Can communications service providers adopt SaaS technology into their own back office environments with confidence?

While BSS/OSS can be a resource-consuming drain on telecom service providers, it can still be scary to consider a SaaS delivery model.  In his report, Demanding Performance in a SaaS Environment, Tim McElligott of Billing and OSS World Magazine explains how to make SaaS a BSS/OSS winner by giving service providers a framework for examining their business requirements and making specific demands on the SaaS provider.

McElligott claims that for many providers, the timing is right to make a change and improve their flexibility to support new services, enable the convergence of multiple systems or enter new markets. Using IDI Billing Solutions’ BSS/OSS SaaS solution as an example, he notes that SaaS is recommended for its ability to help operators get into a new business quickly and bring something to market more economically without having to build the infrastructure to support it.

One of the biggest selling point of SaaS is its cost benefit, which is achieved largely by establishing standardized and repeatable processes. Along with many other benefits, McElligott notes that SaaS has the potential to reduce both license fees and integration efforts for service providers.  He also stresses the importance of selecting a telecom billing SaaS solution from a partner who is willing and able to meet your business needs and back the solution up with a Service Level Agreement.

Perhaps the most important conclusion drawn from this comprehensive report is the idea that SaaS is not a fad. People will move forward with SaaS as they invest in new back-office capabilities that help them adapt. As McElligott points out, service providers owe it to themselves to examine the SaaS model as part of their due diligence when planning for BSS/OSS investments, if not only because your competition is already doing so.