In recognition of the impact that software as a service (SaaS) is already having on the IT industry, and as part of its remit to constantly work towards improved customer services, Belay Solutions has created a new business unit, Belay Managed Services (BMS). It will focus on identifying and providing a select portfolio of SaaS services to current and new clients.
SaaS is continuing to gain momentum as a viable software delivery model in which organisations pay subscription fees for application deployment and provision as opposed to acquiring and implementing software packages in-house. Acceptance of SaaS as an alternative software delivery model is growing rapidly (revenue up 27% in 2008 as compared to 2007) as a result of significantly lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and accelerated implementation cycles.
Belay Managed Services was conceived with the help of Joop Groeneveld, an executive director, who recently joined the company. Groeneveld, who was one of the founder members as well as a director of the AST Group, will head up Belay Managed Services, a unit which primary goal is identifying and delivering high value SaaS solutions in the managed infrastructure arena.
"SaaS is a focus technology development for Belay," commented Groeneveld. "In a recent survey of 250 international business technology executives, 38% indicated that they are either busy with SaaS deployments or will be deploying SaaS solutions during the next 12 months. Our view is that given the scarcity of IT skills in South Africa, we will see even higher adoption rates as it makes sense for organisations to focus their scarce IT skills on those areas that will deliver a competitive advantage for their organisation. SaaS should focus on reducing the cost of those IT services that are over-resourced and under-performing.
"While various challenges exist for SaaS delivery, the underlying benefits will ensure that SaaS becomes an integral component of the IT service delivery tools arsenal of CIOs," continued Groeneveld. "In identifying SaaS technology options, CIOs should focus on key benefit areas where the SaaS delivery model excels. These include speed to deployment, lower TCO and limited upfront capital, decreased in-house resource requirement (scarce IT skills), and low risk experimentation with emerging technologies."
"While SaaS is unlikely to become the sole software delivery model of an organisation, it is gaining momentum as a more cost-effective alternative to traditional buy-and-deploy software delivery options," concluded Groeneveld. "CIOs should focus on selectively identifying those areas where SaaS can provide tactical and operational advantages for the organisation."
The first solutions offered by Belay Managed Services are in the areas of managed print services, ie, optimising the cost of an organisation's printing, as well as a managed solution for application event, availability, performance and capacity monitoring across all elements of a company's infrastructure.
For further information, please contact Joop Groeneveld: tel 011 318 1244, fax 011 318 1243, e-mail joop@belay.co.za
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Belay Solutions
Belay Solutions, established in 2001, is a privately-owned company that serves as an entrepreneurial hub for focused, owner-operated ICT companies with unique cultures, which all share the same core values and social responsibility conscience with a joint go-to-market strategy. It has five operating divisions: Belay Knowledge Management (BKM), Belay Rapid Resources (BRR), Belay Integration Services (BIS) Belay Enterprise Solutions (BES) and Belay Managed Services (BMS).
Belay Solutions is a Microsoft Gold Partner; a distributor for Documentum, part of the EMC Group; and a reseller of Autonomy and SourceCode solutions. Its customer base embraces both the public and private sector and includes organisations such as Absa, Accenture, American Express, Armscor, BHP Billiton, HP, the JSE, Omnia, Rio Tinto, Simba and Standard Bank.
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