The business case for Software as a Service

Case studies digest

 Contents

Introduction 04

What is SaaS and Cloud Computing? 05

Accounting
How has accounting software enhanced 06
its service to clients?
Goodman Jones, Twinfield

Asset Management Solution

How has an asset management solution saved 07
time upgrading machines?
Newfoundland Power, Dell

Business Continuity
How has a business continuity system provided instant access to 08
corporate data when it has been needed in a crisis?
Merrycon Ltd, Savant

Business Process Efficiency Solution

How has a business process efficiency solution streamlined 09
information streams?
Connolly Accountants, Celaton

Collaboration
How has collaborative software created a community 10
for participants to discuss topical issues?
Teleroute, ISL Online
ICAEW, D2C

Contact Management
How has a contact management solution reduced 12
account management time?
Cancer Research, Experian QAS

02
CRM
How has CRM software maximised commercial opportunities 13
and maintained client satisfaction?
Royal Academy of Arts, Really Simple Systems
Birmingham Community Alert, HTK

Email and File Encryption Software

How has encryption software satisfied regulatory requirements? 15
Withy King, Egress

Integration
How has an integration system reduced data duplication? 16
Concep, Alpha Zero Limited

Supply Chain Management

How has supply chain management software minimised lead times? 17
New Look, ediTRACK

Conclusion 18

Contributors 19

Acknowledgements
Claire Paget, Alpha Zero Ltd Tom Sadler, Experian QAS
Andrew Anderson, Celaton Justin Bowser, HTK
Tim Sheppard, Dell Warren Hawkins, ISL Online
David Terrar, D2C/Twinfield John Paterson, Really Simple Systems
Julian Clay, ediTRACK Glyn Jones, Savant
Tony Pepper, Egress

For further information please contact

Carrie Hartnell James Alexander
Associate Director - Industry Strategy Programme Executive
T 020 7331 2007 T 020 7331 2189
E carrie.hartnell@intellectuk.org E james.alexander@intellectuk.org

03
 Introduction
Just over two years ago, Intellect produced a guide for board-level decision makers
called The Business Case for Software as a Service. That guide showed how and
where readers could derive benefits from deploying Software as a Service (SaaS)
in their own organisation. It examined the commonly claimed benefits of SaaS such
as lowering costs, reducing risk, providing flexibility and reducing reliance on IT.
As well as providing a number of checklists and questions to take into account
before considering SaaS for the organisation.

This new report presents the case for SaaS in practice. The SaaS market has
matured rapidly in a short period of time with companies from a broad spectrum
of industries, such as retail and charities, adopting this model. It contains 12 case
studies of organisations that have deployed SaaS successfully, explaining the
background and the benefits. We have produced this report to help you, the
decision maker, understand how different SaaS applications could work in your
businesses.

Like the previous paper, the authors (a group of SaaS vendors, IT consultants and
lawyers) have set out to illustrate why there is a growing interest in SaaS (or cloud
applications), why it is having such an impact on both the technology industry and
its customers, and why it isnt really about the technology at all but about service to
your organisation.

We have organised this case study report by application type, for example
accountancy or business continuity. Through the contents page, you will be able
to easily identify the application area you are interested in, along with a short
description of the general service provided. Each case study looks at the
background of the customer, the problem, the solution they decided upon and
the tangible benefits they have realised.

This report is available to download online at www.intellectuk.org/saas where you

will also find our original report, The business case for Software as a Service.
Additionally, you will also find an appendix to this case study digest of further
examples of SaaS adoption. Again, these are grouped by application so you can
easily find the areas you are interested in.

Scan code for details of our

SaaS programme.
04
What is SaaS and Cloud Computing?
Software as a Service, or SaaS, is an increasingly popular way to deliver software
capabilities to organisations. It remotely hosts and manages the software and data
associated with particular applications. And it delivers its services across the
internet directly to any connected device, either through any web browser or in
some cases an app downloaded to a mobile device. This means that people can
work on applications from any location that has internet access. Not only this, but
it places very little upfront financial demand on its customers. They pay for what
they use as they go along. Capital expenditure on hardware and software is
replaced with a charge model scaled according to usage.

