“The Cloud Software-as-a-Service”

This solution is a “cloud software-as-a-service (SaaS)” in that is accessed, configured, and otherwise experienced as service running in a cloud environment, managed by the vendor themselves. The vendor handles not only any custom software development, customization, and integration, but also deployment and ongoing management in their cloud environment. This is the most hands-off solution, that can be appropriate for organizations without technical capacity, experiences, or resources.

🕵️The Assessment Outcome

The solution was found to be stable, well-implemented, and viable solution that could be customized and designed for specific needs and solutions. In this case, the assessment focused on a bespoke forms data solution, built on reusable components and code from the service provider.

The robust application architecture, especially as delivered through flexible cloud infrastructure, ensures scalability and maintainability, making it a commendable choice for data-driven initiatives.

Security audits and architectural assessments showed it to be well-structured and secure, utilizing industry-standard tools and architectural patterns.

The underlying platform was well-designed for data collection requirements, facilitating data gathering from diverse sources such as mobile and web forms, call centers, task-based data collection platforms, and citizen feedback mechanisms. It operates seamlessly even in environments lacking internet connectivity, ensuring continuity of data collection efforts. The tool is highly extensible and interoperable, with an easy-to-use frontend and offline capture options that sync seamlessly.

🔍 Discovered during the Assessment:

While there were a small amount of identified vulnerabilities, the solutions approach to transparency, regular maintenance and ongoing releases through the Software as a Service mode, gave us confidence about its resilience and reliability.

🖍 Recommendations & Actions:

Despite its numerous benefits, it’s important to acknowledge that opting for a custom-built solution requires allocating resources such as time, finances, human capital, and ongoing support from vendors to effectively design and implement a solution tailored to the organization’s specific requirements.