SaaS and Open Source solutions: advantages and disadvantages

Companies are faced with a real dilemma when it comes to studying the implementation of a new IT solution within the company. Before thinking about IT, change management involves choosing a solution that respects existing business processes while optimising them and transcribing them as faithfully as possible into a flexible and ergonomic solution for its future users.

As with any solution, the PIM is no exception to this rule, and many quantitative and qualitative criteria must be taken into account when selecting its future platform:

• Functional coverage,
• Flexibility and ergonomics for the trades,
• The budget (licence or subscription and integration costs),
• Associated services and support,
• And the development and marketing model for the solution.

Between Open-Source and SaaS, our experience as an omnichannel partner and publisher of PIM (Product Information Manager) solutions reveals that the answers given to these different models are not always clear or accurate, and contribute to the propagation of preconceived ideas that are often far removed from reality.

However, both Saas and Open Source solutions have their advantages and disadvantages.

1. The advantages of Open Source solutions

• Flexibility. Open Source solutions often offer a degree of flexibility, as users can access the source code to modify and adapt it to their needs.
• Control. Users of an Open Source solution have total control over the platform, because they are not dependent on a software publisher.
• Cost. Some open-source software is free of charge, and saves you money compared to proprietary solutions.
• The community. Open Source projects often benefit from the expertise of other software users around the world. In this way, the community can make ongoing improvements and create a collaborative environment.

2. Disadvantages of Open Source solutions

Although open source software offers many advantages, it is not without its drawbacks:

• Integrationcomplexity. Open Source software integration can sometimes prove tricky, especially when it comes to interoperability between different Open Source solutions.
• Lack of specific features. Open Source solutions may lack certain specific features, which can be a problem for companies with specific needs.
• Liability. In the event of a problem, it's hard to find someone to blame for an Open Source solution. The absence of a single vendor makes problem resolution all the more complicated.
• Technical skills. The use of Open Source software may require technical skills to master the code, so training costs may be incurred if necessary.
• Securityrisk. Transparency of source code can expose Open Source software users to security risks if patches are not made quickly.

3. The benefits of Saas solutions

Saas (Softwaare as a Service) models offer a number of benefits to users of this type of solution.

• Accessibility. SaaS solutions are accessible to everyone via the Internet, so users can access them from anywhere, as long as the connection permits. Users are therefore not restricted to a specific physical environment, which favors responsiveness and flexibility.
• Automaticupdates. SaaS software publishers manage updates to their solutions themselves, ensuring that companies always benefit from the latest software features and reducing the administrative burden on users.
• Scalability. SaaS software can often be easily upgraded to meet specific user needs. Similarly, companies can adjust their subscription to the solution as their business grows: new users, new languages, etc.
• Ease of integration. Implementing a SaaS solution is generally quicker and easier than using on-premise software. Users can therefore get to grips with it very quickly afterwards.
• Simplified maintenance. The solution's publishers manage the platform's maintenance, considerably relieving the burden on in-house IT teams.
• Better collaboration. SaaS platforms are often designed to facilitate internal collaboration between different teams and business processes.
• Security. SaaS software providers invest in advanced security measures to protect all user and corporate data.

4. Disadvantages of Saas solutions

• Vendordependency. Users are dependent on the SaaS software vendor, which can prove tricky if the vendor encounters technical problems of its own.
• Limitedcustomization. SaaS solutions are sometimes standardized to meet the needs of as many companies as possible.
• Internet connection required. To use the Saas platform, users need a stable Internet connection, which may limit access in other cases.
• Lack of control. Users have to cede some control over their software environment to the Saas platform publisher.

Despite the advantages and disadvantages of Open Source and SaaS solutions, they are often the victims of many preconceived ideas. We'd like to take a look at some of the main misconceptions about the different solution models, and debunk some of them:

5 . SaaS solutions are proprietary and inflexible

WHAAAAT? - The solutions developed in SaaS mode are proprietary solutions that offer a standard functional base to all its customers, yes! But standard does not necessarily mean rigid!

On the contrary, SaaS allows the best functionalities designed by and for the business to be converged into a standard model where all users benefit.

In particular, SaaS makes it possible to avoid "gas factory" projects, where each specific development generates an outpouring of obsolete processes when it is time to upgrade. Indeed, SaaS guarantees the best rate of maintainability and scalability of a solution, with each customer benefiting from ongoing updates as soon as new functionalities emerge, and this free of charge.

Each project PIM is unique, as evidenced by the heterogeneity of the business worlds and product/service repositories that Quable faces daily in providing innovative and highly personalized solutions. Our technological base is the result of 5 years of research and development in close collaboration with our historical customer community. Our technologies and our ability to integrate the most sophisticated data models allow us to embrace any type of project regardless of the sector of activity.

Quable is also a pioneer in implementing a continuous development process, with an ongoing cycle of upgrades included in our subscriptions.

6 . Open-source offers better interoperability

FALSE - The PIM is essentially a tool for collecting and centralizing the company's product data as well as a multi-channel distribution tool. It must therefore be constantly connected to a multitude of data sources within the company (ERP, PLM, Access databases, supplier portals, etc.) before distributing the information to third-party applications (Ecommerce, Marketplaces, Print, Mobile, Phygital, etc.).

