Software as a Service – One of the most interesting discussions I have been involved in is the discussion about what is called the “business benefit” of the Cloud, and how Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is said to be the most effective way to “solve all” business problems….
Software as a Service as a Tool for Efficiency
Meanwhile, I believe in the cloud, where it is clearly evident that IaaS is not a business enabler, but rather an IT efficiency tool. As you can see, IaaS does not directly help the business perform any specific activities; it merely helps IT deliver services more effectively and efficiently.
The question then becomes: what about IT using newly dedicated time and budget to support the business? This is a different matter, yet one that must be carried out in parallel. For businesses to truly gain maximum benefits from cloud technology, a fundamental transformation is required. It is not enough to simply adopt IaaS; businesses must also consider Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions.
Why? Because SaaS solutions address the root causes of the real challenges currently faced in the IT world, one of which is legacy systems. As is well known, migrating legacy applications to cloud computing is a positive step, but it is far more beneficial to adopt new cloud-native applications. These applications can deliver business benefits more rapidly and provide instant differentiation in the market—this represents true progress.
SaaS applications are generally built for specific purposes and are designed and developed by specialist companies, many of which have only emerged within the last three years. This indicates that these companies do not yet rely on large, established revenue streams allocated for trials and maintenance (such as requesting major vendors, purchasing software from them, or leasing from them). As a result, these companies tend to be smaller, more agile, more open to feedback, and more responsive to change. All of these factors combine to form an attractive value proposition, one that every company should leverage to create strong differentiation in the market.
Indonesian Cloud as a Cloud Computing Provider
In the field of cloud providers and consulting, I see many customers focusing their efforts on how to package cloud computing—how to build a business portfolio and how to sell cloud solutions to management. Very often, when they refer to “the cloud,” what they actually mean is IaaS. These same customers frequently face business challenges and eventually sign agreements with SaaS providers, simply because “IT does not understand what the customer wants.”
At IndonesianCloud, we observe a new emerging trend: many customers no longer come to us requesting IaaS. Instead, they approach us with business problems and ask, “How can you help?” Almost without exception, our answer is not hosting, but rather recommending integrated cloud-based application services (delivered locally), whether private or shared.
We have developed several applications, including ERP, CRM, HRM, eCommerce, as well as document management and collaboration solutions. We have even helped customers revamp their entire core insurance applications because their previous systems were “no longer competitive in the market.”
Therefore, my advice is this: before focusing on IaaS, take a closer look at the application portfolios offered by cloud providers. It is very possible that the applications they provide are more suitable for your business needs than hosting and managing everything on your own.
To view the list of pre-integrated cloud solutions provided by IndonesianCloud, please visit the IndonesianCloud website.
By Suka Cita Pasaribu – Business Solutions Sales Leader
This concludes our explanation. If you would like to read other articles about technology or obtain more information about IndonesianCloud products, please visit our website at Indonesiancloud.com, as well as our VPS website at cloudhostingaja.com. See you in our next article.