12 Problems Must Be Considered Before Choosing Saas.

SaaS (software is service) is one of the most heated topics recently discussed in the software field.

It may save you money and achieve faster software deployment, but it is not always a technology without bother.

Here are 12 questions you must consider before choosing SaaS applications.

1, carrying critical tasks?

Do not use SaaS in any application that your company can do business, unless you are convinced that SaaS service providers can support it better than you do.

Consultant AmyWohl said: "when your entire company relies on some kind of application to operate successfully at all times, and you feel that you can not get the required reliability or performance unless you personally control it, you should not use SaaS for this application."

For example, a stock trading company should keep the paction software inside the company, she said.

A large company may have more than 100 essential applications of operational critical business.

But in fact, many customers clearly believe in the ability of SaaS vendors to support mission critical applications.

Data show that 49% of enterprises plan to deploy SaaS applications for mission critical applications.

2. Do you pay by usage?

You need to guard against the price trap of SaaS.

We all know that software vendors are obsessed with the payment of permits in advance.

The main selling point of SaaS is monthly payment, forcing manufacturers to continuously improve their services to satisfy customers.

But JeffreyKaplan, head of THINKstrategies, a consultancy, says that most SaaS vendors actually reverse this model and force customers to pay in advance for a year.

KenBoasso, author of technology blog, wrote: "traditional software customers hate giving up their money before enjoying the benefits of application.

When SaaS manufacturers ask for an annual fee in advance like traditional ISV, or even offer a valuable "time value" discount, customers need to know the difference between SaaS and traditional software, and whether there are any disadvantages.

3, is data really comfortable?

When deploying SaaS services, make sure that the service provider has a reliable way to backup data in case of disaster or when the manufacturer withdraws from the market.

If sensitive business data are involved, you need manufacturers to have contingency plans for backup and recovery, and a service agreement that includes severe penalties for lost or leaked data.

Wohl pointed out that customers had better find ways to store applications by third parties to ensure application backup.

"In fact, customers must understand the SaaS infrastructure that supports the delivery of SaaS solutions," said CEOWilliamMcNee, President and President of SaugatuckTechnology.

4, SaaS actually improved security?

SaaS enables enterprises to cooperate with partners without exposing the internal network.

"Many companies do not want partners to wander around their firewall," Wohl said.

Another added advantage, Kaplan said, is that SaaS can provide enterprises with various off-site data backup capabilities required by various government regulations.

Kaplan said: "we have to backup our data outside the field to comply with the relevant regulations.

Those SaaS products that provide OTC hosting services solve this problem well. "

5, SaaS application running better on SOA?

SOA and its emphasis on Web interface and interoperability will provide you with a IT infrastructure that takes advantage of SaaS.

Some experts point out that SaaS can take advantage of many next generation technologies.

Including SOA, when it comes to integration with enterprise applications, SOA architecture will bring great benefits to users.

Those enterprises that follow the SOA direction will find that SaaS based application integration is much easier than traditional application integration.

6, single sign on capability?

DavidLinthicum, a manufacturer consultant who provides the ability of single sign on to provide users with multiple computing resources, points out: "single sign on capability is particularly important for more complex SaaS systems that contain third party additions, such as background checking SaaS applications and reporting SaaS applications."

7, SaaS application integration is limited?

Linthicum said that SaaS vendors have been trying to find a good way to integrate their applications with other vendors' development applications.

"As more companies migrate their applications to the SaaS platform, the need to integrate SaaS to SaaS is increasing," he said.

Unfortunately, many SaaS providers fail to give answers when customers request such integration.

In addition to hiring a group of developers and hoping for the best results, users have no choice. "

He also pointed out that this practice often brings a "lack of flexibility, expensive and stupid application architecture."

8, how much can users get?

A SaaS application that works well for a small number of users may not be suitable for promotion to the entire enterprise.

Wohl said, "you have to understand," what can I reasonably expect from the use of this application? Is it something that can only be applied in a fixed area? "

If you exceed a department using a certain SaaS application, enterprises need to set boundaries for them.

In a report on SaaS, McKinseyQuarterly pointed out: "there will be an explicit mechanism to decide when two departments want to use SaaS software, but when only one department needs to modify the software, who decides the level of customized software and who pays for the service."

9, SaaS users beware of excessive hype?

SaaS is currently a very popular application, so almost every manufacturer wants to get a slice of the market.

Unfortunately, many vendors simply put existing applications on Web without making any easy-to-use improvements.

Kaplan said: "some software vendors have tarnished the word SaaS.

What they actually do is to provide the same old applications, and there is no change in the limitations of application.

SaaS applications are developed for running on Web, so they should have features that are easy to access.

They should have intuitive operation interface.

Most importantly, they should have the capability of enabling many users to use this application for real-time collaboration. "

10. Who is responsible for SaaS services?

Before signing the SaaS service agreement, be sure to understand that the application is through Web "self".