The world of cloud computing covers both secure public services available to
anybody with an Internet connection and private services behind a firewall, and
further breaks down in to:

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - computing power and storage provided

on demand over the internet
Platform as a Service (PaaS) - providing all of the tools and infrastructure
for developers to build cloud based solutions from scratch
Software as a Service (SaaS) - business and consumer applications and
all of their associated data provided on demand over the internet - or cloud
apps for short.

These services are available on any device, provided you have access to the internet.
They will normally be accessed through a browser, although some will work
through an app you download to your mobile device or be delivered via a web
service Application Programming Interface (API), but the data is stored in the cloud.

Intellects Software as a Service Group

Intellects Software as a Service Group exists to provide members and the industry
with a strong voice around the important business model of Software as a Service
(SaaS).

Key focus areas

To act as an independent point of contact for anyone interested in SaaS

Publicly raise awareness about the benefits of SaaS
Connect with media and industry leaders to enhance their understanding of
SaaS
To act as a forum to meet and network with others with an interest in SaaS

05
 Accounting
Goodman Jones LLP
Twinfield

Background
Goodman Jones was established more than 75 years ago in Central London.
Today, it has 14 partners and more than 70 staff, but stays close to its roots
of serving the owner managed business. The firm prides itself on its early and
innovative adoption of leading edge technology and has been using Twinfield for
over five years.

Situation
Goodman Jones LLP, chartered accountants decided to use Twinfields online
accounting software to transform the way it operates and enhance its service to
clients. The implementation of Twinfield now allows the practice to connect with
clients at any time and from anywhere. In addition, the self-learning functionality
built into the Twinfield system enables significant efficiency improvements to be
realised compared to traditional accounting software.

Solution
Commenting on the decision to implement Twinfield, Larry Phillips, managing
partner, Goodman Jones, explains, Twinfield opens up a new chapter in the
development of our services and the way in which theyre delivered. We strive to
get close to our clients because we know the key to mutual success is in the quality
of the relationship between us. We had previously been using traditional client/
server accounting solutions but these were high maintenance. Twinfield has
fantastic reporting and analysis capabilities, the system is incredibly reliable and cost
effective, and we can easily add users and new functionality as we continue to
grow.

Results
Using Twinfield, Goodman Jones and its clients have nothing to install, nothing to
maintain and the service is available 24x7 from any internet capable device. This
makes an enormous difference to time spent on IT maintenance and client book-
keeping management. In addition, clients accounts always reflect the current
position because there is only one version of the books. Twinfield has also played a
critical role in helping Goodman Jones to service its international client base.

Philip Woodgate, the Goodman Jones partner who heads the business systems
division, said, Twinfield is the answer to many of the issues we face, and its been
particularly impressive in helping us to handle international clients who are dealing
in several different currencies.

06
Asset Management Solution
Newfoundland Power
Dell

Background
Newfoundland Power is a leading North American distribution utility that
distributes electrical power to 232,000 residents of Newfoundland, Canada. To
produce an inventory of its 575 desktops, Newfoundland Power was using two
tracking systems and then reconciling them to extract the most accurate
information. Neither of the systems provided a true picture, says Sherina Wall,
director of infrastructure services and procurement. And it took two days to
reconcile results from the two systems.

Situation
Another problem was getting information about the desktops involved in the
annual desktop refresh program, which upgrades machines that need more
memory to handle new applications in the coming year. To find out what was
inside the PCs, our technicians would actually have to open them up and look
inside, said Wall. This was a very time-consuming process since our technicians
often had to travel to reach employees in remote offices. Once we found out
whether a PC had to be upgraded or not, we had to determine whether it had
room for expansion cards. The only way we could be sure that we had the right
part on hand was to take along spare parts. Reaching and servicing these remote
PCs took two to five days.

Solution
The solution was Dell eSMART software with patented tracking technology that
automates software and hardware inventory discovery for on-demand inventory
and deployment readiness reports. eSMART reports exactly what internal hardware
components are inside a machine through agents automatically installed on
desktops and laptops using Microsoft Systems Management Server, Newfoundland
Powers preferred tool for software distribution. The data that we get with
eSMART is fast and reliable, said Wall.

