Christmas is right around the corner, and with it, the busiest season for e-commerce. Business retailers typically see a 30% increase in sales in the lead up to Christmas. In 2016 the total retail sales topped out at £77.6bn, of which a staggering £21.0bn was generated through online shopping sales alone.
Sales and SaaS
With almost a third of all retail sales being made online, businesses have had to respond with more robust e-commerce platforms to meet demand. Software as a Service has bridged the technology gap to allow businesses to invest in smart, reliable software without the overheads. Instead of installing or hosting complicated software, entrepreneurs can now use cloud-based technology to serve their clients 24/7.
When SaaS access fails
In the face of the most lucrative season of the year for retail business, it is vital that your business-critical software remains accessible at all times, but what if your host/provider goes into administration? Without installing software, your business systems have no backup, so if your providers pull the plug, your business operations go with it. If your day to day function depends heavily on SaaS then you need to implement an escrow service.
Continuity in a crisis
SaaS escrow is one of the best ways to protect your business-critical software, as it has been specifically designed for SaaS-based applications. As an End User, you will likely be paying for a pre-agreed level of business protection such as Disaster Recovery in the event of a software crisis, however, Software Escrow specialists LE&AS go one step further with the AccessAssure Agreement.
This unique SaaS escrow agreement incorporates key trigger points to detect irregularities in the level of service provided or potential financial difficulties of your provider in advance. Access Assure is designed to identify any potential threats to your business continuity. Should any be found, the system will kick off a cascade of action points which will ensure additional back up services are implemented as necessary, without the unnecessary expense of multiple monthly backups.
Assured Access for all
As a retail business owner, you need to protect access to your business software and promote continuity of service throughout the festive season. If this is compromised in any way and your providers are unable to continue your SaaS provision, then LE&AS will work to uphold access for you while helping you to transfer to a new host. Don’t leave your retail sales software to chance this season, call or email LE&AS to make sure that you protect your business continuity.
