Legacy-style software platforms continue to fall behind the curve when it comes to current business technologies. If your company still uses a legacy model, the situation represented by the diagram below might be painfully familiar to you. Between isolated servers, VPNs, and multiple database licenses, the excessive maintenance costs incurred from running a legacy software can quickly outweigh the benefits.
In an attempt to keep their platforms relevant, some software companies are now rebranding their legacy software with newer "SaaS" pricing models, but as the demands of an operation grow, it becomes clear that legacy software methodologies simply cannot meet the rigorous challenges of operational expansion in today's world. Not only are these systems functionally inefficient; their obsolescence leaves your business data open to major risks including catastrophic data loss.
As more businesses begin to realize the true value of SaaS platforms, companies must be cautious against buying solutions that are not built on true SaaS software models. These deceptive platforms are marketed and sold as SaaS, but fall short of having critical features including agility, scalability, security, and efficiency.
Cloud computing is advantageous in an industry plagued by ageing systems. Legacy software vendors are attracted by any opportunity to make additional money, even if that means tacking a few cloud features onto their existing products and mislabeling those as "SaaS" systems. Unfortunately, this forces customers to discern whether or not the vendor has actually made the investment and committed to delivering a true SaaS version of its platform. In reality, many have not.
There is simply no comparison between genuine cloud products and legacy systems with SaaS components when it comes to implementation, upgrades, performance, fees, and services. Lower costs, seamless upgrades, and rapid delivery of new features are among the many reasons companies are moving to SaaS systems in order to simplify their business and meet scalability requirements.
How can you identify whether your vendor has a true SaaS delivery model? Ask these 3 simple questions:
If you have answered Yes to any of these questions, then your vendor has not made the investment and is not fully committed to a true SaaS delivery model.
Fortunately, with the rise of cloud computing technologies like Fast-Weigh, companies in the aggregates and bulk materials industries no longer have to make large, up-front investments in order to make a change. By migrating your data to a cloud-based SaaS platform, your team will instantly gain the ability to track and manage your entire material sales and hauling operation from one centralized data hub that can be accessed from any device.
No servers, no VPNs, no need for expensive IT support or complicated hardware setups. The result is lower operating costs, more efficient processes, and a safer, more secure solution for housing your company's data. Not only does a cloud system help your bottom line, it provides an environment where growing your business is virtually effortless. User logins are free and unlimited, and brand new plant locations can be established with minimal hardware and just a few clicks, removing the need for any large capital outlays.
Strategic Advantages of SaaS Software in the COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 has been a major challenge for all companies. SaaS platforms like Fast-Weigh have enabled companies to provide work-from-home flexibility while maintaining full capability for their administrative and management teams. In today's challenging workforce landscape, these tools give companies a unique competitive advantage to assist with overall employee experience and retention.
Moving to a Cloud Platform Is Easier Than You Think
If you find yourself stuck on a version-locked scale or dispatching platform that is hindering your business performance, now is a good time to evaluate your company’s systems. Aging scale systems often prevent businesses from achieving progress by making users feel complacent toward the state of their daily operations. By incorporating cloud-based material management platforms like Fast-Weigh into your toolkit, you can bring a whole new world of innovation and capability to your business.
Further, you can refocus your staff on value-added activities and improve collaboration between departments, customers, and vendors. Doing so will also remove the burden and cost of managing outdated systems while gaining enterprise-level security and automatic data recovery measures.
If you are considering moving off your legacy software, you aren’t the first to do so. The consensus is clear: Numerous companies everywhere in the aggregates, bulk material hauling, and contracting arenas have already made the switch. So don’t get left behind. Reach out to us, and let us show you why legacy scale software cannot compete in the modern Cloud era.
Fast-Weigh is a true cloud-based software, meaning it was designed to keep your company data safe and always at your fingertips, no matter what. With our centralized Web Portal, your team can view, edit, and analyze bulk material ticketing data from all locations. Enjoy total operations management from anywhere, on any device.
With real-time backups and operation contingency plans, Fast-Weigh's cloud technologies provide failsafe storage solutions by replicating all data and storing it in multiple places nationwide.
Fast-Weigh uses no complex internal networks, IT setups, or other expensive infrastructure. As a cloud-based SaaS software, our platform requires very little hardware and can generally be installed remotely. Setup is fast and easy, and our dedicated Support Team is here to help your team learn Fast-Weigh in a snap.
When your data lives in the cloud, expansion is simple. New ticketing devices can be configured and synced up to central portal in a few minutes.
All subscriptions come with unlimited Web Portal users at no additional charge. Individual permissions can be customized with various user roles. This means you can set up logins for your entire staff, as well as external parties like customers, haulers, drivers, and DOT Inspectors.
Using a cloud-based SaaS platform also means that eTicketing isn't an "add-on;" it's a core element of the system that is embedded into every subscription. No more bolt-on "cloud" elements or third-party components.
Fast-Weigh is a true cloud-based software, meaning it was designed to keep your company data safe and always at your fingertips, no matter what. With our centralized Web Portal, your team can view, edit, and analyze bulk material ticketing data from all locations. Enjoy total operations management from anywhere, on any device.
With real-time backups and operation contingency plans, Fast-Weigh's cloud technologies provide failsafe storage solutions by replicating all data and storing it in multiple places nationwide.
Fast-Weigh uses no complex internal networks, IT setups, or other expensive infrastructure. As a cloud-based SaaS software, our platform requires very little hardware and can generally be installed remotely. Setup is fast and easy, and our dedicated Support Team is here to help your team learn Fast-Weigh in a snap.
When your data lives in the cloud, expansion is simple. New ticketing devices can be configured and synced up to central portal in a few minutes.
All subscriptions come with unlimited Web Portal users at no additional charge. Individual permissions can be customized with various user roles. This means you can set up logins for your entire staff, as well as external parties like customers, haulers, drivers, and DOT Inspectors.
Using a cloud-based SaaS platform also means that eTicketing isn't an "add-on;" it's a core element of the system that is embedded into every subscription. No more bolt-on "cloud" elements or third-party components.
What is "SaaS?"
“SaaS,” or Software as a Service, is a new class of software that has completely reinvented data management, user experience, and information accessibility. "True" SaaS platforms are an evolution of web technologies that take advantage of cloud-based architecture and components not available to traditional legacy software applications. Put plainly, SaaS products represent the future of software applications, where legacy systems are the past.
As stated above, not all programs branded with the “SaaS” moniker are created equal. While some vendors package their old legacy brands as SaaS, it’s important to look past the marketing hype and spot any shortcuts vendors have taken to simply “SaaS-ify” their existing material sales platform. Many of these companies are merely rebranding legacy architecture, adding a few cloud components, and calling it SaaS. A genuine SaaS platform incorporates the latest cloud technologies in all components of the system, including those that can operate offline.
Fast-Weigh: The Industry’s Leading SaaS Vendor for Bulk Material Weighing and Accounting
Fast-Weigh has paved the path in aggregate scale ticketing built for the cloud. The decision made to completely rewrite Fast-Weigh as a web-native SaaS application was a challenge, but sharing the fruits of our labor with our customers has made it well worth the effort. Having completely embraced cloud architecture, we can now offer companies an unparalleled user experience that saves both money and time previously spent on legacy-based software. Although we’re immensely proud of what we have built, we are not content to rest on Fast-Weigh’s tremendous success. With every software update, we continue to bring new cloud-based technologies to the industry, outpacing traditional legacy providers in both features and rapid innovation.