Track and monitor your assets in the cloud
After several years of hosting software on-premises, technology has evolved and cloud computing is at the forefront of digital transformation. Globally, 77 per cent of enterprises have at least one application or a portion of their enterprise computing infrastructure in the cloud.
It is predicted that 83 per cent of global enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020 and that businesses will be spending upwards of $266 Billion on cloud technology by 2021.
In Australia, spending on public cloud services is forecast to reach $6.5 billion this year. With the cloud, spending is expected to increase 19 per cent from $5.4 billion last year. And the bulk of this spending is on Software as a Service (SaaS) products, which was also the fastest-growing segment at 24.4 per cent in 2018.
What is Software as a Service?
Software as a Service (SaaS) provides an updated technical and business model for providing cloud computing to businesses. SaaS software is typically newer, redesigned software that is created specifically for running in the cloud. The cloud platform is supported and updated by the SaaS software provider.
The newer SaaS platforms are typically designed from the ground up to offer updated features, security and reliability requirements for their customers. Payments are typically made on a monthly or yearly basis to the SaaS software provider.
Gartner defines Software as a Service (SaaS) as software that is owned, delivered and managed remotely by one or more providers, transforming information technology today. In effect, SaaS is leased software maintained by its creator and not hosted on your premises but in the cloud.
Benefits of Software as a Service (SaaS)
- SaaS solutions can be technically and financially attractive. The multi-tenant architecture provides a methodology for continuous updates and the shared infrastructure saves on cost.
- The SaaS platform is typically updated on a monthly basis, which ensures that all subscribers have access to the latest software without time-consuming and expensive upgrades.
- Support is included with the SaaS subscription, which reduces costly maintenance plans and internal resource requirements.
- Redundancy is typically built into the SaaS architecture, which provides fail-over capability in case of a problem.
- SaaS technology is usually built from the ground up as a modern system to run on the cloud. SaaS technology allows the software to scale easily and globally.
- Security
- IT-inclusive cost encompassing:
- Server infrastructure (servers, hard disks, CPUs, network equipment)
- Utility costs (power for lighting/cooling the data centre)
- Server software licensing costs (Windows, SQL Server, backup software, and so forth)
- Staff costs (% of the time for DB Administrator, Server Administrator, Support staff, Backup engineers, etc.)
Hardcat as a Service
‘As a Service’ is very much at the forefront of our thinking. SaaS brings options in application hosting (cloud or on-prem), but perhaps even more appealing, is the option for organisations to reprioritise Capex implementations as ongoing, Opex engagements. Our cloud vision is to deliver a range of deployment, service and pricing options.
Menu of Options
Bringing all of our ‘as a service’ offerings together, HardcatCloud is represented by a menu of appetisers, mains, and a few sweets on the side. Any combination of the offerings can be selected and a flexible per-month service fee can be negotiated.
- Software Licensing
- Professional services
- Installation
- Configuration
- Data capture
- Periodic audit
- Data reconciliation
- Reporting
- System Integration
- Health check
- Infrastructure
- Physical infrastructure
- Server infrastructure
- Physical infrastructure
- Infrastructure services
- Server management
- OS updates and patch management
- Hardcat upgrades
- Database management
- Security management
- Software maintenance and assurance
- Service level agreements
HardcatCloud means solution delivery options
On-Premises (on-Prem) Vs Hosting
It’s important to appreciate the full infrastructure expense of an on-prem solution to be able to understand the financial value of cloud hosting. In terms of infrastructure, one needs to consider the costs of:
- Server infrastructure (servers, hard disks, CPUs, network equipment)
- Utility costs (power for lighting/cooling the data centre)
- Server software licensing costs (Windows, SQL Server, backup software, and so forth)
- Staff costs (% of the time for DB Administrator, Server Administrator, Support staff, Backup engineers, etc.)
Infrastructure
Hardcat solutions can be deployed in a variety of cloud configurations and are genuinely agnostic of specialised services and so our systems can be hosted with AWS, Azure, Google, Oracle, among many others. Hardcat maintains strategic partnerships for the delivery of defence and government-grade secure hosting environments for projects which demand extra reassurance around privacy and security compliance.
Technologies
Cloud application-enabling technologies such as Azure Active Directory (AAD) and AWS Managed Active Directory Services make secure, tightly integrated cloud-delivered applications a possibility for the enterprise. We are acutely conscious of customer needs to host in secure cloud conditions and we are capable of tuning our solution to be compliant with the varied security and data sovereignty demands of all jurisdictions.
Flexible Pricing
SaaS is every bit about flexible, operational budget (Opex) pricing, as it is about infrastructure and deployment options. The solution was born in the cloud and inherently makes provision for an agreeable pricing model covering software licencing, software assurance, and potentially, professional services, hosting and infrastructure expenses. Pricing parameters too are very flexible, with options to licence by module, user count, asset metrics, along with other negotiable alternatives.
Action your assets in the cloud with HardcatCloud
Lower up-front cost – SaaS provider manages the IT infrastructure that is running the software, which brings down fees for hardware and software maintenance.
Quick set-up and deployment – SaaS application is already installed and configured in the cloud. This minimises common delays resulting from often lengthy traditional software deployment.
Easy upgrades – SaaS providers deal with hardware and software updates, deploying upgrades centrally to the hosted applications and removing this workload and responsibility from you.
Availability always-on – all you need to access a SaaS application is a browser and an internet connection. This is generally available on a wide range of devices and from anywhere in the world, making SaaS more accessible than the traditional business software installation.
Flexibility – SaaS providers generally offer many subscription options and flexibility to scale up or down when needed for example when your business grows, or more users need to access the service.
Seamless upgrades – fast implementation, painless upgrades, global access, and reliable data security means hassle-free access to your Hardcat system.
Time management and Security – HardcatCloud is built to ensure maximum network performance and security, and is adaptive to your needs, automatically backing up your data with 24/7 availability.
HardcatCloud cloud deployment is built on the industry’s best data centre and network architecture. It leverages a wide variety of security features, automated monitoring and reporting services to ensure our clients have the best asset management experience in a stable environment.
Our HardcatCloud solutions put simply are the Hardcat suite of products provided to you as a service, creating considerable efficiencies, productivity and accessibility of business operations. Customers no longer need to be distracted by concerns about:
- Operating system licencing
- Database licencing and management
- Server maintenance
- Database backup
- Avoid external outsourcing of your critical asset data to organisations that do not understand your business and/or asset utilisation.
- The system is always running on the latest Hardcat release
- Never lag behind the latest developments, patches and improvements
- Automatic backup of your data and guaranteed 24/7 availability
- On-call support if and when needed
More Insights
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