The role of software as a service
4-Mar-2010
SaaS or Software as a service, is computer based applications and services that are provided via remote delivery to end users rather than as a packaged product to be purchased and installed by the end user.
Here an interview with the Suntel’s Head of Corporate Solutions, Ranjith Fernando on SaaS.
Q: How would SaaS transform software investments in future?
The beauty of the solution is that you can use it based on the requirement without spending initial capital expenditure to obtain services.
With the current global economic turmoil calls CEO’s of almost all companies to do business in smarter ways. Ways where earlier we have not even dreamt of. Software as a Service refers to one such way of doing business as an when you would want it.This opens a whole new world of opportunities for commercial establishments plus software vendors.
The SaaS model provides the platform for experimentation on usage. If this is a success immediately adopt and expand on the services. If not you have freedom to stop it.
On the other hand the vendors could open up a whole new market of opportunities. Many companies who could not afford expensive world class software or servers for that matter would fall in the radar for them. This would of course be volume based business.
Q: What would be the role of a telco company given these opportunities on offer
We are committed to establishing this eco system around the whole concept. From one side you have software vendors and on the other hand we are talking about customers who wants to aggregate their demands so that a software can become affordable based on licensing.
There is a natural requirement for a intermediary party to host such services and then to look after the infrastructure and complications such as security, flexibility and scalability which arises along with that.
A telco operator can play in this space as the solution integrator and deliverer facilitating this transaction. From the customer point of view they would naturally like a party who can handle their Wide Area Network and a party who already have experience in this area with the service standards.
The IDC infrastructure a company has also play a key role here as this would ensure disaster recover mechanisms and information security based on whether the IDC is certified by world information security standards.
Q: What are the global trends in this area?
Based on a research done by Gartner INC in 2008 Dec found out that the adoption of SaaS would increase by 90% in year 2009. SaaS is a model of business which is here to stay. The economic crunch experienced in year 2009 saw many top notch software firms commenting on SaaS direction more positively.
Q: How far is Sri Lanka on this map?
Actually we are not. If you see the telecom industry where most of the local companies have affiliations with their foreign partners, technology flows quite fast. In a similar fashion adaptation of this concept is likewise.
We ourselves are already having services in about four product ranges including HR, Automated receptionist services, CRM applications and surveillance. Some products have been instant successes where as others the adoption would be through a life cycle.
Never the less we look at the market very optimistically as we want to bring new services to our customers which will help them to be more price competitive and add more value to their businesses.
This is the long term relationship we look forward with our customers. Apart from this the IDC facilities we have ,which are up to world standards sets us the correct platform to launch these services in Sri Lanka.
So in short we as a country are very much in the game in SaaS model of business.