When the market changes, Highstage adapts along with it. That is why the Independent Software Vendor (ISV) from Copenhagen is currently exploring it’s options to transfer it’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software solution to the cloud.
The cloud-wagon
“In the last ten years, a movement towards the cloud arose”, explains software developer Stefan Reinholdt Jørgensen from Highstage. “It showed that cloud solutions give customers a better and cheaper product, that is easier to update and does not need to be hosted on-premise.”
Even though Highstage offered an on-premise solution, they did not jump on the cloud-wagon right away. “We got one question about a cloud alternative for our on-premise solution, but we did not see a broad interest in our client base. Therefore we decided not to invest in it immediately.”
Possibilities for SME's
Until a year ago, when suddenly the questions started to appear more frequently. “That’s when I started to look into the possibilities of moving to the cloud.” The questions mostly came from smaller companies. Which makes sense, explains Stefan: “For them, us moving to the cloud would have the most impact. They would no longer have to maintain an on-premise solution, or hire an IT-company to do it for them. Instead they would use a shared infrastructure that has a friendlier price.”
Challenges of change
Deciding that a transfer to the cloud is a good idea for your platform is one thing, but convincing your customers about the importance of this change is another. “Generally our customers are not first in line for change”, says Stefan. “Especially not if the change has something to do with the most important intellectual property they have: their data.”
The companies that use Highstage, are all part of a highly regulated market. That creates devices that many people depend on, on a day to day basis. Think of electronics, medical and telecom devices. Highstage offers them full control over all relevant documentation, product changes and lifecycle management.