Author: Zoe Stimpson

While many of us can’t imagine a world without computers at work, some can remember a time when landlines and faxes were the killer productivity apps.

Today, it’s hard to believe, since thousands of purpose-built software-as-service (SaaS) apps are instantly available for nearly every role in an organization.

With the rise of SaaS and cloud-based infrastructure has come a new set of challenges for IT management. Let’s take a look at the history of IT use at work, who’s managed IT and how the SaaS explosion has ushered in a new era of collaborative IT management.

Flipping The Switch: A Timeline Of Tech In The Workplace

While the internet was responsible for the proliferation of networked personal computers (PC) and devices in the workplace for all, the early days of PC adoption in the 1980s set the wheels in motion for IT’s broader usage across the organization.

Early PC Magic (1980s)

A look at the Computer History Museum’s timeline shows that the personal computer was born in the 1980s, with the first branded “PC” from Microsoft in 1981, followed by the Commodore 64 in 1982 and Apple’s Lisa and Macintosh in 1983 and 1984. Each year represented more magical leaps in innovation, from graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to the mouse to CD-ROMs and the C++ programming language.

In time, it became clear that computers were here to stay, as their functionality and operating systems got more sophisticated. – Read more

The on-demand economy that we’re living in has brought in a new era of Software as a Service (SaaS) opportunities and everyday conveniences.

Even if the acronym isn’t familiar to you, there’s a good chance you’ve had plenty of interactions with SaaS, whether you’ve realized it or not.

Have you ever used Uber, Lyft, or Airbnb? Or how about Office 365, GoToMeeting, Cisco’s WebEx, or Google Apps? The list goes on and on. These are all examples of software that is being used as a service, or even more simply, software that is accessed via the internet rather than purchased, downloaded, and installed onto individual computers.

SaaS is one of a variety of managed services, which also includes Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), but before you’re confused or intimidated by any other techie jargon, here’s what you need to know about Software as a Service (SaaS):

Existing on the Cloud for Greater Accessibility and Ease-of-Use for All

Because the software behind a SaaS runs on a cloud-based server, that means no file downloads or time-consuming upgrades need to occur on the user’s end. Updates, patches, and latest versions are updated on the business’s side, not yours.

Moreover, because there are few hardware requirements or mandatory specifications in place, SaaS allows for more accessibility for the average user, without barriers posed by needing the latest, greatest device or the most-recent version of an operating system. If someone has an internet ready device—be it a smartwatch, smartphone, tablet, desktop, or otherwise—a SaaS-based model can be ready to go whenever you are. – Read more

For many people this type of software is absolutely priceless! Here we will explain why cloud storage software is so popular, and also give some top recommendations!

Essentially, finding the best cloud storage software can be a complete game changer. It takes away A LOT of stress when it comes to storing and accessing your data.

But what actually is cloud storage software? Ok, so ‘cloud storage’ is where data can be stored on remote servers and accessed from the internet, or ‘the cloud’ if you will.

Your cloud storage service provider will then maintain and manage your files, thanks to servers built on virtualisation methods.

The best examples of this type of software will keep your data secure and enable the mass sharing of files.

We’re going to talk you through four of our favourites – DropBox, Degoo, SugarSync and Yandex Disc – in this post. But before we do that, it’s important to fully understand how cloud storage can provide you with great results.

How does cloud storage software work?

To be fair, a lot of us just sign up to these types of software and don’t question the science behind them. But, how does cloud storage software actually work?

You probably know the basics. It allows your device to send or retrieve files online, from a remote data server. This same data is usually found on more than one server, so that if one server is down you can still retrieve your files.

According to Techopedia, cloud storage works through data center virtualisation. Virtual storage architecture, which is scalable and easy to navigate, is then created.

More often than not a web-based API, that is remotely implemented through its interaction with the client application’s in house storage infrastructure, is how cloud storage data operates. – Read more

Did you realize that over 80 percent of enterprise workloads will be cloud-based by the year 2020?

There is no denying just how popular cloud-based services and software have become in the past few years. If you are in the business of creating software as a service (SaaS), then finding a way to constantly improve and enhance your services is a must.

The SaaS world is filled with competition, which is why constantly optimizing the programs you offer is essential when attempting to create a competitive edge. If you start to notice your churn rate growing with each passing day, you need to take action. In essence, a SaaS churn rate describes how fast new customers are leaving and switching to a competitor. Higher churn rates are a warning sign that there is something wrong with either the software your company is offering or the subscription model you currently have in place.

Implementing the use of state-of-the-art SaaS user management software can help you pinpoint and fix problems your customers are experiencing. Here are some of the things you may want to try when attempting to improve your SaaS business.

Thanks to the Internet, companies are able to not only distribute developments remotely, but also deploy them online.

Users can now access a wide variety of applications on-demand over the Internet. In cloud computing, these are known as “as-a-service” programs and can be identified with an acronym ending in “aaS”. These labels indicate the cloud application deployment model that the company uses to distribute their service over the Internet.

