By Don Omura, TRM Chief Operations Officer  

Chances are, most the readers of this article are quite versed in the benefits of SaaS. These include:

• Lower TCO
• Faster time-to-value
• Scalability
• Less strain on IT resources
• Opex (SaaS) vs Capex (on-premise)
• Flexibility with variable or uncertain usage
• Focus on higher-value activities
• Cost predictability

It shouldn’t be a surprise that all of these benefits apply to Maximo and are fundamental to the business case to adopt Maximo SaaS. But what if you already operate Maximo on-premise?

The biggest challenges to the return on investment to transition off your on-premise Maximo system to SaaS are: (1) true cost savings and (2) the disruption, cost, and risk of the on-premise to SaaS transition itself. After all, the investment in perpetual Maximo licenses and underlying infrastructure has already been made and can’t be counted in the cost/benefit analysis. On top of that, you have the added expense of paying for both Maximo subscription and support (S&S) and SaaS fees during the migration. Given these challenges, is there a business case to move to Maximo SaaS?

For most companies, the answer is “Yes”. What makes this possible? There are 3 primary reasons:

1. Bridge-To-Cloud program. This incentive program is designed to make it easier for perpetual license holders to transition to Maximo SaaS. Here are the highlights:
   1. 1. Lock-in discounted SaaS pricing for a bridge contract period of 1 to 3 years
      2. Retain the right to go back to your on-premise licenses at any time during the contract period without the costly S&S reinstatement fees
      3. Do not pay for S&S while under the contract including during your migration to SaaS (pay only SaaS subscription fees)
      4. Migrate to SaaS anytime during the contract period

   You don’t get credit for already paid S&S so it’s generally best to start the Bridge contract the day after your current S&S expires

2. Maximo SaaS Flex. Flex is the more flexible version of IBM’s standard Maximo SaaS offering. It provides the quickest and easiest platform to migrate your on-premise Maximo system. The need to convert data and re-implement your configurations and integrations is dramatically reduced. Remain at your existing version of Maximo if desired to further reduce migration costs and user training.
3. The Concurrent user type. Only offered in IBM Maximo SaaS, the Concurrent user type allows the vast majority of enterprises to achieve significant cost savings. The concurrent user subscriptions can be used to cover large pools of less than full-time users and shift workers while allowing full access to Maximo, unlike Limited or Express user types which limit functionality. The Concurrent user type is also available for all industry solutions, add-ons, and Maximo Anywhere.

If the last time you looked at the business case for moving to IBM Maximo SaaS did not include Bridge-To-Cloud or SaaS Flex, I suggest you look again.