Cloud computing has become such a headline grabber that some may wonder if Software as a Service—SaaS—is still a thing.
ISM can attest to the fact that it is, and although all SaaS offerings count as cloud computing, the two terms are not synonyms.
Traditionally, ERP adopters have been hesitant to put their flagship software in the cloud, opting to support ERP with SaaS modules but not outsource the fundamental application to the cloud—the most common network for which is the Internet.
What has changed?
Businesses now have plenty of experience with cloud computing via the Internet. However SaaS solutions in the cloud typically reside on a private network rather than the World Wide Web and often are single-tenant, reducing the risk of security breaches or data processing errors even more.
Also companies of all sizes increasingly see the benefit of relying on a partner to maintain the hardware and software essential to ERP operations.
Each year Mint Jutras, a company that benchmarks, analyzes and communicates the business value that enterprise applications deliver, conducts ERP Solution Studies, asking participants which ERP deployment model they would consider. The studies reveal that even as companies grow, they rank SaaS more attractive than on-premises hosting of ERP software. And those already using the SaaS model are sold on it; they have little interest in moving ERP processes to an on-premises software.
So is SaaS the right approach for your ERP adoption?
Has the business software industry overcome its customers’ security concerns about cloud-based applications?
Do the lower startup costs reflect a lower price tag across the span of the relationship?
Please read our white paper, “The Pros and Cons of SaaS ERP,” to answer these and other questions.