The "On Demand" Option
With ISG Solutions, you have the option of buying ISGweb and SharePoint in
the traditional way or of getting a subscription to use the software, also known
as "On Demand" or Software as a Service (SaaS).
- Traditional purchase - If you purchase the software in the
traditional way, the applications are installed on your own servers and you
are responsible for running and maintaining them. In addition to the
up-front expense for the software, you pay for annual software maintenance
plus telephone technical support.
- On Demand – With the On Demand model, you pay a
monthly fee to use the software instead of owning it outright. The software
is installed on our servers, in our state-of-the-art data center. Your
monthly fee includes the use of the software, having it hosted in our data
center, the cost for the hardware and infrastructure required to run the
software, annual upgrade and maintenance fees, and telephone technical
support.
There are many advantages to the On Demand model:
Lower cost
Most associations find that the cost of using software On Demand is lower than purchasing the
software. With a traditional software purchase, in addition to the up-front cost
of purchasing the software, associations bear the expense of the hardware and
infrastructure required to run the software, which often must be upgraded to run
a new software application. In addition, the association must employ the IT
staff required to manage and maintain the software, hardware and infrastructure.
With On Demand, you pay a much lower monthly
subscription fee that covers not only the software, hardware and infrastructure,
but also the personnel costs involved in maintaining the hardware and
infrastructure.
It’s easy to see how eliminating the up-front expense for software saves
money, especially for the first couple years. But the savings are far more than
that. With a typical ISGweb or SharePoint implementation, for example, even if
you go out as far as seven years it is still less expensive to subscribe to the
software than to purchase it.
Easier upgrades
One of the most expensive and time-consuming parts of running software is the
regular upgrades that are required. With On Demand, the cost of implementing those
upgrades is shifted to us. We take full responsibility for upgrades. Your
software stays up-to-date with no effort on your part.
Problems resolved faster
With On Demand, the hardware and infrastructure upon which your software runs is
standardized and under the control of the vendor. This vastly simplifies
tracking down bugs and problems, and results in a more
reliable system that is available when you need it.
Since we are supporting many clients, we can also afford to invest in experts
in a wide variety of areas. This gives us deeper technical expertise to draw on
when tracking down problems and enhancing the system.
Better scalability
As your association grows, your software usage grows too. With On Demand, any
technical issues that result from that growth are our problem. You simply call
and let us know you would like to add more users. If that means you need another
server, we’ll take care of it.
Learn more:
White paper: SaaS
for Association CFOs |
