Software as a Service
A Faster, Cheaper Way to Fail?
Nicole France, Barney Haywood and Paul Gilroy
A key selling point of software as a service (SaaS) applications is speed of deployment. But ultra-rapid implementations of five to 20 days need to be set against a uncomfortably high failure rate. What is required is a more iterative approach to SaaS roll outs that repeatedly matches the application capabilities and configuration to the business processes, work practices and information flows they are designed to support.
The benefits of sofware as a service (SaaS) applications for companies of all sizes have largely sold themselves, leading to the success of specialist SaaS application providers and the creation of a multi-billion dollar industry. But a recent study by Gartner suggests that customer satisfaction among SaaS clients is only lukewarm.
Based on our observations, we believe that much of this ambivalence is due to an overselling of five-day implementation times and an under-investment in clearly mapping work practices, processes and information flows to the SaaS application.
Download the 'Software as a Service' PDF [110 KB]
Nicole France is responsible for marketing Fujitsu’s Application Services portfolio. Prior to working at Fujitsu, she spent ten years as an analyst with Gartner, where she covered enterprise application services.
Barney Haywood is a Programme Manager within the Fujitus SaaS practice responsible for managing several top-tier clients. He has several years experience within SaaS, CRM, Financial Services and Telco.
Paul Gilroy is an Engagement Manager and Capability Lead within the Fujitsu SaaS practice, and is responsible for delivering Sales, Marketing and Service solutions into a number of clients. He has over 10 years experience in delivering technology focused solutions around IT Service Management and CRM.
