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Innovation

Bake off: On-premise vs. SaaS toasters

Blogger and master data management (MDM) expert, Ramon Chen, compares what would happen if on-premise and cloud-based software companies each made toasters.
Written by Michael Krigsman, Contributor

To set an appropriate mood while reading, please play the flying toasters video just above.

Blogger and master data management (MDM) expert, Ramon Chen, wrote a clever post comparing what would happen if on-premise and cloud-based software companies each made toasters.

A couple of points:

  • Ramon created the entire comparison, which I took directly from his blog
  • Be aware that this cute comparison has a strong SaaS bias. Apparently, there is little place for on-premise software in Ramon's world

I'm not endorsing any perspective, but merely passing along a funny presentation for your enjoyment and edification.

Enterprise On-Premise Toasters

SaaS/Cloud Computing Toasters

1. On-premise sales people will show PPTs of the toaster, but will defer to their SE for demo because it is too complicated

1. SaaS toasters can be demoed by sales people remotely from the comfort of their desks

2. You could buy all the parts to build your own on premise toaster but they won’t necessarily fit together

2. SaaS toasters come pre-assembled with access to a community of pre-certified optional add-ons built on the same cloud toasting infrastructure

3. Depending on where you want to locate or access your toaster, you may have to have a specialized version for socket or plug adapters, voltage compatibility, extension cords and plastic or metal casing

3. There is only one version of a specific SaaS toaster, accessible by all your users anywhere in the world

4. On-premise toasters say they are compatible with all brands and styles of bread, but when you get it home you discover the Bagel Engine was still in development, the Croissant Extension was three years away, and that indeed the whole appliance was just blowing smoke

4. SaaS toasters have similar challenges for emerging brands or styles of bread, but SaaS toaster manufacturers are agile and upgrade their toaster capabilities every 3 to 6 months, allowing them to toast the latest bread according to the latest government toasting standards

5. You can make toast 24 hours a day, but if a piece gets burned you are on your own to replace the bread and start again

5. You too can make toast 24 hours a day with SaaS toasters, most have built-in BTP (burnt toast protection) with auto re-toast

6. On-premise toasters start at $1 million and up, but come with partners who will help you slice your bread to fit, and will deal with all the “jams” you’ll encounter, for an additional $3M

6. SaaS toasters have toast-as-you-go pricing, you pay only for the toast you toast or the number of people who need to toast

7. Every time you buy new types of bread, you may have to upgrade to a new version of the toaster. If you chose not to upgrade you’d still have to pay the toaster maintenance fee

7. No toaster maintenance fees, upgrade and support is included with the per user or per toast monthly subscription

[Flying Toasters video from YouTube. Via @theitskeptic, @MichaelDunham, and @devcorporate.]

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