Automating the Library with SaaS
By Sue Wright

With technology ever changing and the cost of technology ever on the rise, school boards and administrators are always looking for ways to cut the budget. A smart, good-sense alternative to the high cost of maintaining a fully staffed in-house technology department is SaaS. SaaS, an acronym for Software as a Service, is becoming an increasingly popular option in the business world and will likely follow in education. SaaS offerings are already available in education for nearly every software need, from student management, finance, and human resources, to work order, textbook management, library management, and many others.

What is SaaS?
SaaS is often interchanged with ASP, Application Service Provider, and the difference is so minimal it probably doesn’t merit discussion. In this article, SaaS is defined as on-demand access to a software application hosted and managed on a remote server by the same company that designed and created the software. That said, there is much more to SaaS than might be apparent at first thought.

Many software vendors that have traditionally deployed their software on a server managed at the customer site are now also offering SaaS. With the power of the Internet and browser access, a server no longer has to reside within the boundaries of the customer site. This means customers no longer have to license the software; they can now subscribe to it instead. Because access to the software is through a browser, customers can work from any location with Internet access.

SaaS is generally sold as a software subscription and is renewable on either a monthly or yearly basis. SaaS pricing not only includes the use of very robust, reliable software applications, but also includes services pertaining to the support, training, hardware, and administration of the software. These additional services are what make SaaS so attractive.

What are the advantages of SaaS?
Because the software is hosted remotely and not installed locally, the need for on-site personnel to do backups and manage the server, update the server operating system, update the software application, and other related management tasks no longer exist. Gone also are the costs associated with purchasing and maintaining a local server, which can be a major portion of a technology budget.

Daily backups are part of the service, as well as archived monthly backups. Other SaaS services usually include applying all software releases and fixes, creating and managing user profiles and network printer definitions, managing and keeping the server operating system upgraded, and troubleshooting software and printer problems, in addition to providing support for the day-to-day software use. Should hardware or software problems arise, they can be solved with one call to the SaaS provider. Software problem resolutions are generally available in a shorter period of time because the server and the software are directly controlled by the SaaS provider. A problem fixed for one customer is fixed for all.

The timeline for software implementation and setup is generally shorter for SaaS customers. Software upgrades are available more readily. In-house upgrades generally have to be planned and scheduled in advance, leaving the end-users waiting for the upgrade to take place at some future date.

Though not unique to SaaS, online training is another option that can save money, as associated travel costs are eliminated. Since the trainer does not need to leave the office, training costs are usually less.

What should you consider when choosing a provider?
In choosing a provider, the quality of support should be a primary consideration. A support line should put the customer directly in touch with a person and not an automated answering system with call routing and callback promises.

When considering SaaS, it is also important to understand the server being used to host the software. Server technology has advanced so far that some manufacturers can claim 99.9 % uptime, never having been hacked, never having been infected with a worm, virus or any other security breach. Multiple layers of security keep the data safeguarded, and server reliability gives new meaning to “on-demand” since the server is seemingly “never” down.

Potential SaaS customers need to ensure that the software provider has both the intent and ability to safeguard the data being stored on the remote server and must have a strong confidence that, should they cancel their SaaS subscription, there is a guarantee of data ownership.

Whether the software provider offers software customization is another important question. Some software providers are not willing to customize even if the software is licensed and are even more reluctant to customize for SaaS customers. They treat all customers the same, forcing them to fit their needs into a common software package. The provider willing to customize opens the door to software tailored specifically to the needs of the customer. This, in itself, can lead to a long-term win-win relationship between the customer and the provider.

Is SaaS a good choice for library automation?
SaaS is a perfect solution for library management software. The cost of books continues to skyrocket, so the need to track usage and damages has never been more important. Additionally, librarians have enough to do with keeping up with the day-to-day operations of the library and facilitating students with the acquisition of online research skills without having to worry about all the maintenance tasks associated with in-house or locally installed software. So, often, the cost of in-house technical expertise is not within the budget, thus leaving the librarian alone to troubleshoot the problems that arise.

SaaS services that are directly related to the library operations at no additional cost might include importing MARC records, exporting MARC records to book vendors for collection analysis, exporting MARC records to a state database and custom query reports.

The library automation vendor that can provide and maintain both software and hardware, supply scanning equipment and barcode labels, import and export MARC records becomes a “one-call-fixes-all” vendor. Imagine not having to deal with multiple vendors all pointing to the other as the cause of the problem.

In short, SaaS eliminates many of the headaches and costs associated with software implementation and use. Careful consideration and due diligence in selecting the right SaaS provider can lead to many years of savings and customer satisfaction.

Sue Wright is marketing and sales manager for Gateway Software Corporation, which designs and develops K-12 software applications, www.gscweb.com.