The term "Software-as-a-Service" (SaaS) has been buzzing around the IT landscape for more than a decade or so. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) reduces the cost by taking responsibility for the day-to-day operations, upgrades, and infrastructure -  rather than placing it on the end-user. The result is a much more economical solution that allows a company to devote precious resources to its core activities that impact their top and bottom lines.

Software-as–a-Service (SaaS) is a model for delivering software applications to customers over the Internet. While SaaS (On-Demand) is gradually becoming another deployment option for companies, it has still a long way to go. “Software as a Service or On-Demand software can be implemented rapidly and eliminates the infrastructure and enduring costs that traditional applications require,” says Mr Kamesh Ramamoorthy, Chief Operating Officer, Ramco Systems. “Delivering ERP on a SaaS model is a revolutionary approach in enterprise software and offers enterprises of all sizes a viable, scalable and flexible model that will take them to the next level in terms of benefiting from technology.”

By 2010, Gartner predicts that around 30 per cent of new licence purchases (in APAC, excluding Japan) will be in the form of SaaS, or delivered through the SaaS model. In a recent survey of 1,017 technology decision-makers, Forrester found that worldwide adoption of SaaS in large enterprises is now at 16%, up 33%, from the previous year’s 12%. While for SMEs it has always been a viable option, given that there is a monthly subscription instead of huge upfront costs, but for large enterprises, the benefits of SaaS are not too hard to find. Technology updation, easy deployment and easy scalability are just some of them.

“Logical and believable, TCO forecasts prepared by reputed research firms generally show a lower TCO with SaaS ERP solutions over a five-year life for most business scenarios,” says Kamesh. Most of the concerns, i.e. security and data privacy, about SaaS, have been swept aside by the evidence from early adopter of SaaS. Security and data privacy are large concerns of any enterprise considering IT outsourcing, and it matters much more when it comes to employing a web-based software such as ERP or CRM.

"Security is undoubtedly one obstacle to mass adoption of SaaS," says Kamesh. "We have talked to the people to allay their ill-founded security concerns.”
After taking into account the pros and cons of SaaS, and realizing the benefits of the SaaS model, Ramco launched its SaaS version – Ramco On-Demand ERP. The Chennai-headquartered Ramco Systems has become a household name through market success by launching Ramco On-Demand ERP.

Ramco On-Demand ERP is the first full-fledged ERP catering to the needs of growing business. World-class software, delivered as a service, this solution helps streamline and integrate business processes. As easy to use as e-mail, it requires minimal training and can be accessed from anywhere. For an affordable subscription, Ramco takes care of all the infrastructure, maintenance and support needs.

Ramco On-Demand ERP is configured exactly to one’s business requirements and typically takes less than a week to deploy. As business grows, the solution can be scaled up to accommodate multiple locations, currencies and business units. The solution is evergreen and stays tuned to business all the time. It integrates multiple functions and systems into one solution and gives total visibility and control of operations.

To sum up, Ramco offers customers both on-premise and off-premise solutions, and a platform that allows customers to use any combination down that spectrum. The choice lies with the customers.