances,
supply-chain
management,
and customer
relations.
These
services are
typically
sold to
customers on
a
subscription-basis.
-
Consumer-oriented
services,
offered to
the general
public:
Consumer-oriented
services are
sometimes
sold on a
subscription-basis,
but are
often
provided to
consumers at
no cost, and
are
supported by
advertising.
Whether a
business-to-business
or
business-to-consumer
focus,
XcellHost
understands the
complexities of
developing and
delivering
Software as a
Service (SaaS)
in a
multi-customer
environment.
Moving from
offering
on-premise
software to
offering
software as a
service requires
software vendors
to shift their
thinking in
three
interrelated
areas: in the
business model,
in the
application
architecture,
and in the
operational
structures.
Considering
this,
XcellHost's
SaaS consulting
services focus
on
-
Business
Model
Consulting:
Selling SaaS
is like
selling
mobile phone
ring tones,
or
downloadable
music-it
should be
possible for
a customer
to visit
website,
subscribe to
service, pay
with a
credit card,
customize
the service,
and begin
using it,
all without
human
intervention
on the part
of the
vendor. This
doesn't mean
eliminating
more
personal
approach for
larger
customers
with more
extensive
needs.
Changing
business model
could involve
one or more of
the following:
-
Shifting the
"ownership"
of the
software
from the
customer to
an external
provider.
-
Reallocating
responsibility
for the
technology
infrastructure
and
management—that
is, hardware
and
professional
services—from
the customer
to the
provider.
-
Reducing the
cost of
providing
software
services,
through
specialization
and economy
of scale.
-
Targeting
smaller
businesses,
by reducing
the minimum
cost at
which
software can
be sold.
Realizing the
benefits of SaaS
requires shifts
in thinking on
the part of both
the provider and
the customer,
and it's up to
the provider to
help the
customer make
this shift.
XcellHost's
SaaS business
consulting team
can help you in
devising
innovative
business models
and educating
customers in
making business
and delivery
model shift.
-
SaaS
Application
Architecture
Consulting:
A
well-designed
SaaS
application
is
scalable,secure,multi-renter-efficient,
and
configurable.
o
Scalability:
It means
maximizing
concurrency, and
using
application
resources more
efficiently. It
may include
optimizing
locking
duration,
statelessness,
sharing pooled
resources such
as threads and
network
connections,
caching
reference data,
and partitioning
large databases.
o
Multi-renter:
It's
architecture
that maximizes
the sharing of
resources across
renter, but that
is still able to
differentiate
data belonging
to different
customers.
o
Configuration:
SaaS application
architecture
requires to
ensure that the
task of
configuring
applications is
simple and easy
for the
customers,
without
incurring extra
development or
operation costs
for each
configuration.
o
Security
: The nature of
SaaS makes
security both a
paramount
concern for
customers, and a
high priority
for application
architects.
Along with
application data
security,
managing
authentication
and
authorization
aspects are key
architecture
drivers from
SaaS application
point of view.
XcellHost
understands
these
application
architecture
drivers and can
help you in
making critical
architecture
trade-off
decisions which
can have long
term impact on
technology and
business
scalability.
XcellHost has
experience in
business model
and architecture
consulting
architecting and
deploying
Software as a
Service (SaaS)
applications for
its customer
across the
globe. Best
practices
identified have
helped customers
successfully
architect and
deploy robust
service oriented
solutions.
