Programme and Project Portfolio Management Blog (PPM)

The key questions to ask when choosing a Software as a Sevice (SaaS) model are:

• Who owns the data?
• What are the levels of support?
• How do users access the software application?
• How are service issues resolved?
• How are questions and/or problems concerning the software resolved, and what happens next?
• Is training provided?
• How secure is the data?
• What are your internal security policies in respect of allowing SaaS employees to have passwords and access to reports?
• What are the security safeguards against external attack, and do you provide backups to handle hardware failures?
• How secure is the connection between the infrastructure and the user? Is it secured by encryption, a VPN, proprietary techniques or some other system?
• How is the application served, is the data on a dedicated machine or a shared machine?
• How does the SaaS provider handle redundancy? What levels of redundancy are in place to keep your servers online?
• How does the SaaS provider handle hardware/software problems?
• How does the SaaS provider handle a disaster such as fire or flood?
• How would the SaaS provider handle the complete loss of the facility?
• How long would it be before they restored service?
• How can you get the data out if you choose to select a new SaaS provider?

The key advantages of using the SaaS (Software as a Service) model are that: • It provides a low cost of entry to build a business case and gain executive-level buy-in.

• It allows the business to build a Project Portfolio Management (PPM) process and embed competency without being bogged down in protracted software installation cycles.

• It allows the business to work around IT resource and budget constraints.

• The vendor’s application can be tested in a proof-of-concept or pilot.

• The SaaS provider owns, operates and maintains the software application.

• The SaaS provider owns, operates and maintains the servers that run the application.

• The SaaS provider employs the people needed to maintain the application