Results
Newfoundland Power reclaims up to 11 days of productivity per year with Dell
inventory tracking solution. It also gains from the following benefits

eSMART solution deployed and in production in two weeks

inventory reports available in two hours vs. two days
able to verify machine configurations without losing two to five days in the
field
improved data integrity for inventory reports
IT staff can now be more proactive in upgrading machines

07
 Business Continuity
Merrycon Ltd
Savant Ltd

Background
Merrycon supplies Business Continuity consultancy, services, and support to all
types and sizes of organisation throughout the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and
Asia. Merrycon had a Microsoft Access based application which they used to
capture data and draw up plans during their consultancy work. They recognised
this would not be scalable to larger clients and the application was in need of an
update.

Situation
Savant agreed to work with Merrycon on developing a web based product, the
result was Mataco. Mataco is a business continuity software system that provides
full support for the Business Continuity Management (BCM) process. Mataco offers
a flexible on-line database repository in which to record and maintain all the
business information, documentation and tasks required for an effective, robust,
and complete implementation of business continuity planning. It provides instant
access to all relevant corporate data and allows plans to be created or downloaded
quickly. Plans can be accessed on any web enabled mobile device.

Solution
The SaaS model makes Mataco as applicable and available to a small organisation
as it is to a large corporate. This parallels business continuity which is applicable to
all organisation, although it is (at the moment) only adopted by larger
organisations. Charging an appropriate annual subscription for smaller
organisations will encourage them to use Mataco. This scalable price makes
Mataco attractive to consultants who can include it in their proposals.

Results
After 18 months, Mataco has reached version 2.5 and is now in use by
organisations like Kent County Council, PRS for Music and NHS Northants. Kent
County Council have been able to quickly analyse dependencies and produce plans
to deal with incidents they had not previously envisioned. Matacos availability
outside of corporate IT is seen as a major benefit. As Mataco is web based, it offers
many benefits over the current paper based approach taken by many organisations
to drawing up business continuity plans. Normally an organisation (or the
consultant they are using) will use Word and Excel to hold the data required and to
draw up the plans. As the number of documents grows, so does the headache of
managing them.

08
Business Process Efficiency Solution
Connolly Accountants
Celaton

Background
Serving over 900 clients from offices around Milton Keynes, Connolly Accountants
provide accountancy services including audit, business advice, tax advice and
planning. But unlike many accountancy practices, it recognises the added value
that IT can make to both its own business and to their clients. One of the
companys early initiatives was to put in place an on-line accountancy system,
which was developed for them by local firm Web Office Systems: We market it as
1ne, and it is available through the cloud for all of our clients, says Declan
Connolly, managing partner.

Situation
There was one area of the business that had yet to be improved by technology.
Part of our service is to handle our clients invoices, both accounts payable and
accounts receivable. They would come in to us by post or by hand, we then used
to manually check and enter them into the clients accounting system and store
them somewhere or send them back to the client. When we consider that
Connolly Accountants can handle over 40,000 invoices or receipts for its clients
then this gives some idea of the enormity of the task involved: We had at least
four people who were dedicated to doing this. It was hugely labour intensive.

Solution
The solution for Connolly Accountants was Celatons inSTREAM which
automates the critical inbound information streams that flow into and through
organisations every day, transforming the way that post, paper, email, fax, mobile
and electronic data streams are processed. The added benefit is that it is seamlessly
integrated with the 1ne system.

Results
The main benefit for Declans team is that the clients have the same level of access
to the invoices: they can now see what we can see. He explains: Our 1ne
system is cloud based which means that our clients can access their own accounts
at any given time. The beauty of Celatons inSTREAM is that, like 1ne, it is also
cloud based and this means that we now have two clouds in the sky that are
seamlessly integrated with each other. So, not only can our clients see their own
accounts they can also see their invoices and can link one to the other.

