Image
The Benefits of a Cloud-Based (SaaS) Solution
Scalability
A cloud-based (SaaS) solution provides unlimited scalability and a predictable pricing structure. It’s not sustainable to store everything locally, because as document volume increases, so does the space needed for servers, and plus you’re looking at higher hardware and maintenance costs. Of course, there are more benefits, but these are pretty important in our look.
Less Downtime
When you have an on-premise solution, your company is taking a much higher risk. If something goes wrong at the data center, like a power outage, your regular business operations could come to a halt. With a SaaS provider, you’re typically guaranteed a maximum downtime in your SLA, and you don’t have to worry that your data will be lost.
Accessibility
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the case for cloud-based solutions became even more prevalent because many employees were unable to access information that was stored in local servers and was only accessible from the office. In many cases, this meant employees couldn’t do their jobs, and business was halted completely.
Cloud-based solutions can be accessed from anywhere, so as people continue working from home, an on-premise solution isn’t even a consideration for most businesses at this point.
Plus, it’s easier to monitor your business transactions while nothing changes on your trading partners’ side. When you have 24/7 EDI monitoring, you can minimize time-consuming errors.
Security
Security is much stronger with SaaS than an on-premise solution. A local data center’s security will never beat that of a major cloud provider such as Microsoft Azure or AWS. At TIE Kinetix, for example, we are ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and ISO 27001 certified. This means that your data is safer than ever before, even as security breaches become more common and harder to prevent.
Cost Predictability
Fewer resources are needed with SaaS, and therefore there are no unexpected software or hardware costs. SaaS provides a steady and predictable pricing model (a fixed monthly fee) that ensures your company is receiving the solution that you will benefit from – and nothing that you don’t need.
And again, when you have EDI monitoring (as mentioned above), you can eliminate the unexpected costs that come with unexpected errors.
What to Consider When Choosing a SaaS Solution
It’s easy to make the decision to move from on-premise to SaaS (we hope!), but it’s not always easy to find the right SaaS solution for your business. No matter which provider you choose, make sure to ask yourself this question: Will this solution (and provider) be able to support my current and future business needs?
Needs vary per company, but in general, you should ensure that your SaaS provider is experienced (especially if you have to comply with e-invoicing mandates or if you do business internationally). It’s also important that your provider is continuously developing their solutions because mandates and requirements are constantly changing.
You also may want to know that your provider is a Peppol Access Point, especially if you’re doing business in Europe, where 39 countries are connected via Peppol. TIE Kinetix, for example, gives you direct access to the Peppol e-Delivery Network, meaning that with one single connection you can expand your global reach. You’ll also save time and money, since a connection with Peppol means that you don’t have to do individual trading partner mappings.
TIE Kinetix has been around for over 35 years and can support all your (international) trading requirements while ensuring that you always remain compliant. Our cloud-based platform, FLOW, is continuously being improved to meet the ever-changing requirements of electronic document exchange, and our customized solutions means that there’s a perfect solution for your company.
