Many companies choose a SaaS-based software to develop their business. The advantages of SaaS are numerous as they allow to save time, money and precious energy for all collaborators of a company.
There is one thing for sure, you have decided to launch your video-on-demand platform. But at this point, you're uncertain whether to subscribe to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) or to develop your own platform in-house.
Or maybe you already have your own software, developed by you or entrusted to a web agency, and even if you are satisfied, you are still looking for cost optimization or enhanced features.
In this article, we propose to discover the main advantages of outsourcing your solution to experts! Here is a focus on three recurring themes: infrastructure, cost and user experience.
Gentle definition reminder
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a term used to describe a remote service software, acquired from a provider. This SaaS mode allows you to use an application remotely through a web browser, for a subscription fee or via a one-time payment.
A controlled and simplified infrastructure
The first obvious advantage for any company is not having to manage the IT infrastructure. The infrastructure, storage and data backup is done by the solution provider. You also don't have to worry about managing updates and patches, the software is constantly evolving and improving.
A second important advantage is immediacy. The SaaS software is delivered turnkey, ready to be used and you don't have to install it. This is a real competitive advantage if you want to deploy quickly on your market.
Indeed, the SaaS solution being expert in its field, it already has all the essential functionalities to meet the needs of its addressed market. The software evolves very quickly thanks to teams dedicated to the regular addition of new features that customers benefit from as they develop.
And that's not all! You will also gain security. SaaS providers have as a key word the security of their customers' data and thanks to automatic updates and data recovery, you will be able to focus on what matters most to you, your business.
Beneficial costs reduction
At first sight, opting for a SaaS solution may seem like a significant investment given the monthly subscription fee. However, this subscription will turn out to be less expensive than an internally developed software, which will require an investment to be amortized over the long term.
By using a service provider, you benefit from a reduction in the costs of installation, maintenance and upgrading of the IT infrastructure.
Kinow offers today a solution with more than 250 functionalities allowing to manage :
- White label web, mobile, TV and console interfaces ready-to-use and customized to the customer's graphic charter
- The uploading, encoding and broadcasting of live & on-demand videos through a CDN and a customizable video player
- Management of users and their access rights to videos with temporary access tokens
- Monetization of content by subscription, by unit and associated promotion mechanisms (trial period, discount coupon, ...)
- Management of orders, automatic invoicing and payment methods (CB, Visa, Mastercard, Amex,...)
- Advanced e-commerce and viewing statistics to monitor the platform's activity
- A complete administration panel to manage the platform
- An API system (Rest and GraphQL) allowing interfacing with third-party software and all types of front-end interfaces and partner platforms (web, mobile, TV, box,...)
You will therefore be able to optimize your technical budget. However, if you choose to develop your solution internally and create these features yourself, you must take into account the following costs:
- Development
In order to have such a complete solution, almost 2 years of development are necessary with a team of 3 full-time back-end developers including a technical director.
- Salaries
The various developers and the technical director represent nearly €360,000 in operating costs (salaries, social security agency, premises, workstations, equipment,...). A specialized DevOps developer is also needed for the infrastructure configuration with a salary between €40,000 and €50,000 gross per year for this type of specialized profile.
- Maintenance
It is necessary to count approximately €100 000 per year (salaries charged) to maintain, develop the solution and manage the technical support.
- Integration
For less than €10,000, the integration of an API in-house or through a solution like Kinow is possible. APIs allow your service to communicate with other services without knowing the details of their implementation.
- Infrastructure
It is essential to foresee the configuration of a cloud infrastructure to host the solution which is generally composed by several services. This corresponds to the full-time position of a DevOps developer. The time required to set up the infrastructure is about 12 to 24 months, so €75,000 to €150,000, then €75,000 per year to maintain the existing infrastructure.
- Hosting and variable costs
There are costs related to the encoding, storage and broadcasting of the video, as well as the hosting of the platform through the use of the various services of your cloud provider. On a yearly basis, the hosting of a platform and its variable costs amount to a minimum of €5,000 per year for a small platform with low traffic (<1000H of viewings/month). These costs are exponential with the increase of the traffic and the size of the servers required.
- User interfaces (front-end applications)
All these costs concern only the back-end part, it is also necessary to foresee front-end development costs for the various interfaces (web, mobile, ...).
Therefore, a minimum budget of €445,000 is required for the internal development of a robust and scalable solution, followed by an annual cost of at least €220,000 per year.
Tonjé Bakang, CEO of Afrostream, had shared his feedback following the closure of his start-up in 2017, well known in the VOD world, which saw all its costs literally explode.
"The budget for VOD content does not include the budget to develop the streaming platform, server costs, application development for smartphones, tablet and phone operators. It is worth 500 000€. » Tonjé Bakang
A real user experience
Thanks to the remote servers of your providers, you will have a real ubiquity. No need anymore to copy software licenses for your employees, you will be able to work from any computer connected to the Internet, anywhere and anytime!
One issue that is often raised is the customization of the platform. However, if the service is provided on a subscription basis, it is often possible to implement specific features to your project on demand. It is for example the case of the Kinow solution.
Moreover, the service providers are concerned about the users requests and thanks to regular customer feedback, they integrate these requests in the roadmap of their solution.
Considerable time savings
With the current context, the creation of a live or VOD platform has been an emergency solution for many actors of the event industry, especially festivals. Conversely, given the growth of streaming consumption in recent years, it is a well thought-out project for others.
Whether you are in a hurry because of unforeseen events or whether it is a project that has been thought out for a long time, developing your platform via a SaaS solution allows you to gain in time-to-market a minimum of 6 to 12 months compared to an internal development or via an external service provider (web agency, digital services companies, ...).
If I am already equipped, what are the alternatives?
If you have already developed your own software, either in-house or with a web agency, you have two choices:
- You can choose to switch completely to SaaS mode and ask your provider to migrate all your existing data to your new software.
- You can decide to improve the existing one by grafting new functionalities from an external SaaS software, to your own infrastructure. Thanks to the modularity of the Kinow solution, you can add the missing bricks to your platform easily.
In both cases, you entrust your project to experts and benefit from lower costs.
Kinow, a SaaS-based software, to create your own streaming platform
Kinow builds video platforms to help publishers, media and broadcasters to deploy and improve their live & on-demand OTT service.
If you are looking for an efficient way to broadcast and monetize your videos, don't hesitate any longer, take advantage of our expertise to launch your project!
Once the software is deployed, you can start enriching and customizing your platform, without any prior technical knowledge, and use a range of features dedicated to the success of your project.
Make your videos viewable on any type of device, traditional or mobile, and connect the solution to any third-party application thanks to our API. Real product delivered turnkey and accessible everywhere when you want, the SaaS mode has great assets on its side to convince you.
So, ready to get started?