The SaaS space is where many global organizations wish to be today due to the range of powerful business benefits associated with operating core business services in a cloud computing environment.
In the past, the majority of these services would have been run in house on the premises-this was simply the way things were done and for a long time it was the only option available to businesses.
Things have changed, technology advancements have developed at a staggering pace, and an entirely new industry called software as a service has cropped up with impressive results.
In this article, we are going to look at the reasons why huge numbers of companies around the world are choosing the SaaS model and evolving their business practices to operate in the cloud environment over the more traditional on-premise solutions. We will focus on the benefits of choosing SaaS digital platforms and explain their enormous appeal in today's business world.
CTOs looking for long-term value
The chief technology officer at any organization will have a range of responsibilities, chief among these is to future proof the core operational facilities within the organization so that they represent long term value, from both a scalability and cost management perspective.
Many CTOs will have started out their careers in the ERP space- this is essentially on-premise software and hardware where the company has purchased and now owns the ERP software and has the ability to configure and customize it in a way that meets their business needs.
In 2022, depending on the nature of the organization they work for, many will have moved over to the SaaS model- a subscription-based business model where the software functionality is actually hosted externally, and you lease it instead of outright owning it. Put simply, with SaaS you are leasing a car whereas on premise means you buy the car!
The reasons to opt for SaaS providers are many and varied but CTOs looking for long term value are often attracted to the lower upfront investment costs as well as the agility and power of the technology environment. The SaaS solutions company is responsible for the uptime of the software, enabling the CTO to focus company resources elsewhere. Many SaaS offerings today come with a relatively fast and easy deployment where implementation experts can help company employees get up and running with the new software very quickly. This serves to facilitate a faster return on investment: company employees leverage the technology while the background management of the SaaS applications is the responsibility of the SaaS partner.
SaaS meets the need for digital transformation
Many organizations today operate with legacy infrastructure and outdated software. They find themselves being left behind by the competition because they have not paid enough attention to their infrastructure. They require a digital transformation to transform core business operations as well as how they go to market with their products and services. The benefits of SaaS and cloud services can really be seen here as companies can leverage computing resources without the burden of major new infrastructure and maintenance costs.
When looking for solutions in the market, many find that digital sass platforms meet this need they have to transform their organization digitally. They often have a need to connect data flows and integrate systems between separate yet interconnected departments-an example of this would be important data flows between human resources, finance and global payroll. It does not make business sense for these departments to operate in isolation therefore a cloud deployed SaaS solution with strong integration functionality could seamlessly connect data in these critical departments, for a better, more efficient and streamlined process.
This would be future proofing three business critical service delivery departments in one go- with powerful bi-directional dataflows automated for greater efficiency and speed.
A way to manage complexity
Some global companies are fortunate to experience early success and then go into a period of hyper growth- after a few years they find that this hyper growth has resulted in complexity- disconnected software across global offices, huge increases in data flows and increasingly complex internal and external processes to conduct business. Data storage, data backup and disaster recovery become a bigger priority
Leadership teams often turn to their CTO, explain their problem and ask this person to find a solution because they know that past growth and present complexity will significantly increase the cost of infrastructure at their organization. To manage everything there will be a requirement for integrations, customizations, IT personnel and system management and maintenance- the operating costs could pile up very quickly. SaaS systems can often meet these new business needs in a better way than an on-premise system.
The SaaS cloud environment often represents a scalable and cost-effective solution to these kinds of challenges. SaaS based solutions tend to reduce the total cost of ownership expenses and replace them with license fees. The SaaS vendor takes end to end responsibility and guarantees network uptime. This serves to free up internal resources at the organization to focus on other kinds of work, instead of being constantly tied up with the day-to-day management of large on-premise infrastructure and in-house systems. They can turn their attention towards process improvement and reducing the complexity of their internal processes, safe in the knowledge that somebody else is keeping the lights on in the background.
Digital technology for scaling and growth
The SaaS model often offers the opportunity for global companies to add additional SaaS software or digital tools when they need them. This is a ‘we can scale our services to you in line with the speed at which you grow’ mentality which is innovative and flexible and very much ingrained in many of the SaaS models out there in the market.
It is not hard to see the attraction in this- with an on-premise application, it is a one-off purchase that is not designed to facilitate future growth. But a SaaS platform can be scaled in line with your business needs- it can also be scaled the other way and you can reduce the number of applications if cash flows and spendings need to tighten on a temporary basis.
In this way, your SaaS vendor can be viewed as a business partner, a strategic enabler and a facilitator of growth efficiency and business scaling.
The Payslip SaaS platform
Our global payroll control platform is a cloud deployed SaaS platform specifically designed to solve the challenges associated with multi-country global payroll delivery and management at global organizations.
We have helped many mature organizations who have taken the decision to digitize some of their key business critical service deliveries such as HR and payroll.
The platform features innovative digital tools and operates with a global first data model-this involves mapping and standardizing all of the data input flows across all of the payroll countries and local country payroll providers. This makes the data payroll ready while applying a global framework to the process. The automation functionality of the SaaS platform seeks to automate any repeat or recurring payroll process, saving time and eliminating the likelihood of human error.
The platform is also designed to support growth efficient scaling- Payslip clients leverage our platform technology and scale the SaaS platform, not their internal process or manhours. Many of our clients are experiencing a period of hyper growth and need their business-critical payroll software to be in a position to facilitate and support this growth.
These clients have ambitions to move into many countries and approach us looking for a SaaS software solution that is scalable in nature and can help them on-board new employees and new countries quickly- helping their business leaders to seize opportunities and execute a growth strategy. If you are looking to move your business-critical payroll delivery into a cloud SaaS environment, talk to us today.
For information on the Payslip Platform contact us today.