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When Software as a Service (SaaS) first entered the vernacular, the idea that software could be delivered as a service over the internet was groundbreaking. Today, there's a new revolution taking place. This time, it's in the form of Solution as a Service (SolaaS). 

The idea is so new, it has left many companies wondering what exactly does SolaaS mean, and how will it help their business grow? SolaaS will innovate how enterprises do business. That's why we want to take a closer look at its meaning and benefits.

Defining Solution as a Service

As you wrap you head around SolaaS, it helps to imagine a pyramid of cloud computing services – the layers of which increase in value for an end user as we move from bottom to top.

At the foundation of the pyramid we have Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), meaning a third-party provider that hosts virtualized computing resources. Above IaaS is Platform as a Service (PaaS), which provide customers with a platform upon which they can manage, run, or build web applications. On top of PaaS, you'll find Software as a Service (SaaS), which, simply put, is the ability to access software via the internet. 

Finally, at the top of the pyramid, we find the new kid on the block: Solution as a Service (SolaaS). Think of SolaaS as a value-add on top of SaaS. This is because SolaaS combines powerful underlying SaaS products with a capable team of data scientists who help businesses best leverage the software's power.

With this definition, SolaaS becomes more than an augmentation of your team. When you tap into SolaaS, you're not just getting access to software; you're getting access to software and talented people. This combination of people and software offers a true – and powerful – solution. 

Solution as a Service in Action

Let's take data analytics software as an example of how SolaaS can be implemented and influence a company's operations. Combining capable software with professional services from the same vendor, creating a symbiotic relationship insures that the best possible insights are extracted from the data, and are then presented in such a way that the insights best serve a business.  

By all estimates, analytics software can be an unforgiving beast, particularly for people who are utilizing it for the first time. The rub, of course, is that if you don't optimize the software properly, you won't get proper results. Though not every vendor overtly shares this reality with customers, optimization always requires an expert – it is a never-ending necessity.

Let's say, you carefully researched the best analytics software on the market, seeking one that will help you make sense of your unstructured data so you can make smart, targeted business decisions down the road. 

Even if you've chosen top-of-the-line software, it's only as good – and as powerful – as the people using it. Analytics software requires constant tuning; it can't be adjusted once and left on "auto-mode." This means if no one is properly implementing it for you, or targeting the analysis by asking the right kinds of questions, you run the risk of missing out on more elusive or actionable insights. This failure creates a steep and costly learning curve for businesses.

Win-Win strategy

SolaaS grants you the benefits of a data science team that intimately knows the analysis software – people asking the right questions, sifting through free-form data, and presenting in such a way that you can use it to your advantage and make informed business decisions. Meanwhile, it allows your in-house talent to focus on high-value tasks. 

Summary

Solution as a Service offers businesses a groundbreaking way to leverage their data and insure success. SolaaS combines powerful analytics software with a highly trained team of data experts intent on providing companies with extraordinary insights. It's safe to say, the SolaaS revolution has arrived.