Software-as-a-Service: Implications for [Truly] Enterprise Applications

Trillium Cloud, as a SaaS offering, sits atop the cloud technology stack, sharing the “aaS” suffix that is common to cloud infrastructure (IaaS) and platform (PaaS) elements.

Trillium Cloud, as a SaaS offering, sits atop the cloud technology stack, sharing the “aaS” suffix that is common to cloud infrastructure (IaaS) and platform (PaaS) elements. The commonality of terminology can tend to focus attention solely on SaaS as a technology model within cloud-based architectures, with emphasis on “technology.” In the case of Trillium Cloud, our adoption of SaaS means that the job of deploying an application and managing daily operations, handling upgrades, monitoring performance, ensuring security and availability is all handled by Trillium. With our assumption of responsibility for these activities, our client’s IT department can focus more on business relevant activities that focus on their business goals. In that way SaaS emancipates the client IT department to focus on strategic value contributions rather than break/fix “administrivia” of infrastructure. The business begins to derive data quality benefits within 30 days.

And, of course, it removes some barriers of technology adoption that accelerate interest in our solution and shortens sales cycles. So Trillium gets some benefits, too. So “wins” all around.

But deployment (or perhaps better termed “provisioning” of infrastructure) and the ongoing administration of the data quality solution do not completely capture the responsibilities of an enterprise solution provider that chooses to make their solution available via a SaaS model. And arguably this is an area of real difference between Trillium’s approach to a cloud data quality model and that of other offerings in the market.

Enterprises have requirements that are specific to their markets and their unique, often individual, go-to-market strategies. Data is a strategic component of those strategies and, thus, data quality is equally strategic. These are not requirements that can be met with packaged COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) software solutions, particularly when those enterprises are looking for competitive advantage driven by data. The reality is that there is no “one size fits all” data strategy that will 1) work and 2) deliver competitive advantage. Cloud deployments for enterprise applications that are focused on delivering competitive advantage must accommodate that flexibility.

Toward that end, Trillium Cloud services incorporate a deployment methodology and client services model that engages with our customers with a focused goal of delivery of a uniquely-designed data quality solution that combines our deep experience in data quality requirements, knowledge of the underlying technology, and understanding of our client’s requirements. The engagement model is depicted below.

In future postings we will explore the above in more detail. But the premise of Trillium Cloud’s approach to engagement is that service delivery encompasses a comprehensive range of services that are committed to solution delivery within 30 days of a committed engagement with Trillium as your service provider for data quality. It’s also the foundation to our “Customer Value Promise” – a commitment to success with the solution.

by Chris Martins, Product Marketing Manager, Trillium Software