Three misconceptions about transitioning to TechnologyOne SaaS
In talking with customers about transitioning from an on-premise environment to our SaaS platform, there are three concerns which frequently surface. These are based on fears of reduced user productivity, security risk and he ability of an organisation to access its own data.
The fact is, a SaaS solution is easier to use, and provides greater security and reliability than in-house implementations.
So let’s examine each of these misconceptions about cloud migration and put them to rest.
1. SaaS will have a negative impact on the user experience and productivity
Progressing from our on-premise solution is a transition of existing functionality to a SaaS platform – not a re-implementation. We are uniquely able to minimise change management by making both our legacy Ci software and our latest Ci Anywhere interface available through a browser.
In fact, we are the only solution provider with this ability to run Ci in a browser alongside Ci Anywhere using our propriety code. This effectively removes the need for any costly Citrix or client software deployment and ongoing management.
The TechnologyOne SaaS platform provides a simpler path from Ci to Ci Anywhere by minimising change management. This means your users can access the application via a browser and maintain BAU. Then, as you configure new functionality in Ci Anywhere, you can overlay a controlled and limited change management process to minimise user change fatigue.
In summary, the business impact of moving from on-premises to SaaS is minimal. Best of all, it enables you to accelerate functional improvements for even greater user productivity on a stable and simplified SaaS model.
2. SaaS is a security risk to our business
Naturally, security is of prime concern – especially right now. According to Prime Minster Scott Morrison, “Australian organisations are currently being targeted by a sophisticated state-based cyber-actor. Since the COVID-19 pandemic really started to take hold there has been a 23% increase in cyber-attacks.”
Almost half of businesses (46%) and a quarter of charities (26%) report having cyber security breaches or attacks for 2020, according to UK government figures. Of these businesses, one in five (19%) have lost money or data as a result, with the average cyber security breach loss totalling £3,230.
The National Cyber Security Centre, a part of GCHQ, said it’s seen 15 times more internet scams in the UK this year than last, and it’s taken down more scams in the last year than the previous three combined, in part because of cybercriminals taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic.
The major challenge for businesses with on-premise applications and infrastructure is that it takes specialised staff, expensive toolsets and constant vigilance to achieve even the minimum of security controls and standards.
SaaS is safer and more reliable because we take care of the security of our platform on your behalf. As SaaS provider to Federal Government, we have been IRAP assessed to store and process any classification of data up to and including PROTECTED. We are the first SaaS provider in the world to achieve this, making our SaaS platform the most secure.
We invest millions of dollars to ensure our customers’ data is kept safe on our SaaS platform – maintaining the highest multi-tiered security, privacy and compliance measures backed by our continuous review and improvement program.
Essentially, we are better able to support you in reducing exposure of your critical business systems to cybercrime once you undertake a SaaS cloud migration and transition from on premise to our highly secure SaaS platform.
3. We will lose direct access to our own database on SaaS
As a standard for SaaS across industry, you will not have direct access to your database as you do on premise. This is for a very good reason, as it is a high security risk. Instead, access to the database is provided more securely on SaaS via in-depth software security and auditable measures.
However, our SaaS solution is structured to provide you with all the access to your data you need – just more securely. Your own business rules are at the centre of accessibility to data, with no ‘back door’ to bypass them. These business rules dictate what can be read from or written to the data store, and are only configurable by users with the requisite permissions. Importantly, they are also tightly integrated to auditing and security layers, providing a configurable, robust and secure layer around data.
In summary, any direct access to the database on premise is de-coupled as part of the transition to SaaS project. The manner in which we de-couple interfaces focuses on how data is secured, used and accessed, rather than how it is retained and controlled. This ensures that the business outcomes required in the way that data is used, will not change after transitioning to SaaS.
Our experienced transition team are available to discuss these and any other concerns you may have about moving from on-premises to SaaS with TechnologyOne. Contact us if you would like to arrange a deep-dive consultation on making the change.
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