software as a service - do i have to do anything to keep it running?

Software as a Service is a modern offering to people who want to outsource the day to day running of a piece of software. The most common one you will come across is Microsoft O365 – if you use the web portal you don’t have to do anything, you simply log in and start to use it. If you choose to have the application on your computer it’s a little different, the software will need occasional updates that will automatically get pushed to your machine and you will need to maintain the antivirus to your machine.
 
But what about the other software you use to maintain your business? Most programmes send and receive information between multiple systems and any updates to these systems can have unexpected results. Updates are important and you can review what it will provide before agreeing to install it, most minor updates resolve glitches in the programme or patch security faults that have been found and resolved; major updates provide new functionality and often a new look and feel. However, any bespoke, meaning custom made, software will not only need to maintain any updates but it will also need testing to make sure that the information being sent and received has not been interrupted.

Testing is an important part of any complex IT environment, it can be as simple as opening the programme on a daily basis and completing a simple action – a good example of this is checking your website is up and running every morning. But rigorous testing is essential especially if you have bespoke software or run a complex system across multiple pieces of software. This is where you need a plan.

A testing plan can be run by anyone within your IT team and should include a mixture of automated and manual tests. The best testing plans will also align with business needs and prioritise systems that achieve best performance for your essential business processes. This is where Resolution8 Digital Advisory can help.
 
We can work with you to review your current IT environment and understand how the programmes interact with each other, we can then review or create a business centric IT strategy and plan that can be reflected within your testing plan. Don’t let your IT environment become only “good enough”, keep it aligned to business needs with high performance outcomes - give us a call today.