Countdown to the Consona Cloud

Skip the First-Gen SaaS
When first generation SaaS applications entered the software industry, we all thought they were the greatest thing since, well… since Star Wars. “Finally, a software deployment option that significantly reduces my infrastructure costs and offers virtually no up-front investment,” you said. No more barriers to entry.

But guess what? The first generation of SaaS is already out, and the next generation of cloud computing is in. Don’t get us wrong—first gen SaaS was headed in the right direction—but headed in the right direction kind of like the Palm Pilot and MP3 players were…before the iPhone came along.

First generation SaaS solutions have always had significant problems when compared to on-premise solutions.

• First, and perhaps most importantly, these SaaS solutions have had significant reliability and security issues. Many companies don’t want to subject their most precious asset—their customer data—to potential security breaches and shut down their production operations up to 20 times a year.
• Second are sustainability issues. The apartment building-like application architecture offered by first gen SaaS vendors is limiting. When you rent, you share things with your neighbors, like your yard and utilities. Many companies are not willing to share foundational things like a database with their competitors, and they are concerned about the fact that it is impossible to replicate their implementation in-house should their business conditions change.
• Third, while first generation SaaS solutions do offer a high level of configurability, they cannot be deeply customized at the code level. Bottom line, everyone’s using the same application, and there is limited flexibility. You can’t knock out your apartment wall because your neighbor is using it, too.

Head Straight for the Clouds
Where first-gen SaaS loses, next-gen SaaS on the cloud wins. According to Forrester, the cloud, also referred to as Web 3.0 technology, is defined as a pool of highly scalable, abstracted infrastructure, capable of hosting end-to-end applications that are billed by consumption. Cloud infrastructures are supported by some of the world’s leading companies including Amazon, Google and Microsoft. They are infinitely more secure and reliable than first generation SaaS offerings and, often, substantially more secure and reliable than the most well-intentioned internal IT deployment.

The Consona Cloud, due for availability early next year, will use Amazon’s Web Services (AWS) cloud computing infrastructure—which is the world's most mature and proven cloud platform on the market today—to offer its customers a next-generation SaaS solution, built on what Gartner refers to as a Server/OS virtualization platform. Unlike most first-generation SaaS offerings, the Consona Cloud will enable a private, highly extensible, single-tenant application infrastructure (while remaining multi-tenant at the operating-system-and-lower level). In other words, now you can rent a house, share it with no one, and knock out that wall that’s been bothering you.

In addition to eliminating the security, reliability and customization issues associated with first-gen SaaS, the Consona Cloud also retains all the benefits—namely, reducing large infrastructure, hardware, personnel and bandwidth investments. Now you can set up the infrastructure you need for our deeply integrated and knowledge-rich service and support software solution for less money per hour that you would pay for a babysitter.

Pay Less, Pay Fair
For service and support executives who can show all the ROI calculations in the world for the right software application, but who can’t get their CFOs to sign off on a massive capital expenditure, the Consona Cloud is for you. With price being less of a factor in the extremely important process of selecting a business system, we can get back to what really matters, like breadth of functionality and ability to align with your unique business processes.

As far as software licensing fees go, unlike other SaaS offerings that charge on a per user/month subscription basis, the Consona Cloud will offer one cost model based on the resources you consume. To put it another way, you can pay for your software much like you pay for your electric bill. You only pay for what you use—which can even further reduce your monthly expense beyond the SaaS model.

Flexible Pricing and Deployment Options
Also unlike first-gen SaaS offerings, the Consona Cloud will give you flexibility to alternative deployment options. Consona’s CRM software solutions have traditionally been offered on premise, and there are many reasons companies might still choose this deployment model, whether it be based on the need for LAN-based, system-to-system integration, or simply data security or compliance objectives.

On Premise is Still an Option
The good news is, Consona will support whatever deployment option you require, and we offer a variety of software licensing pricing to match, including perpetual, term, subscription, or consumption-based (as described above).

Coming Soon: The Consona Cloud
It sounds too good to be true, but that’s how new technology always seems.

To learn more, fill out our Request Info form.

Speak with one of our product experts, and we’ll send you a free copy of our Consona Cloud pricing worksheet.