09
 Collaboration
Teleroute
ISL Online
Background
Teleroute provides innovative electronic solutions for customers in the transport and
logistics market. Teleroute is a leading pan-European company with over 250
employees providing electronic and innovative solutions for the transport and
logistics industry covering 36 countries. Every day 1.2 million tonnes of freight is
transported via Teleroute solutions.
Situation
To run their business successfully Teleroute needed a powerful online collaboration
and webinar tool to:
offer reliable remote assistance to their customers over the internet and
assist their remote employees across Europe
to make efficient online sales presentations of their services to their potential
customers
provide internal training to their employees without being obliged to travel
Solution
ISL Online software for online collaboration, support and presentations was
integrated into Teleroutes customers support and telesales department. ISL Online
license includes four online collaboration tools for:
remote desktop support
remote access to unattended computers
live chat and enterprise instant messenger
online meetings and webinars
In accordance with Teleroutes needs and demands ISL Online set up a Private
Cloud for Teleroute which allows the company to have full control over the system
as the sessions are running on a network of internal servers. This solution supports
unlimited number of clients simultaneously with unlimited number of operators in
the system.
Results
With implementation of ISL Online communication tools, Teleroute increased the
performance level and cut on support and telesales costs. After the
implementation of ISL Online software we cut the costs for at least 45% on yearly
basis. At the same time cost control improved considerably as we are able to
predict the support cost for coming months or even years, explains Raimundo
Diaz. With ISL Online services Teleroute solves more than 2000 support and sales
sessions per month and besides money it saves a lot of time as travelling becomes
redundant. The performance and satisfaction of our employees situated in
different locations increased. They highly appreciate the ISL Online license policy
that combines different products in one license and offers an overall online
communication solution, concludes Diaz.
10
Collaboration
ICAEW
D2C
Background
The Institute of Chartered Accounts of England and Wales (ICAEW) is well known
as one of the UKs Superbrands - a professional membership organisation with
over 136,000 chartered accountants worldwide. Through its technical knowledge,
skills and expertise, it provides leadership to the global accountancy and finance
profession.
Situation
At the end of 2007, ICAEW decided that it wanted to provide an online community
facility which would support its members with content and discussions for the
various regions, special interest groups and faculties. Unlike many organisations
they were early in recognising the shift from traditional broadcast media and
marketing to the new approach of engagement and having a direct conversation
with their customers, partners and members using social media. Although it has
a large in-house IT department, it decided to take a web-based SaaS approach
using WordFrame implemented and supported by D2C. John Pearce, ICAEWs
head of digital communications, says, At the start we were piloting a new concept
for us and we werent sure how successful or quickly it would be adopted by the
members. The SaaS and cloud computing approach meant that we could do a
rapid pilot, focus on the community objectives rather than technical or capacity
issues, and then scale up as the members came on board. After six months, it was
already exceeding expectations.
Solution
The community is designed to be a place for ICAEW members and interested
members of the public to debate, learn and develop understanding on topical
issues in the accounting and financial industry. Site visitors and members learn
about what the ICAEW is doing and for them, comment and contribute ideas.
They can start their own discussions or contribute to the burning topic of the day.
The community is organised into groups which can be private to the members or
open to the public.
Results
ICAEW recognise that a steady flow of good content is one of the keys to the
success of any online community. They have seeded the conversations with high
quality material from subject experts, writers and bloggers and take care with the
regular contributors. Theyve made use of related Twitter feeds to promote the
community content, and to spark external conversations around key topics, and
then highlighted and summarised those exchanges back inside the community.
In terms of the structure of the site, John explains: Weve slowly developed and
improved the design and functionality of the community site over time. Some of
that has been the flexibility of the platform and some of that has been specific
developments we asked for. Were delighted with the support we've had from
D2C and the responsiveness of the WordFrame development team.
11
 Contact Management
Cancer Research
Experian QAS

Background
Millions of people owe their survival to Cancer Research UKs groundbreaking
work, which has helped to double cancer survival rates in the past 40 years.
Cancer Research UK is using the QAS Pro On Demand Software as a Service (SaaS)
solution for address searches, saving time, cutting costs and offering better services
to its supporters.

Situation
Cancer Research UKs websites are an important link with supporters. When users
request information or wish to make a donation, they are prompted to enter their
postcode. Using postcode look up software, Cancer Research UK provides the
remainder of the address, making data input more convenient for the user, and at
the same time, capturing valuable contact information. While important for
supporter engagement, the postcode look up processes employed were far from
simple, as Cancer Research UKs service support manager, Fiona Hutchinson
explains, Contact data is the lifeblood of our fundraising efforts.

Solution
In 2009, Cancer Research UK approached Experian QAS to explore next generation
technologies - specifically the advantages offered by SaaS. Project objectives were
to: streamline the postcode look up system into a single supplier with standardised
processes; reduce account management time; cut demands on IT staff; create a
system that was accurate, robust and secure; and deliver a solution that was cost
effective. The advantages of the cloud based solution were compelling, offering:
a simplified single supplier with one point of contact; automatically updated
postcode data via the cloud; secure Experian QAS hosted data and servers; and the
ability to scale up their service to process millions of addresses each year.