No doubt anybody looking into adopting a cloud-based application has seen an “as-a-service” label before. There are several labels geared for specific industries, such as disaster-recovery-as-a-service (DRaaS) and integration-platform-as-a-service (iPaaS). However, for general cloud-based applications, you’ll typically see one of three deployment models: software-as-a-service (SaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS). What do these deployment models mean, and what do they provide for the user? Below, we outline the differences between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, and what each deployment model means for both the service provider and the customer.

Software-as-a-service (SaaS)

Software-as-a-service is the most common cloud deployment model. SaaS refers to applications delivered over the Internet that a third party manages. In other words, the user doesn’t have to worry about hosting, downloading, or updating any software. SaaS applications are typically accessed and ran via a Web browser, eliminating the need to download software onto a user’s machines. In addition, SaaS providers manage everything, from the runtime to the networking.

There are plenty of benefits to using SaaS applications. For example, IT teams don’t need to factor in installation and hosting expenses, making SaaS more cost efficient. The lack of management responsibilities means IT teams have more time to work on projects. However, this is also a double-edged sword. Since app providers manage the entirety of the app’s systems, it’s up to them to fix it – meaning IT teams may experience downtime that they can’t do anything about. – Read more

The SaaS market is going crazy.

Like, 17.3 percent year-over-year market growth—to $85 billion in 2019—kind of crazy.

Helping your SaaS firm grab a piece of that pie might seem daunting at first. But if you resist the urge to create an “all the things, all the time” SaaS product marketing plan, you can succeed. How? Do your homework, and establish these three things before you start planning:

1. Your Hero Statement

Trying to be everything to everyone in that $85 billion SaaS market is a sure-fire way to overextend your resources—probably on a lot of people who aren’t going to buy from you anyway. Instead, pick out the customer segment that’s a perfect match for your SaaS product, and rock every part of that customer experience.

Enter your hero statement, which helps you focus on the right target customers for the right reasons. to It’s a combination of the company profile or persona you serve best with the problem that you’re best at helping them solve. It might sound simple, but it requires a bit of advanced research to get these two elements nailed down:

• Buyer Personas: These are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers based on market research and real data about your existing customers.
• The Jobs You’re Best at: In essence, this is the Jobs-to-be-Done Theory applied to your SaaS product. Thinking along these lines can help you discover which alternatives—including and going beyond your traditional competitors—your target customers are currently using to meet their needs. HubSpot Academy offers an excellent overview of identifying which “jobs to be done” your customers are actually “hiring” your SaaS product to achieve. (Spoiler alert: They might not be the jobs you think.)

Here are some hero statement examples:

• My SaaS firm is a hero to CIOs of $3-10 million companies who need to reduce data storage costs by 25 percent within two years.
• My SaaS firm is a hero to marketing managers at $1-3 million non-profits who want video content to generate over 30 percent of website conversions within the next year.

As you develop your product marketing plan, check your marketing activities and goals against your hero statement to ensure you’re in alignment. – Read more

The cloud hosting market is growing at a brisk pace.

From startups to major enterprises, most businesses around the world are starting to realize the perks of migrating their business processes to the cloud.

Gartner forecasts the public cloud services to grow 17.3 percent in 2019 to a total of 206.2 billion with Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to grow 27.6 percent.

The cloud providers offer you with various cloud platforms, such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), etc. for your applications, websites, data storage, software development, as well as complete business processes.

However, because of the emergence of a plethora of cloud providers in the market, you must be wise in choosing a cloud provider. Here are some questions you can ask yourself while choosing a cloud hosting provider.

1. Does the cloud provider know your business?

The cloud basically provides you with the resources to host your applications or carry out your business processes on the cloud. However, every application, website, and software vary in the mode of functioning, resource requirements, and other aspects such as security.

For instance, some application might need extensive data monitoring, while others a high-performance server with SSD storage.

It is always favorable for you if the cloud provider has expertise in hosting your type of applications.

Hence, before choosing a cloud provider, you must research whether the provider has expertise in hosting your application or not.

2. How efficient is the customer support?

Talk about any industry, whether service-based or product-based; customer support is the thread that weaves the customers and the company into a community. If a company is not able to offer a resolution to the customers’ issues, no matter how good the product is, it is bound to go down the hill. The customer loses faith in the company and consequently, its products and services.

However, only resolving the issue is not enough for most customers. The customers must be responded to swiftly, and the issue must be resolved in minimal time.

The deployment of an efficient customer support system is the top priority for most cloud hosting providers. The cloud providers are responsible for hosting applications, websites, critical data, etc. for various companies. Hence, it is essential for them to cater to the clients’ issues.

While choosing the cloud hosting provider, make sure the customer support is satisfactory. You can do market research about the cloud provider, read the customer testimonials, and ratings. You can analyze the Average Response Time and Average Resolution Time promised by the cloud hosting provider.

Go for a cloud provider that offers 24/7/365 support to make sure that the technical support staff is always at your beck and call. – Read more

Don’t overlook these five essentials for making a successful transition to a healthy SaaS business.

The necessity to implement the right cloud computing platform is nothing less than essential….