Techblog
QUICK TIPS: Are you ready for Software-as-a-Service?
With all the talk about Software-as-a-Service and the benefits that it promises for Small and Medium Enterprise users, have you thought about whether your company is ready to adopt SaaS solutions? Here's a quick checklist that you go through to see whether your business is ready for SaaS.
There are 10 questions to this checklist which you have to answer YES or No. At the end of the checklist, tally up the total number of YES, and you get 1 point for each YES. There's a score chart at the bottom of the checklist that will give you a better idea on whether you're ready to adopt SaaS.
Question 1.
Consider the total cost of buy a particular SaaS app for 24 months. Is it lower than the total cost of your current solution setup? For example, does using a payroll solution like MecWise Payroll cost less or more than your current software? YES or NOQuestion 2.
Does the SaaS solution you're considering to adopt solve one of the top 3 things you need to conduct your business? YES or NOQuestion 3.
Have you started a trial of the solution and spent time configuring it to the point that it can be used be more than one other user in your company? YES or NOQuestion 4.
Have you tried to use the considered SaaS solution to replace a current system or process, and succesfully attempted a migration to see if it works? YES or NOQuestion 5.
Looking at the optional features that can be integrated into the SaaS solution that you're considering, do you see some of the systems you are currently using, or plan to adopt in the future? YES or NOQuestion 6.
Are you good at managing 3rd party vendors that provide different solutions for your business? Do you have the need to meet them face-to-face to ensure that your current solution works the way it is expected to? YES or NOQuestion 7.
For services that affect your business, can you pay for it from your operating budgets rather than your capital budget? Will it be better for you to use operating rather than capital budgets? YES or NOQuestion 8.
Have you gotten positive response and feedback when presenting the SaaS solution within your organisation, especially from people who are directly affected by its implementation? YES or NOQuestion 9.
As SaaS solution data are stored "in the cloud", are you comfortable for your company data to reside in a remote data centre? Granted that there are always options to download the data, you may have less control of how it is stored. YES or NOQuestion 10.
(This can be a little sensitive). Does your current IT manager or vendor have the capabilities to put together a suite of ready apps to address your business need? Or does he/she simply manage the communication between you and their 3rd party vendor? YES or NO
Once you’ve tallied up your points, here are your results:
8 to 10 points: You are ready to adopt the SaaS solution. Start working on a plan to purchase, migrate and deploy the solution for your business.
4 to 7 points: There are concerns that you need to address and you need a greater understanding of the app. Explore deeper into the questions that you answered NO to and have these questions answered by the solution provider. Do your research before committing to the solution.
0 to 3 points: There may be considerations from a business standpoint that does not allow you to use a strictly SaaS-based solution. Get in touch with a consultant or solution provider to see if they have alternatives that they can customise for your business. You can still enjoy the benefits of SaaS even without adopting the solution wholesale.
If you’d like to start looking at SaaS solutions that can be used to address your business needs, why not check out myBusiness? There are also free trials of various solutions that you can try to start your evaluation process.
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Adapted from an article by Ong Jiin Joo