Whether the solution is Open-Source, On-Premise or SaaS, it must be able to interface natively or with very few parameters to other solutions in its ecosystem, this is the very foundation of our business!

To help companies develop their multi-channel strategies with maximum flexibility, Quable offers a set of out-of-the-box connectors and certified connectors that you can find on our integrations page.

For any other integration, it is very simple, we have developed :

• Our own framework, Connect+, which allows us to synchronise our PIM with all applications on the market,
• Our solution is based on a REST architecture, allowing us to build any new application exposing our customers' product data.

7 . Open-Source means more integrators

TRUE - Open models do allow for a very strong community of service partners and a very broad reach.

However, the proliferation of integration partnerships is not necessarily a guarantee of quality as :

• The consulting and functional approach is a very strong dimension in the implementation of a PIM and is often left aside by purely technical integrators,
• The publisher is no longer able to control or validate the quality of the services delivered by its partners,
• The publisher is distancing itself from its customers and users and no longer benefits from operational feedback that is beneficial for the evolution of its product.

At Quable, we have selected the best service partners with whom we fully share the same business vision and SaaS philosophy. We choose each partner with the utmost care and limit their number in order to always provide the best level of support for each phase of a project and to meet our quality requirements.

We have also set up a virtuous system that we have called an "idea incubator", which is the result of the strong link between our Customer Success Managers and our customers, and which is designed to gather proposals from our community of users in order to develop our product.

8 . Open source means complete autonomy

WELL, THAT'S A GOOD ONE! - One of the advantages of Open Source is the ease with which a project can be set up. Due to the very nature of Open Source, the implementation of specific functionalities and the initialisation of complex data models require internal IT resources and skills and lead to deployment times that are much longer than those generally seen with SaaS solutions.

Each parameter setting requires a piece of code, the business will have to call on their IT department constantly to customise their platform, with the costs and frustrations that this can generate. Not to mention the complexity of future version upgrades and the enterprise server to manage and maintain. In short, you are on your own!

At Quable, we believe that the SaaS model is the only one capable of responding to companies' need for autonomy. Our administration menu is simple and allows any authorized user to modify and evolve his device. No computer skills required!

Quable also includes in all its offers the hosting and cloud infrastructure, the maintenance and the evolution of the solution, it is an "all-inclusive" and turnkey PIM service.

9 . SaaS is insecure and holds data hostage

FALSE - Data security related to hosting in a private cloud is usually the primary concern cited by IT. While the vast majority of incidents are generally caused by internal errors (60% by IT teams and 40% by fraudulent attempts), SaaS provides all the necessary guarantees: protection against intrusions, data redundancy, backups, data encryption, audits and permanent controls. Finally, SaaS solution providers are developing tools that provide much higher levels of security than those generally put in place within companies.

The main other concern is that proprietary solution models could hold data hostage and that customers would no longer be able to switch providers when the service delivered is not or no longer in line with their expressed needs. Again, this is a widely held misconception: SaaS solutions have, in the vast majority of cases, put in place very advanced data reversibility mechanisms that allow for a switch to another solution on the market at any time while preserving and protecting its data.

At Quable, we share in all transparency the means we use to carry out our services and we contractually commit ourselves to provide all the necessary devices to ensure an optimal level of security. We are also committed to guaranteeing adequate reversibility mechanisms in the event of a possible cessation of collaboration.

We remain convinced that the SaaS model requires a much higher standard than the "one-shot" projects offered by Open-Source. Indeed, the profitability of all our projects depends entirely on the satisfaction of our users and their loyalty. The level of excellence demanded of all our teams allows us to proudly claim a 100% renewal rate for our subscriptions.

10 . Open-Source is great, it's free!

FALSE - Some solutions highlight the benefits of open-source and its free model. Beware of the tree that hides the forest, it is most often a simple product of appeal with a very limited functional coverage which implies the subscription to a paying formula as soon as one wishes to access more advanced modules, and thus to put one's hand in the wallet to deploy these new functionalities.

When implementing an open-source solution, it is essential to anticipate the integration costs, which are generally higher, as well as the costs associated with hosting, maintenance, the necessary internal IT resources and version upgrades.

At Quable, we offer several packages:

• Sized for any size of business, from SMEs to multinationals,
• With a budget depending on the use of our solution,
• Full transparency on our pricing policy, much appreciated by our clients, to avoid hidden costs.
• Including all premium services: hosting, data security, maintenance, new releases and support.

Conclusion

Our DNA and our philosophy are more than ever turned towards SaaS and we believe that this virtuous model is the future of software in general. The success stories of Google Apps, Salesforce, Amazon WS, Microsoft and the strategic reorientations made by traditional publishers reinforce our belief that history has already proven us right. This development model has allowed us to build a solid team of SaaS experts in each field: technical, project, marketing, who contribute every day to our success and to our position as a leader in this very beautiful profession that is PIM.