Software as a Service (SAAS)
SAAS as the above is commonly referred to, is now a serious consideration for any modern organisation that is part of the global village. So, is it the right choice for you or your organisation?
To be able to benefit fully on this option, it is essential that you have reliable access to the internet. In Malawi, despite many grumbles about the high cost of internet services, I do feel that we have reliability – not least because we have a number of service providers in the market.
Most importantly, both our main mobile operators—who have made it their business to ensure that their services exist over most of the country, including areas such as Likoma Island and even at the top of Mount Mulanje—offer these services with minimal entry costs as a fallback position when your current ISP fails. SAAS can be simply explained by comparing it to owning or leasing an office.
The range of software services offered include financial and payroll applications, applications such as office and contact suites. This can be extended to include the renting of data storage space in the cloud where all business critical data is stored and accessed under strict security procedures.
SAAS is also for the personal user with Microsoft’s O365 leading the pack. Not only does this offer users a cost effective way of accessing the latest Office software legally but it also allows users to store all their personal data including music, pictures and other personal information—up to 1.0TB of space—in the cloud. For personal users, it is particularly useful.
Ask yourself these questions—what would you do if your computer device suddenly refused to work or was stolen? Do you travel a lot and want to continue to have full access to your data? SAAS offerings such as O365 provide a full backup of your mails and contacts in the cloud, which is then accessible from any device and from anywhere where you have the internet.
Microsoft provides this service via an infrastructure composed of more than 100 globally distributed data centres connected by the one of the world’s largest multi terabit global network. It provides a financially guaranteed and impressive 99.97 percent uptime. It is highly secure with one of the most advanced multi factor authentication processes, and ongoing advanced threat protection. As an organisation, there are some questions that you need to answer before you consider this option.
Firstly, you need to assess your annual IT infrastructure costs. This includes, hardware and networks, software licensing and related support costs. Related support costs include the cost of maintaining a reliable power and environmental requirements for your servers, repair and replacement costs as well as IT support staff costs. Most importantly—you need to consider downtime as a cost.
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