Results
QAS Pro On Demand was rolled out in late 2009, transforming the way that the
charity runs and benefits from postcode look up software. A primary advantage is
the fact that manual updates have become a thing of the past. With updates now
taking place automatically over the cloud, employees are freed from an onerous
monthly chore and Cancer Research UK doesnt have to worry about system
failures and lost engagement opportunities.

12
CRM
The Royal Academy of Arts
Really Simple Systems

Background
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an independent fine arts institution, which
supports contemporary artists and promotes interest in the arts through a
comprehensive and ambitious exhibition programme.

Situation
With so many strings to its bow, the RA had reams of data on advertisers that was
rapidly becoming unmanageable. Over time, notes scribbled on paper and
information stored in peoples memories alone was proving an inefficient system of
maximising commercial opportunities and maintaining client satisfaction. Having
studied its needs the RA decided it needed a CRM system that was a) web-based,
for easy and flexible access and b) they could build themselves, as opposed to
purchasing a more expensive custom system. We needed to be able to access
information from home or anywhere, explains Business Manager Kim Jenner.

Solution
The solution was Really Simple Systems web-based solution. Having briefed Really
Simple Systems on its needs, the wheels were set in motion for a seamless
progression from an old-style paper-based system to fully operational technology-
based CRM. Implementation was very quick, recalls Kim. Once they were up
to speed on our requirements, Really Simple Systems offered loads of fantastic
suggestions. They transferred the data, did a parallel run, and everything went
really smoothly. It was a very positive experience without any of the glitches or
frustrations you might associate with this type of operation.

Results
So, has Really Simple Systems made the RAs life simpler? The answer from Kim is
a resounding yes. Today we have easy access to all our data from wherever we
need to access it be it from work or home. We have all our client records at our
fingertips and can also get an overview of progress being made by any given
salesperson in the organisation with any given client. No mean feat given that the
organisation is using Really Simple Systems to manage advertising sales for the
British Library, the Cinema Television and Benevolent Fund (which recently ran the
James Bond premier), and Chichester-based art gallery Pallant House.

13
 CRM
Birmingham Community Alert
HTK Ltd

Background
The Birmingham Resilience Team (BRT) is made up of officers from the City Council,
the Police and Fire Services, and the National Health Service (NHS). They are hosted
by Birmingham City Council. Birmingham Community Alert is a hi-tech messaging
service for all residents and businesses in Birmingham providing emergency texts or
voicemail messages during an emergency incident.

Situation
Birmingham Resilience Team needed a tool to communicate effectively and
dynamically with City Council staff and local communities. Birmingham Resilience
Team has always had a system in place for messaging to contacts within
Birmingham City Council, but needed something that could manage these better
and that could be expanded into community based messaging. They wanted a tool
that could more intelligently manage their database of contacts. They wanted to
be able to group them in different ways, doing things dynamically and working
with maps and locations to provide geographically targeted messages.

Solution
As well as the innovative technical capabilities offered by HTK Horizon, Birmingham
Resilience Team also saw benefits in the Buying Solutions procurement route.
They were reassured by the fact that HTK had already been through a rigorous
pre-selection process to secure a place on the Mobile Solutions Wide Area
Paging and Messaging Buying Solutions framework. Birmingham Resilience Team
had an identified project lead at HTK, who provided all the support that was
needed.

Results
The main users of the HTK Horizon system are Birmingham Resilience Teams 24-
hour duty officers. When theyre informed of an incident and there is a
requirement to inform City Council staff or send messages out to communities,
they can log in to Horizon through a secure, password protected and encrypted
web browser session. No council IT infrastructure is required, and they can access
Horizon from anywhere with internet access. Horizons quick and intuitive step-by-
step process allows them to send a message very quickly by e-mail, SMS text,
pager, fax and telephone, making sure that messages are targeted to particular
groups and geographical areas so that the right people receive the message as
quickly as possible.

14
Email and File Encryption Software
Withy King
Egress

Background
Withy King has been an established law firm in the South West for well over 100
years and was initially recognised for its outstanding reputation for providing legal
services to private clients. In the 1990s the firm expanded its services and
developed a full range of commercial service expertise alongside the services for
individuals.

