Gartner predicts that 30 percent of new software will be delivered via the SaaS model by 2010.

Software as a Service (SaaS) is fast becoming the ideal platform for the delivery of software solutions for businesses. Using the SaaS model, independent software vendors (ISVs) are able to sell their software as a managed bundle of on-demand services that include the software licensing, installation, integration and operations services. SaaS solutions provide end users with network or Internet-based access to a business application, which can be accessed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Ultimately, the SaaS model is becoming more attractive to both ISVs and end users due to the cost savings, implementation speed and reliability of this solution.

Traditional software sales require the end user to create, support and maintain the technical infrastructure necessary to run the application. In many cases, this becomes a hurdle in the sales process because it requires the end user to justify additional capital expenditures and IT resources to support the software. Software as a Service (SaaS) enables an ISV to offer a "zero-footprint" solution to end users, ultimately removing these sales obstacles and increasing reliability and up-time.

To deliver this "zero-footprint" solution, an ISV must either build out an entire data center environment on their own, or partner with a service provider to deliver the underlying physical, technical, and staffing resources and infrastructure necessary to run and support the application. For most ISVs, building out the infrastructure necessary to become a service provider for their software is cost-prohibitive and lies outside their core business competency. The SaaS model enables ISVs to focus on their software development efforts while allowing their service provider partner to handle the delivery requirements.

The success of Software as a Service (SaaS) business model is evident in popular business applications such as Salesforce.com. This is currently the most widely-used SaaS application with over 444,000 subscribers.

SaaS supports the end user:

• No upfront costs for infrastructure
• No infrastructure to support and maintain
• No hardware upgrades or obsolescence
• Faster implementation
• Remote accessibility
• Third-party hold end-user data
• Offsite data storage offers better risk management
• Unlimited scalability
• Reduced need for IT resources
• High reliability and accessibility

SaaS supports the ISV:

• Reduces sales barriers
• Faster market penetration
• Perpetual revenue stream
• Opens up price-sensitive or technology-averse markets
• Upgrade control
• Version consistency
• Easier to support

Why Partner with LightEdge for SaaS Delivery?

Industry-level Service Level Agreements - The LightEdge network is designed for maximum uptime and reliability. With N+1 redundancy in every system, there are no single points of failure to cause an interruption of service. And talented TAC and NOC support departments provide 24/7/365 monitoring of all LightEdge components.

Multiple Private Data Centers - LightEdge owns and operates multiple private data centers in Des Moines, IA, Minneapolis, MN and Moline, IL. Each data center is interconnected through the LightEdge private IP network to provide multiple hosting locations.

State-of-the-art Infrastructure - LightEdge operates a Cisco-powered, managed IP network. We have selected Cisco, IBM and Network Appliance for the majority of our infrastructure due to their proven reliability. SaaS applications are hosted on IBM Blade servers and the data is stored on either an IBM Storage Area Network or Network Appliance Network Attached Storage devices.

LightEdge Manages Everything but the Application - As a LightEdge partner, ISVs can focus on selling software and let us manage the rest. Our staff is responsible for all of the hardware components involved with hosting your application. LightEdge monitors the infrastructure and maintains and upgrades the systems as necessary to ensure optimized application.

SAS-70 Audited - LightEdge is SAS-70 audited to ensure that the appropriate security and controls are in place to store sensitive or regulated data such as HIPAA, SOX, ISO 17999 and GLB regulated information. Through our SAS-70 compliance, ISVs can communicate a strong commitment to security and data integrity in terms that the end users understand.

Uniform Implementation Platform - LightEdge handles all aspects of the server and development environments during the implementation phase of every product, creating a uniform platform for delivering a predictable and reliable implementation process.

No Up-front Capital Expenditure - Success-based pricing model means that the customer has little or no capital expenditure up- front, giving small- to medium-sized businesses the ability to afford even the most sophisticated applications and infrastructure.