In a couple of related posts, Chris Daly and Alex Handy (SD Times) highlight some issues with proprietary SaaS players in the market – namely vendor lock in and the high prices associated with it.
In his article, Alex observes that current hosted platforms, based on proprietary platforms, lock in clients and end up costing more over time.
“The concern: Prices and costs will only move in one direction—up. Why? The client is a renter and has almost no control over the computing environment. Developers have been trained for years to avoid vendor lock-in, and using a subscription-based remotely hosted platform for development is about as proprietary a form of lock-in as there can be.
Chris Daly follows up on this and notes that a SaaS service based on open source software can address such concerns.
A variation on a straight SAAS model is where the software is open source and there are no license costs. The client can then pay for support or consultancy as and when appropriate, or upgrade without cost. This enables a company to take the opportunity of the skillset in house and develop their application while harnessing external expertise.
We agree with both of them, and feel that with the True Open source CRM in the cloud, vtiger CRM On Demand service delivers on the intended promise of SaaS service- Flexibility, Convenience, and Lower Costs.
If you haven’t already, you can sign up for a free 30 day trial of the vtiger CRM On Demand service at http://ondemand.vtiger.com