Situation
Keen to stay ahead of their competition, Withy King turned their attention to
improving how the firm exchanged information sent by email, as this was the most
popular mechanism used to share confidential data. Having quickly discounted
using password protected files or TLS encryption, Withy King soon realised that a
more sophisticated approach was necessary in order to satisfy regulatory
requirements and changing business needs. Determined to offer users the ability to
send confidential data electronically on an ad-hoc basis, Withy King decided to
take matters into their own hands and establish firm wide standards when sharing
sensitive client data.

Solution
During the evaluation process head of IT, Dave Eagle, was asked to consider Egress
Switch. Having installed the client software, Dave knew instantly why so many
legal and accountancy firms chose Egress to protect confidential client data.
Leveraging patented key management and a choice of on-premise or hosted
infrastructure, Egress Switch goes beyond the capabilities of legacy protection
offering customers follow the data control wherever the information resides. This
refreshing approach to data security enabled Withy King to offer additional client
services designed to prevent costly fines while at the same time add tangible
business value. As a result Withy Kings requirements soon expanded to included
CD/DVD encryption and the ability to transfer large files securely.

Results
By embracing technology and improving service delivery Withy King are well placed
to satisfy increasing demand to share information electronically, while at the same
time mitigate potential risk by protecting client data. Described as a business
critical application, Egress Switch is now used religiously across the firm when
lawyers need to share personal or sensitive data. Several months on, having fully
implemented Egress Switch, Withy King now encourages all of their clients to
communicate securely, protecting the practice from the SRA and their clients from
the ICO.

15
 Integration
Concep
Alpha Zero Limited

Background
Concep is the owner of a SaaS platform whose clients are mainly legal firms such as
Clifford Chance, CMS Cameron McKenna and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.

Situation
The key objective of the project was to provide integration between a SaaS
campaign management (marketing) platform and various CRM systems, hosted
within client environments.

Solution
Alpha Zero initially provided consultancy on what and how information should flow
between the SaaS marketing platform and the CRM systems. Working closely with
our client we then went on to design and build a modular integration suite which
provides end to end integration between the clients hosted platform and internally
hosted CRM systems. The products were modularised so that the package could be
customised as per end user's requirements. The solution was also architected to
integrate into different CRM systems, namely LexisNexis InterAction and MS
Dynamics CRM. It was designed in such way that connectors to other CRM systems
could be created and deployed within 2 - 4 weeks.

Results

Processes were optimised and data duplication significantly reduced. Having

all the contacts in one place made time and efficiency savings and helped
streamline the marketing process.
Marketers were provided with the ability to create a self-service area for
contacts in their CRM systems. Users are able to:
manage their own contact details
manage their marketing and contact preferences
complete event registrations and surveys
There were significant business development benefits for our client.
Providing this integration capability enabled the client to acquire several
additional within the first 12 months.
Through use of innovative technologies, storage of sensitive client data was
avoided, yet live information retrieval, directly from the CRM, was available.

16
Supply Chain Management
New Look
ediTRACK

Background
New Look is a British global fashion retailer with a chain of high street shops in
Britain, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Malta, Singapore
and the United Arab Emirates. It now operates across a chain of over 1,000 stores
internationally and a staff of over 30,000.

Situation
New Look wanted to minimise lead times to meet the needs of fast fashion
markets. It also wanted to be more flexible in moving hot styles to the right
markets to maximise sales.

Solution
ediTRACK provides a web-hosted solution that is constantly available to all of the
people involved in New Looks supply chain. It:

allows New Looks buyers in the UK and producers and suppliers in the Far
East to share photographs and information about designs, fabrics and
delivery schedules, so they can have a real-time dialogue as they develop
styles
enables New Looks teams in the Far East to send detailed and accurate
information back to their teams in the UK
ensures that the latest information just one version of the truth is
always available to everyone involved
includes a sales approval process module that lets New Looks trading
partners access a common platform containing all the necessary pre-delivery
information, and
includes a booking diary that monitors inbound stock movements at every
step from factory to store so everyone involved knows exactly which
merchandise is expected where at any given time

Results
New Look handles about 2,000 purchase orders through ediTRACKs system each
week. ediTRACKs system has led to a supply chain that can handle New Looks
rapid expansion in more than 20 countries. New Look has managed 185% order
growth without having to increase back-office staff.

