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Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
Reasons for SaaS
No upfront costs Faster Time to Production Reduces the need for expensive server hardware Improved scalability, performance and availability Enables businesses to focus on their core line of business and not on technology Less reliance on IT resources Pay as you go No long term commitment Lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
Software as a service (SaaS) is a model of software deployment where an application is hosted as a service provided to customers across the Internet. By eliminating the need to install and run the application on the customer's own computer, SaaS alleviates the customer's burden of software maintenance, ongoing operation and support. Using SaaS also can reduce the up-front expense of software purchases, through less costly, on-demand pricing. This way, end users may reduce their investment on server hardware too. As a term, SaaS is generally associated with business software and is typically thought of as a low-cost way for businesses to obtain the same bene ts of commercially licensed, internally operated software without the associated complexity, high initial costs and signi cant ongoing expenditure.

Business Intelligence and SaaS

Business Intelligence (BI) tools allow organizations to make smart informed business decisions using data that exists in their transactional systems. The value of BI to organizations has been well documented and proven oven the past two decades. However, traditional models of BI deployment are prohibitively expensive, especially for small to medium sized companies, often costing hundreds of thousands of pounds and taking several months, if not years to implement. To overcome this problem, small to mid-sized companies are turning towards SaaS as a delivery model for their BI solutions. BI solutions delivered in a SaaS model allow these companies to use the same high quality software that larger companies have been using to their competitive advantage for several years.

Why On Demand BI makes sense

BI in a SaaS model, also known as On-Demand BI gives small and mid-sized companies exactly what they are asking for in today's fast-paced competitive markets: an easy-to-use, quick-todeploy and reasonably priced solution. The on-demand model o ers a low-risk opportunity for customers to utilize BI without drowning in the overheads of a large, expensive and risky project. As more small and mid-sized companies experience positive returns on investment and success using a BI service model, it can be expected that even larger corporations will adopt the model. The hosted aspect of on-demand BI now makes it possible for organizations to have a continuously accessible 360-degree view of its business without the high cost of maintenance and support.

In a 2005 memo to executive sta , Bill Gates described the software services wave as the next sea change [that] is upon us.

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How BI on SaaS works

Use SaaS delivery model if you
Lack resources and infrastructure to run software applications Need faster deployment of software applications Want to try newer technologies without the overhead of huge implementation lead times Want to focus on your core business and not on technology
Extract Transform Load (ETL) Secure Server Analytic Application Unstructured Files Legacy System Enterprise Application

Initially, data is collected from databases inside an organization and loaded into a central data warehouse on a hosted server. After the initial data load, only incremental changes are copied on an on-going basis. Sophisticated algorithms are then executed on the data to perform aggregations and calculations that are used throughout the product. The entire implementation process is completed within a few weeks rather than months or years as is normal with traditional BI systems. Once implemented, companies can get 360 degree views into their own data using just an internet browser from wherever they are. Users can interactively slice and dice data and generate what-if scenarios using simple drag and drop operations. Dashboards and key performance indicators (KPIs) provide executives with instantaneous snapshots into the health of their entire business operation.

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SaaS is the answer

Security in BIRetail
There are two kinds of security risks loss of data and con dentiality of data. BIRetail mitigates the risk of data loss as we take copies of data only and leave all your existing systems unaltered. Indeed, at worst, the most that would have to be done in the event of a catastrophic failure is the rebuilding (automatically) of our databases from the original data sources. We mitigate the risk of loss of con dential data by using extremely secure and respected industry partners to ensure the highest levels of security. The security providers we use are household names securing billions of pounds of online transactions

Security Concerns
"Where is my data stored and how is it secured?" These were often the rst comments from anyone considering SaaS in the late '90s. While SaaS has always been a secure delivery method, two things have changed to create greater acceptance of the security of SaaS: Many companies have successfully used SaaS for nearly ten years now thus establishing a track record SaaS providers can build on; and SaaS providers are better at aligning security with the clients in-house process and procedure requirements.

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