News sponsored by Vodacom Transformation of Work:

Renette Lombard, Managing Executive for Mid Market at BCX unpacks the value of software as a service for the mid-market organisation.

In 2023, the software as a service (SaaS) market was estimated at $197 billion and is expected, according to Statista, to reach $232 billion by the end of 2024. No longer a buzzword or the hype flavour of the month, SaaS has proven itself an invaluable solution for mid-market organisations looking for scale, cost-efficiency and flexibility. From a company that’s managing a complex architecture with digital twins in manufacturing and building management, to a small insurance company, SaaS allows for organisations of all sizes to bypass traditional capital investment while still benefitting from next-generation technology.

SaaS provides hardware and software on a flexible subscription or consumption model leveraging the ubiquity of cloud. It can be on-premises, hybrid, public, or multi-cloud in its implementation and integration, and the services on offer can range from software through to infrastructure through to everything as a service (XaaS). Mid-market companies can benefit from the move away from a capital investment into a more flexible model that allows them to spend according to demand and gives them more control over costs, customisation and scale.

However, moving into the cloud can feel overwhelming if you don’t have the benefit of an in-house CIO or IT team. Smaller to medium organisations are often left wondering how you can maximise the value and benefits of cloud without having to wade through acres of tech complexity. How you can benefit from the model without moving everything into the cloud. It can seem daunting amidst a sea of lingo, acronyms and constant change – the technology industry is perhaps the most innovative and rapidly evolving in history.

To mitigate this sense of overwhelm, you can gain the benefits of the cloud without having to undertake a comprehensive transition into that environment. There is storage as a service, disaster recovery as a service, backup as a service – these variations are among the many that allow for mid-market companies to step into an as a service environment at your own pace. You can adopt on demand, enjoying the benefits of the ongoing support, maintenance and management in bite-sized chunks that allow you to get a handle on the impact SaaS has on the business and your bottom line.

This also touches on two of the biggest benefits that emerge from the as a service model – reduced admin and next generation service delivery. Your service provider is responsible for ensuring that the services you use are up to date and running smoothly. They need the in-house skillsets capable of handling any issues that arise from technology failure or loss of service – you don’t. You can effectively remove your business from the expensive and time-consuming skills race without losing ground to the competition.

Ticking these boxes, plus ensuring that security is embedded, that flexibility comes standard, and allowing you to customise your as a service use cases according to your needs, means that you get all the benefits with very few of the stressors that traditionally come with implementing next-generation technology. The bottom line is that your service provider can take any hardware – a laptop, a printer, a mobile device – and transform it into an information and technology hub capable of running a business from anywhere. The initial CAPEX layout made by your organisation is then supported by the company that handles your as a service needs – they provide the skills, security and the maintenance; you sign a contract for a length of time that suits your risk factors and requirements.

Flexibility to this extent allows for mid-market companies to opt into a portfolio that gives them more control over their critical workloads and systems. Whether you opt into using the cloud for backup and compute, or you mix your services up across on-premises or cloud-based solutions, you can deftly manage your critical applications and your expenditure.

The only question that really needs the perfect answer within the as a service context is the company you choose to work with. Your service provider must have the skills, the track record, the portfolio and the expertise to ensure your experience and your services align with your strategy and objectives. This is the BCX journey, we offer you a trusted and proven partnership that allows you to explore the full potential of SaaS within your needs and without unnecessary risk.