Maxine Walter, supply chain co-ordination manager, New Look, commented, The
software has certainly cut lead times and reduced errors. Because it includes an
event-based tracking tool, there is an action list based on the agreed critical path so
we reduce slippage and have the merchandise where we want it when it is
needed.
17
 Conclusion
In this paper, we have demonstrated how SaaS works in practice. This document
highlights a number of different ways that Software as a Service has been used by
businesses from CRM to supply chain management. It has also shown how SaaS
has been adopted widely across different types of companies, from SMEs to
multinationals and from the retail to legal sectors.

Each of the case studies in this booklet has looked at the problem faced by the
customer, the solution they decided upon and the results they benefitted from.
Further examples can be found as an appendix to this digest on our website at
www.intellectuk.org/saas. Again, these are grouped by application so you can
easily find the areas you are interested in.

Hopefully this paper has demonstrated the potential value SaaS can provide to you,
your customers and your business.

Scan code for details of our

SaaS programme.

18
Contributors
Alpha Zero Ltd
Alpha Zero Limited is a dynamic consulting and technology
company delivering value to clients through deployment of
specialist consulting skills, bespoke software development
services and software products. It is a client centric business,
committed to helping clients restructure, downsize, grow,
merge, reduce cost or improve customer service and reliability.
Our offerings are designed to enable our clients to solve key
business issues. We both develop standalone software
solutions and also integrate software components to add
additional functionality to client solutions. Our clients like to
work with us again and again on solving different issues and
providing general technical support and consulting services.
www.alphazeroltd.com

Celaton
Celaton inSTREAM automates all the inbound information
streams that flow into and through organisations every day.
Unique to inSTREAM is its ability to learn which transforms
the way that customer correspondence, financial, HR, legal
and insurance documents (received by post, paper, email, fax,
mobile and electronic data streams) are processed and
delivers Guaranteed Perfect Input into line of business
systems. Deployed on-site, on-demand or outsourced, we're
the only company that seamlessly blends inSTREAM
technology and out-tasking to connect people, systems and
processes anywhere. With no capital outlay we guarantee a
rapid return on investment and an average 74% reduction in
transaction costs. Without the need to re-engineer your
current processes, you'll significantly increase operational
efficiency and transform your business with
tangible measurable results.
www.celaton.com

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 Dell
For more than 20 years, Dell has worked with customers to
reduce complexity and lower costs that can be reinvested in
strategic, forward-looking IT projects with measurable results.
Dell is a leading technology supplier to government,
healthcare, education, defence and security organisations,
delivering solutions to meet their unique needs. An innovator
in design and energy-efficient technology, Dell delivers
products and services from desktop to datacentre that reduce
environmental impact and cost.
Whether its managing IT operations and business processes,
building custom applications or deploying cloud computing,
Dell delivers. www.dell.com/public

D2C
D2C are a consultancy and solutions provider dedicated to
cloud based technologies. They specialise in content,
collaboration, online accounting and ERP. They build websites
and web communities that work for businesses, accountants
and accounting practices. They provide Software as a Service
(SaaS) solutions for accounting, CRM, ERP and collaboration
including blogs, wikis, workflow, social networking, and web
2.0 tools to add value for business. Headquartered in St.
Albans, Hertfordshire, they partner with ITBrix for WordFrame
and PageTypes, Twinfield , and Newbase. The D2C approach
to solutions is think Business, not Technology.
www.d2c.org.uk

ediTRACK
ediTRACK design, deploy and manage web-hosted software
for companies wishing to increase profits, visibility and
improve control of their business processes. Our software
links the systems of customers and their partners in retail,
fashion, insurance and pharmaceuticals, helping them to
manage their supply chains including, sourcing, distribution
and claims fulfilment. Clients such as New Look, Marks &
Spencer, George International, Peacocks and AXA use our
software to source products and services more efficiently and
improve the service levels received from their suppliers and
partners. Our solutions provided on a pay-per-use basis,
which reduces capital investment, risk and cements our
commitment to ensuring we add ongoing value to our
customers. www.editrack.com

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Egress
Egress Software Technologies, an innovator in collaborative
security, provide on-demand email and file encryption
products, to enable organisations and individuals the ability to
share information securely. Offering a unique combination of
on-premise and hosted cloud infrastructure, patented key
management delivers real-time follow the data control to
ensure that only authorised recipients access confidential
information. Used by public and private sector organisations
around the world, Egress solutions offer integrated and easy
to use software, designed to aid regulatory compliance and
streamline user workflow. www.egress.com

