Myths about SaaS, cloud platforms and cloud computing
The term "Cloud Computing" or SaaS (Soft as a Service, software as a service) has appeared relatively recently, but is rapidly gaining popularity. The idea of ​​outsourcing computations (that is, placing them on a remote server instead of a user's computer) is not new, it has been used for a long time and no one doubts its effectiveness.
But nevertheless, many have a clear distrust towards online products based on SaaS platforms, and prefer the popular boxed solutions. For example, my friend for a long time hesitated what to choose - 1C or Sugar CRM.
Conservatism prevailed, and he acquired 1C. As a result, after two years, having been in Silicon Valley and seeing the possibilities of Shugar CRM, which is developing rapidly and now would suit him much better, he was very sorry about the short-sighted decision made at the time.
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What prevents companies from already using all the advantages of SaaS platforms, increasing their profits and saving money?
Of course, for a small company, the SaaS platform is first and foremost an opportunity to get a professional solution at a much lower price. But the low cost is not due to the weakness of the functional, but to the business model of SaaS.
The lower cost of SaaS solutions compared to boxed ones is unconsciously associated with weakness in many. Everyone is used to the fact that the more expensive a product is, the better and more powerful it is, and vice versa. Meanwhile, it is large companies that can get the biggest savings using the SaaS platform.
Judge for yourself. Let's say a small print shop needs a website. If you order a website from a web studio, you have to pay $ 400, and if you use a SaaS solution to create a website, the annual payment will be about $ 100 for a similar website. Thus, after 4 years the print shop will spend the same money as if he ordered a website in the studio.
The situation is quite different in a large company with several dozens or even hundreds of workplaces, on each of which it is necessary to place boxed licensed software (for example, the same 1C or Parus). In addition to paying for initial licenses, you need to pay for permanent system upgrades, employee training, and troubleshooting.
In this case, using the SaaS platform can bring huge savings (the payback period can be not four years, but tens, if not hundreds of years) and will significantly speed up the implementation and updating of the system as a whole.
Do not forget that when using SaaS money is not withdrawn from circulation, and therefore bring additional profit. SaaS solution is always the most up-to-date version of the software, it is serviced by third-party engineers, and users are not worth a penny of additional costs.
One of the great advantages of cloud SaaS solutions in any area is just the ease of updating and improving them. The system kernel, located on a remote server, is constantly updated by developers, and all users instantly get access to all new features.
No need to install patches and updates on your computer, wait for new versions of software to be released - users of the SaaS platform always use the latest version of the product.
Indeed, everyone is used to it - here’s the disk, there’s Photoshop installed and working! You can touch the disk, look at its cover, and the program is located on the user's computer, you can find it in the Explorer and see this.
A SaaS solution is not clear where, there are no drives, nothing to touch. And no licenses, and do not need to put anything on your computer.
But after all, the site located on the server of the provider is not located on the user's computer. And nothing, no one is afraid and not worried about this.
SaaS in this case is no different from the usual site. The SaaS provider owns only its decision, and all content belongs to the client and, as a rule, can be exported at any time in any convenient format.
The ability to connect multiple users to the SaaS platform often raises concerns. Placing the software on your own computer creates the illusion of security, while in fact the vulnerability is much higher in this case. After all, a hacked program can contain a trojan or backdoor that is already on the user's computer! And it can do anything with it, even formatting a hard disk.
At the same time, the SaaS solution is located on a remote secure server, and none of the users have access to the source codes, so the probability of hacking is much lower. Users have access only to the terminal, and they do not need to place any code on their computer.
Information protection is much weaker in the companies that keep it, because any offended or simply “misguided” employee can simply transfer all confidential data on a regular flash drive, or steal passwords (according to statistics, this is usually the way information is leaked, and not at all as a result of the actions of virtuoso hackers from the movies).
But nevertheless, many have a clear distrust towards online products based on SaaS platforms, and prefer the popular boxed solutions. For example, my friend for a long time hesitated what to choose - 1C or Sugar CRM.
Conservatism prevailed, and he acquired 1C. As a result, after two years, having been in Silicon Valley and seeing the possibilities of Shugar CRM, which is developing rapidly and now would suit him much better, he was very sorry about the short-sighted decision made at the time.
')
What prevents companies from already using all the advantages of SaaS platforms, increasing their profits and saving money?
SaaS platforms are designed for small businesses, not for large companies.
Of course, for a small company, the SaaS platform is first and foremost an opportunity to get a professional solution at a much lower price. But the low cost is not due to the weakness of the functional, but to the business model of SaaS.
The lower cost of SaaS solutions compared to boxed ones is unconsciously associated with weakness in many. Everyone is used to the fact that the more expensive a product is, the better and more powerful it is, and vice versa. Meanwhile, it is large companies that can get the biggest savings using the SaaS platform.
Judge for yourself. Let's say a small print shop needs a website. If you order a website from a web studio, you have to pay $ 400, and if you use a SaaS solution to create a website, the annual payment will be about $ 100 for a similar website. Thus, after 4 years the print shop will spend the same money as if he ordered a website in the studio.
The situation is quite different in a large company with several dozens or even hundreds of workplaces, on each of which it is necessary to place boxed licensed software (for example, the same 1C or Parus). In addition to paying for initial licenses, you need to pay for permanent system upgrades, employee training, and troubleshooting.
In this case, using the SaaS platform can bring huge savings (the payback period can be not four years, but tens, if not hundreds of years) and will significantly speed up the implementation and updating of the system as a whole.
Do not forget that when using SaaS money is not withdrawn from circulation, and therefore bring additional profit. SaaS solution is always the most up-to-date version of the software, it is serviced by third-party engineers, and users are not worth a penny of additional costs.
SaaS solutions are inferior to boxed ones
One of the great advantages of cloud SaaS solutions in any area is just the ease of updating and improving them. The system kernel, located on a remote server, is constantly updated by developers, and all users instantly get access to all new features.
No need to install patches and updates on your computer, wait for new versions of software to be released - users of the SaaS platform always use the latest version of the product.
SaaS platform is unknown where
Indeed, everyone is used to it - here’s the disk, there’s Photoshop installed and working! You can touch the disk, look at its cover, and the program is located on the user's computer, you can find it in the Explorer and see this.
A SaaS solution is not clear where, there are no drives, nothing to touch. And no licenses, and do not need to put anything on your computer.
But after all, the site located on the server of the provider is not located on the user's computer. And nothing, no one is afraid and not worried about this.
SaaS in this case is no different from the usual site. The SaaS provider owns only its decision, and all content belongs to the client and, as a rule, can be exported at any time in any convenient format.
SaaS platforms are open and it’s not safe to use
The ability to connect multiple users to the SaaS platform often raises concerns. Placing the software on your own computer creates the illusion of security, while in fact the vulnerability is much higher in this case. After all, a hacked program can contain a trojan or backdoor that is already on the user's computer! And it can do anything with it, even formatting a hard disk.
At the same time, the SaaS solution is located on a remote secure server, and none of the users have access to the source codes, so the probability of hacking is much lower. Users have access only to the terminal, and they do not need to place any code on their computer.
Information protection is much weaker in the companies that keep it, because any offended or simply “misguided” employee can simply transfer all confidential data on a regular flash drive, or steal passwords (according to statistics, this is usually the way information is leaked, and not at all as a result of the actions of virtuoso hackers from the movies).
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/120681/
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