Software as a Service (SaaS) is one of the fastest growing Cloud Computing services in the world, with more businesses choosing to deploy their software through the Cloud every day in order to seek the benefits that the technology provides.
For software developers these advantages include:
- Access to a new international revenue source
- Differentiation from competition
- Access to a scalable service, where the business only pays for resources used
- Recurring revenue through regular customer payments
- The ability to apply universal patches and upgrades to software
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Taking these benefits and existing market growth into consideration, Gartner has predicted that worldwide Software as a Service revenue will reach $22.1 billion by 2015. Although the Cloud market is expanding rapidly, there are still concerns for some developers on the security of both the Cloud and the service presented by Cloud providers. This blog aims to identify three key areas of concern for Software developers, with advice on how to rectify these issues.
Reliance and performance of a Cloud supplier
Reliance and performance concerns can be mitigated by choosing an appropriate Cloud provider. This can be achieved through in-depth research and discussions with a variety of suppliers.
Service discussions will enable your business to assess the suitability of the platform, evaluating topics such as accessibility, resource allocation and support. Remember that the service level agreement (SLA) can be negotiated, and through the SLA you should be able to gather a clear overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the provider. It is also imperative to assess how reliable the supplier is, with references from similar customers and an evaluation of their business stability.
Your provider should also have comprehensive security precautions, both within the physical data centre and the virtual platform. Some recommended security features include Firewalls and monitoring agents, 24 x 7 security, multi-zone intruder protection systems and fire suppression technology. Evaluating these points will aid both the physical and business security of your company.
Control and protection of intellectual property
The biggest apprehension for many software developers is the safety of releasing their program to an international market, with many of them being concerned that this reduces the level of control they have over the software. SaaS, however, dramatically heightens security levels. As the customer accesses the software through an internet portal, the software is not installed on local hardware meaning that the program?s binary code cannot be accessed or altered and the program cannot be copied or used without a licence.
Should there be any contractual disputes, the software developer can quickly void any subscriptions and the user would not be able to access their data. In essence, Software as a Service solutions actually heighten technological security, control and business stability.
Need for customisation and shared resources
Many software developers that are hosted from a Public Cloud have concerns about sharing resources and what this means for the constancy of their service. However, once again this can be avoided by working with an appropriate provider and researching into their technology used.
For example, VMware technology provides the complete separation of virtual machines within a platform, meaning that although the platform is shared, your facilities and resources are completely separated and dedicated to your business. Because of this separation, providers using VMware have the ability to create a customised environment, with any software and facilities that your business requires.
Many Cloud providers do not use this technology, instead opting for virtual private servers that share one main operating system, which can inevitably be affected by other customers within the platform.
Although there may be some cynicism about Cloud technology, by selecting the right provider businesses can take advantage of all the benefits of the Cloud, with complete peace of mind.
Source: http://www.maildistiller.com/online-security/a-guide-to-secure-saas-deployment/
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