Why Companies Are Switching to SaaS IWMS from On-Premise or Hosted

by James McDonald on March 14, 2017
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Effective facilities management is an uphill battle. And sometimes an organization can feel like Sisyphus, watching the boulder they’ve spent countless hours pushing up the mountain roll right back down. 

Enterprises that choose to implement an on-premise or hosted integrated workplace management system (IWMS) have made the first step to keeping that giant stone at the peak. But after installing an on-premise or hosted IWMS, many successful businesses realized that in order to make sure the boulder stays at the top of the mountain, they had to transition to a Software-as-a-Services IWMS.

Here are the three reasons companies are leaving behind on-premise and hosted solutions and switching to a SaaS IWMS.

Overhead Costs

Implementing an on-premise IWMS requires not only investing in additional equipment but also maintaining a large internal IT department to manage the maintenance and upgrades of the solution. This means they’ll need to budget for additional workspaces plus salaries, benefits and other costs associated with hiring employees.

Although a hosted IWMS uses the software vendor’s servers and thus doesn’t require the organization to spend money on new equipment, any time the enterprise wants to upgrade the software they must pay additional fees, which can sometimes be as much (or greater) than the original investment.

But unlike an on-premise or hosted solution, a SaaS IWMS requires neither the purchase of more equipment nor the need for a high number of IT personnel since technical support is provided by the software vendor.

Data Accessibility

While an on-premise IWMS allows the workforce to access data without an internet connection, this accessibility is limited to on-site employees. If an employee is working remotely, they will be unable to view the database.

With a SaaS IWMS, however, the workforce has access to the database from any location at anytime since it is stored in the software vendor’s cloud server.

Longevity and Scalability

Since the general needs of a company are constantly evolving, its facilities management needs will change as well. And one of the biggest benefits of a SaaS IWMS is the ability for an organization to scale the solution as it scales the business itself.

If the organization is using a hosted or on-premise IWMS, it will be more challenging and costly to try to make the solution match their requirements. Furthermore, the business will not have the support of the software vendor to guide them as they scale.

What businesses must recognize is that SaaS is the way of the future for all software, not just IWMS solutions. And for a critical business function such as facilities management, a SaaS IWMS is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s a necessity.

To improve the chances of a profitable IWMS implementation, download our free checklist, A Simple Guide to Successful FM Software Implementation.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James McDonald

James McDonald is a sports enthusiast, brother in Christ and once swam in a tank with the infamous TV sharks.

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