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more readily accessible and affordable to the masses. In other words, our innovation is not limited to larger enterprises that have the budgets and technical resources to keep systems optimized. From video surveillance and access control systems to decision support and evidence manage- ment applications, small or medium-sized business or those with limited resources can access these technologies with mini- mal upfront investment, for any duration of time.
In fact, it’s one of the biggest perks of the SaaS model. From an investment per- spective, the customer can significantly re- duce the initial capital outlay by opting for a SaaS solution.
The purchase shifts from being a large capital expense to a more predictable op- erational cost. There is also less perceived risk in the SaaS model. Instead of the one- time buy with hope for the best long-term outcome, organizations can subscribe to the solution on a shorter-term basis. If the customer is unsatisfied, or no longer needs the software, they can easily deac- tivate service. The true risk is transferred to the provider, who now must take onus for the solution and its promise to deliver value within the organization. It’s impor- tant to clarify that SaaS is not limited to the cloud.
SaaS is a software subscription model that can also be offered as an on-premises deployment with a level of cloud con- nectivity. Take Microsoft Office 365 for example; the application is installed and running on a local computer but still con- nected to the cloud for updates.
Why Hybrid Cloud Installs Will Remain Mainstream Due to the nature of certain applica- tions, there will always be a need for on- premises installations. Some organizations will want to maintain certain systems or components on site. It’s why we often see customers opting for hybrid cloud appli- cations. The hybrid cloud model allows or- ganizations to self-host and maintain their systems while adding certain applications in the cloud. In certain cases, this could be driven by the need for extra storage, as mentioned earlier.
In other cases, the customer may want to access cloud-based capabilities such as investigation management. In this in- stance, the sheer connectivity of the cloud allows many stakeholders such as security
departments, outside agencies, and the public, to share evidence and speed up in- vestigations. To build this level of collabo- ration on-premises would be an extremely costly and challenging task.
Simply put, complementing on-prem- ises systems with cloud services is an easy and affordable way for organizations to access capabilities that otherwise would be out of reach. The same principle holds true for a multi-site access control system. Cloud-based access control ser- vices facilitate a central database which can be accessed by many sites. With the cloud, access to technology becomes broadly accessible.
How Integrators Will Adapt to Cloud Services
So, what does this all mean for integra- tors? There is significant value in provid- ing managed services, but the business model changes. Instead of receiving one large payment for services rendered, an integrator can now expand their recurring revenue stream. The relationship with the customer will also evolve, whereby inte- grator will become the trusted advisor over longer-term contracts.
This creates an opportunity for the integrator to provide more value by sug- gesting ways of making multiple SaaS so- lutions work together or complementing SaaS solutions with contracts for man- aged services and bundled hardware. The integrator can even take on a more inte- gral part of growth strategy, risk assess- ments or general improvements to help customer reach business outcomes.
Moving Innovation
Ahead in the Cloud
Whether we realize it or not, cloud ser- vices is something most of us use daily in our personal endeavours. From Netflix to Amazon and online banking, we all in- teract with SaaS applications. Because of this, more individuals expect the same ex- perience in their worklife. They want more modern apps, frequent updates, greater flexibility, and they want it now.
Therefore, it only makes sense that more organizations are eagerly seeking out these pay-as-you-go services. Beyond eas- ing stress on IT and security departments, SaaS helps them stay adaptable and open to new technologies and reduce costs.
Christian Morin is the vice president of cloud services at Genetec Inc.
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