It wasn’t so very long ago that when you bought a new laptop, you’d have to install every program you wanted on it. But the world has moved on. The new norm is to get your software on subscription or in the lingo of the trade… Software as a Service. Why?
What is SaaS?
SaaS is a delivery model for software applications where a provider (like Eva) hosts and maintains the software, and customers access it via the internet. This model has become increasingly popular in recent years, as it allows for greater flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional ‘download and store it on your server’s software products.
What you’re buying is not a solution at a particular moment in time that you use for the next three years. You’re buying access to all future versions of the product as it evolves. Unlike a medical textbook or traditional software licence, Elevate is cloud-based, updated regularly and seamlessly so you can be confident you’re always using the most up-to-date version.
Why is this important?
Tech has to be tough in any business environment, but in healthcare it is next-level. It needs to be reliable, fast and safe, every day. Examples like WannaCry and weekly news articles about ransomware are important reminders of the criticality of keeping our data safe and our services running smoothly. These modern standards are fundamental to delivering ‘clinical-grade’ software.
What sort of things are involved?
SaaS is all about the service that the software is performing, not the maintenance and storage. All that is taken care of behind the scenes. Being browser-based (accessed via your internet browser, rather than requiring a local download) means there is nothing installed on your device, should it get lost or stolen.
We have dialled up the AWS settings for cyber security (meeting National Data Guardian standards) and are constantly monitoring for vulnerabilities and performance issues. Would-be hackers don’t stop, so neither do we.
Within the healthcare context, we are keeping up to date with the latest guidance: DCB0129 compliant for our approach to managing Clinical Safety, the NHS DTAC and ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 certified.
There’s much more too. If you are thinking of making the switch to SaaS, come talk to our team to hear more of the benefits and see if it is right for you. You can also join our beta-testing community to be the first to explore our new tech in a demo environment.