Experian QAS
Experian QAS provides contact data management (CDM)
software and services that help organisations drive value from
their data. Every organisation stores contact information on its
customers/citizens, prospects, suppliers and employees. Over
10,000 organisations worldwide choose Experian QAS
products and services to manage the quality and accuracy of
this data to improve business processing, financial
performance, efficiency and the customer experience.The
CDM capabilities include data auditing and standardisation,
validation and cleaning, matching, suppression and
enhancement. QAS Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Experian, the global information services company.
www.qas.co.uk

HTK
The HTK Horizon software-as-a-service platform changes the
way that businesses sell to and serve their prospects and
customers. Horizons industry leading data segmentation
capabilities and one-stop integration of email, web, social,
SMS and voice comms enable the creation of more effective
marketing campaigns, a higher adoption of customer self-
service and greater customer satisfaction. Horizon is used by
small businesses, government departments and large
enterprises including BT, Specsavers,
O2 UK and over half of UK Police forces. HTK was founded in
1996, is privately owned and based in Ipswich, UK.
www.htkhorizon.com

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 ISL Online
ISL Online provides SaaS-based remote access, remote
desktop, live chat and web conferencing software to quickly,
simply and securely connect millions of internet-enabled
devices across the globe Windows, Mac or Linux computers
and mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad and Android phones.
Designed for consumers, mobile professionals and IT
organisations the All in One solution helps them optimise their
customer support service, increase their productivity and
reduce their support and travel costs. Since its creation in
2001, ISL Online convinced over 100.000 business users
including Konica Minolta, IBM, Coca-Cola and IDEXX that
today create more than five million sessions yearly.
www.islonline.com

Really Simple Systems

Really Simple Systems Cloud CRM is aimed at small and
medium sized organisations (SMEs/SMBs) with between 2 and
200 people who want a straightforward hosted CRM sales,
marketing and support system. The hosted model is
particularly suitable for companies with multiple locations and
sales people who work remotely or at home. Really Simple
Systems, winner of EuroCloud 2011 and the Software
Satisfaction Awards in 2008 and 2010 is the largest European
provider of hosted CRM systems. Users include the Royal
Academy of Arts, the British Museum, the Red Cross, NHS, the
Department for Environment and RSM Tenon as well as many
small and medium sized companies.
www.reallysimplesystems.com

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Savant
Savant Limited is a long established software solutions
provider. Their team of over 40 highly trained and
experienced professionals have been helping organisations
with meeting their IT requirement since 1978. Savant provide
development, support and consultancy services and have long
established relationships with their clients. Savants staff pride
themselves on the quality of their work and their commitment
to understanding and meeting their clients requirements.
Savant became employee owned in 2001 and are accredited
to ISO9001:2008 and ISO27001:2005. Savant provides life
and business critical software development and support
services for organisation like NHS Blood and Transplant, Kent
County Council and the British Medical Journal.
www.savant.co.uk

Twinfield
Twinfield is an international Web service for collaborative
online accounting and is part of Wolters Kluwer, which also
owns CCH. Twinfield is the first and largest web service for
online accounting in Europe, winning praise from both
Gartner and IDC. Subscribers can access their online accounts
from anywhere and at any time through a secure Internet
connection. Online accounting from Twinfield is available at a
flexible monthly subscription, and is used by over 80,000
companies, more than 700 accounting practices, with over
40,000 users in 22 countries. Using XML standards and web
services, Twinfield is accessible from other applications and
offers simple and complete integration or data exchange with
almost any other system.
www.twinfield.co.uk

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About Intellect
Intellect works with and for members to:

develop the UKs capability to support a strong and growing technology sector
improve their business performance by

providing insights into markets and supply chains and constructively

influencing their development
engaging with government and regulators to create the most favourable
environment for growth and employment
maintaining the industrys reputation and championing its strategic
importance
sharing and promoting best practice

For more information visit www.intellectuk.org

Intellect Russell Square House 10-12 Russell Square London WC1B 5EE
T 020 7331 2000 F 020 7331 2040 E info@intellectuk.org W www.intellectuk.org

Intellect February 2012

The information in this paper is for use and dissemination on the condition that Intellect is
referenced accordingly.