| | NOVEMBER 202519WHAT ROLE DOES YOUR IT DEPARTMENT PLAY IN SAAS APPLICATIONS? Who is ultimately responsible for configuring the functionality of the tool? What are the steps if dare I say, you do have customizations? Who reviews the release notes? Is the functionality automatically available or does the business need to opt-in through application settings? Who is responsible for entering in enhancement requests or reporting defects? A common understanding between the business and IT as to who will have access to configure the application is an important piece of the project plan and must be worked out with the software company. Upgrade, Patching, and Release Strategy, Configuration, and Maintenance ­ A task included in the preparation of go-live is to understand the maintenance strategy of the software by the provider. The software provider is responsible for sharing release notes, informing the company of outages or disruptions, and providing a method for defects and enhancement requests. Communicating that process to the stakeholders and incorporating the roles into the RACI mentioned above helps clarify those processes. We have had success in assigning the IT Business Systems Analyst the responsibility to coordinate and communicate the SAAS provider's updates with the business, identifying the impacts. SAAS providers make a lot of promises on the `available anywhere' solution deployed with unique expertise. There is still a place for IT to maintain visibility and control of the number of applications in the portfolio, ensure the security of the business data and network, and take the position of a business partner. We've learned that the stronger the partnership between the business and IT, the greater success in implementation. Good luck on your SAAS journey! Keep in mind that `single sign-on, using network credentials, will require a connection between your network and the SAAS provider network.
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