Software as Service (SaaS) has come across as a revolution in how IT businesses operate and deliver value to their customers. SaaS companies do this by providing an alternative to the established paradigms (build software, install, and configure model) that prevailed among software companies. SaaS companies offer their applications to customers through a remote cloud network which is accessed through the web or an API. This arrangement more or less works like a “rental” wherein the client company is offered the authorization to use and operate the software until they pay for it.
That said, SaaS companies are not without their own set of IT related problems. The most successful and reliable SaaS companies are expected to “smoothly” handle growing user loads, adapt to market trends, and foremost – are required to provide seamless performance to their end user in a dynamic business landscape. Before looking into solutions, lets briefly delve into the most obvious challenges SaaS companies face currently:
- Performance Hiccups: A recent survey in the UK revealed that users expected their webpage to load within 2 seconds, and almost 40% of respondents said they are likely to abandon the website if it did not load in 3 seconds. In most cases, when there is an upsurge in traffic, SaaS companies are expected handle user loads while providing peak performance. Slow response and latency times can frustrate users, leading to obvious disappointment and this leads to user attrition.
- Scalability and Elasticity: The most resilient and established SaaS companies would easily handle demand spikes and adapt to changing user requirements. In most cases, CSPs ensure that they provide option for easy scalability so that IT systems can easily handle increased traffic and user activity without disruptions or performance degradation. Additionally, elasticity ensures automated allocation of IT resources based on demand, so that the IT infrastructure easily handles fluctuating workloads.
- High-demand for Consistent User Experience: Customers or end-users want to access the same applications from various devices and they seek a consistent experience. Thus, there is increased focus from SaaS companies on use and synchronized collaboration. This is crucial for creating long-lasting customer relationships, and a stable user base with minimum churn.
- Rise of Product-led Growth: Interestingly, product-led growth is fast becoming the primary route to market. This means, SaaS applications must be able to sell themselves to potential customers, this inevitably means providing consistent user experience while providing great performance.
- Security and Compliance: Security is paramount to the smooth functioning of SaaS companies because these companies are dealing with sensitive user data. Hence, the best remedy is to go with robust security measures that safeguard user information against potential data breaches.
- Integration Complexity: Integrating various systems and APIs is daunting task altogether in SaaS infrastructure. This helps ensure data synchronization and consistency across integrated systems for seamless operations. Hence, it is crucial that APIs work harmoniously, while exchanging data efficiently without any drop in functionality.
This notwithstanding, SaaS companies are also required to attract brand-new subscribers while retaining existing user base. To accomplish this goal, SaaS companies must deliver fulfilling digital experiences in a cost-effective manner. In order to actualise this, and overcome other challenges, SaaS developers are increasingly looking towards distributed cloud computing as the best possible solution. Before we spell out distributed cloud computing as a solution, it is extremely pertinent to understand the technology briefly.
What is Distributed Cloud Computing?
This can be said to be “new” operating paradigm among Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) wherein the public cloud provider’s entire technology stack is distributed to different locations, wherever the customer requires it. This can include on-premise arrangement in the form of customer’s own data center, a private cloud, third-party data centers, or even co-location centers around the world – all managed from a centralised space.
Advantages of Distributed Cloud Computing
- Less Latency: By moving processing tasks closer to client locations, distributed cloud computing can remarkably reduce latency and increase the “sensitivity” of applications.
- Greater Scalability: Distributed Cloud Architecture makes it easier for SaaS companies to undertake “quick” expansions to edge locations without having to build new data centers.
- Seamless Visibility: Even with distributed computing, SaaS companies are provided with the capability to monitor activity within the hybrid and multi-cloud environment from a single console.
- Improved Reliability: In most cases, distributed cloud systems are far more fault-tolerant and have low redundancy to a considerable extent. Even when cloud services go offline in one location, SaaS companies can still access cloud services from distributed locations.
- Optimal Resource Use: Distributed cloud computing helps developers to build, deploy and secure their applications closer to users regardless of location, this helps in the optimal use of resources.
Akamai Connected Cloud for Distributed cloud computing
To deliver digitally transformed services, organizations must manage vast amounts of data and operate data-intensive applications. These include:
- Big Data and Analytics
- Handling AI and Machine Learning workloads
- Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
- Streaming Video and High-bandwidth Media (Cloud CDN)
All these require low latency that is possible with a distributed cloud infrastructure. Akamai Connected Cloud empowers you to deliver applications and workloads with speed and efficiency using the world’s most distributed cloud platform. This ensures proximity and superior performance for your global user base.
By leveraging Akamai, you gain:
- Reduced Latency & Optimized Content Delivery: Harness Akamai’s advanced technology to achieve exceptional performance and seamless real-time interactions for a superior user experience.
- Reliable Data Management: Rely on Akamai for powerful data management solutions that allow your business to effectively analyze, store, and utilize vast and complex datasets.
- Scalable Virtual Machines & Enhanced Security: Easily adjust your computing resources with Akamai’s virtual machines (VMs), benefiting from robust security and reliable performance.
- Optimized Multicloud Strategy: Leverage Akamai’s multicloud expertise to manage and optimize multiple cloud resources, improving flexibility and performance.
- Simplified Developer Integration: Access tools and solutions that simplify application development across cloud platforms, enabling effortless scaling and management in multicloud environments.
- Cost-Effective Services: Enjoy predictable, affordable cloud services that maintain quality and performance while keeping costs in check.
Get Akamai through ZNetLive and enjoy the added benefit of Managed Cloud Resources. ZNetLive offers comprehensive managed cloud services, including continuous patching, proactive monitoring, and backups, significantly reducing downtime risks and ensuring smooth cloud operations. Our 24/7 dedicated support ensures that assistance is always available to resolve issues swiftly.
As Akamai’s first official distributor in India, ZNetLive provides unique access to Akamai’s advanced cloud solutions and services. Find out more about Akamai Connected Cloud from ZNetLive.
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