How to Evaluate SAAS vs. Traditional Software Pricing
A general way to get a value is to look at cost on a monthly basis and then start to compare the prices of a SAAS solution against a traditional software solution. This isn’t going to help with any additional benefits that either solution may have but will give you a great starting place.
First thing to do is specify how many users will have access to the software, and over how long. To work through an example we’ll take MS Exchange as it’s fairly well known and a lot of people are asking about the benefits of running this on a SAAS model. We’ll say that it’s a brand new installation for 10 users.
Hosting it ourselves:
Brand new server running MS SBS 2011( 8 gigs RAM / 2*500 SATA gig drives in RAID1 config / back up SAS drive and software taken from dell.ie) €3550 ex vat
Installation costs (2 days at €450) €900
So a total of €4450 or €92.71 over 48 months
Exchange as SAAS
79.90 per month (www.blacknight.ie)
So in this case its much cheaper, and this is before we factor in things like ongoing support costs for the server. However, we’re also ignoring the fact that we can also use our own server for files / printing / domain authorisation, etc. In reality it may be best to opt for the server on a brand new installation as we’ve got more benefits, but if we already have the server and want to upgrade our exchange version it could be way cheaper to go with the SAAS pricing.
In reality you need to look at the SAAS solution in your overall IT plan before making any kind of decision, and make sure that the hidden benefits are investigated.
Over the past 3 months we’ve been looking at the most common support issues received by the help desk, to help everyone out I thought I’d put together a quick article on what they are and how to resolve them:
1. The system says “there are no current users who can authorise the purchase” but it was working yesterday. Help!
Every time a purchase order gets approved, the value of the transaction will be removed from two budgets: the authorising user and the department it was raised on behalf of. It’s quite possible that the only user who can sign off on the expenditure has used up their budget.
The fix is simple – either adjust the approvers budget or wait until next month to approve the purchase.
2. I’ve forgotten my log on details!
This is a very quick fix: Go to your log on page and click the link that says: “if you have forgotten your password click here”. Enter your e mail address and the system will send you a reminder.
3. We have one supplier who isn’t receiving our purchase orders once we send them. Any ideas?
The short answer is yes; several!
Most of the time when an E mail cannot be delivered its due to an overly aggressive spam filter with your supplier. By asking them to white list our E mail server it should allow the purchase orders through.
Other times the E mail address could be wrong, the PO has ended up in the junk mail folder or maybe it’s just been deleted by the supplier and they don’t want to admit it!
If you’ve got an issue with delivery let us know and we’ll work it through with your supplier. Our support team have a lot of experience with networking and E mail issues so we can usually work it through without too much trouble.
On 23rd / 24th May I’ll be in London visiting current clients and talking with potential clients. If you’re currently involved with a trial and would like to organise a Q/A session or a training event for the staff using the system, just give me a call on 0208 123 77 44 to organise.
Data security and management is always an issue when talking to people about cloud based offerings and for a very good reason; it’s one of the most important assets a company has. From dealing with many clients over the past 3 years these would be the most common points of concern customers have discussed with me:
1. Where is my data held?
For different industries in different countries the physical location of the data (if that’s possible due to its nature) can have major legal consequences. If data is used in London, based in Ireland but becomes involved in legal proceedings in France who has jurisdiction over it? A simple solution is to add clauses in the terms and conditions to help maintain leverage for you as a client.
2. If I choose not to renew with you how can I get my data back?
No one wants to be locked into a system without being able to migrate away if the need arises; Handing someone control of your data is giving them a major part to play in your business. Make sure you’re able to export all the data at any time and ask to have regular data dumps if you want.
3. Who has access to my data and at what level?
Always ask to see a company’s security policies on data access, they should be tighter than your own internal policies; can your junior help desk staff access all file shares and e mail as part of their job?
4. Who is backing it up and when?
If they’re reputable it should be happening all the time, but get specifics. More importantly ask about recovery time in case of a major disaster.
For the month of May 2011, we’ll be giving away 2 licences free for the year with every new sign up. There’s no minimum number of licences needed, it’s available if you sign up to a single user licence.
To get avail of the offer just quote code MAY2011 when you talk to your account manager.
A purchase order is a legal document where 2 parties agree to a sales transaction at a set price, when it’s edited it can become a gray area in terms of legality. As such care is needed when making any changes to it.
In this weeks webinar we’ll be looking at the circumstances around editing purchase orders after they’ve been created; when it’s a good idea and when it’s not advisable.
Register Now!
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/130914185
As part of our Thursday webinar series we’ll be looking at how user levels within PurchaseControl.com can help speed up the purchasing process. Register now!
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/944339881
If your part of the finance team, a bit more information on partial reconciliation can always be helpful. This Thursday at 16:00 we’ll be taking a quick look at partial, and multiple reconciliation of invoices and how it effects the work flow within PurchaseControl.com.
If you’ve ever had an invoice that didn’t match a purchase order this could be 20 minutes well spent!
Register now:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/547840336
If you’ve just started using the multiple approvals system in PurchaseControl.com and want to hear about some use case scenarios, this is the webinar for you! We’ll be covering some basic, and not so basic configurations of the multiple approval module and how it can be used in practice to give you an additional layer of control.
To join us for this free training event simply register here:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/560247712
We’ve got a new report available for anyone with “Invoice Admin” permissions, and that’s to see exactly who is looking after a forwarded invoice. It’s a fairly simple report but should help to speed up the invoice approval process if your line managers are involved. To access it, just click on the Waiting Approval link under SUPPLIER INVOICES on the left hand menu. It will return every invoice that’s waiting for approval, and who it’s been forwarded to. Quick and Easy, but very helpful!
