# Presentation: 524428

## The Future of Software:Appliance-based Software Delivery (AbSD)‏

**Josh Pollock**
**Western Regional Manager, Senior Systems Engineer**
**KACE**

## Agenda

- The Need for New Delivery Models
- Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)‏
- Appliance-based Software Delivery (AbSD)‏
- Conclusion

**Notes:**

Today we’ll be discussing some alternatives to traditional enterprise software. We’ll begin our talk with an examination of the factors driving vendors and customers away from traditional software to alternative delivery models. Next we’ll examine the advantages and limitations of software-as-a-service. Finally, we’ll discuss how appliance-based software delivery (or A B S D) offers many of the advantages of software-as-a-service, but with none of the drawbacks.

## Traditional Software Delivery

- Complex
- Hardware procurement
- Software prerequisites
- Installation
- Customization
- Costly
- Long deployment times
- High maintenance costs
- Multiple vendors

**Notes:**
The operational readiness, maintainability, and durability of today’s software solutions are directly tied to the “delivery model” or “delivery platform” of the software itself.  Historically, enterprise software has been delivered and distributed to corporate customers on media ranging from floppy disks to CDs to DVDs. With traditional software, the customer is forced to work independently or with the software vendor to specify, size, acquire, install, configure, tune, maintain, and manage the hardware systems that will be hosting the software solution. This complexity has led to long deployment times, as well as high maintenance costs, as the delivery model provides no help in the ongoing operational support of the software system. 

Traditional software delivery has also been difficult for software vendors to support. Since traditional software delivery requires customers to procure the hardware platform separately, software vendors have to support a wide variety of hardware configurations and operating systems. 

These costs and complexities have led to the introduction of new software delivery models to simplify software development, testing, deployment and maintenance. Two of the most popular models are software delivered as a service and appliance-based software delivery. 

**Notes:**
The operational readiness, maintainability, and durability of today’s software solutions are directly tied to the “delivery model” or “delivery platform” of the software itself.  Historically, enterprise software has been delivered and distributed to corporate customers on media ranging from floppy disks to CDs to DVDs. With traditional software, the customer is forced to work independently or with the software vendor to specify, size, acquire, install, configure, tune, maintain, and manage the hardware systems that will be hosting the software solution. This complexity has led to long deployment times, as well as high maintenance costs, as the delivery model provides no help in the ongoing operational support of the software system. 

Traditional software delivery has also been difficult for software vendors to support. Since traditional software delivery requires customers to procure the hardware platform separately, software vendors have to support a wide variety of hardware configurations and operating systems. 

These costs and complexities have led to the introduction of new software delivery models to simplify software development, testing, deployment and maintenance. Two of the most popular models are software delivered as a service and appliance-based software delivery. 

## What About Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)?

**What About Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)?**

- Advantages
- No hardware procurement
- No software prerequisites
- No software installation
- Fast deployment
- Minimal maintenance
- Limitations
- Questionable reliability
- Unpredictable performance
- Community security
- Loss of data control
- High costs over time

**Notes:**
Software delivered as an Internet service or “on-demand” allows end-user organizations to avoid the costs and complexity of procuring and configuring hardware, and installing and configuring software. Vendors can focus development, testing, and maintenance, on one stack of hardware operating system and application server software. Unfortunately, SaaS has considerable disadvantages around reliability, performance, security, and cost.

Since SaaS applications are delivered via the Internet and a multi-tenant shared infrastructure, there are many failure points that can create a service outage. For example, large spikes in usage, denial of service attacks against the vendor, application upgrades or hardware failure can bring the system down unexpectedly for all end-user organizations. A shared infrastructure also means that all users and organizations receive the same service levels regardless of their unique needs.

In addition, many organizations have legitimate security concerns surrounding the software as a service community security model. End-User organizations must trust that On-Demand vendors are keeping their data secure from both internal threats such as malicious employees and hardware failures, as well as from external threats such as hackers.

Finally, the pricing model for Software as a Service, while affordable in the short term, gets expensive over time 

## AbSD Defined

- Metal-to-function integration
- Integrated operating environment
- Dedicated management services
- Plug-and-play deployment
- Hardened & self-healing
- Out-of-band capabilities

**Appliance-based Software Delivery**

**Notes:**
Appliance-based Software Delivery (AbSD) includes a complete software solution that operates exclusively on top of and is embedded within its respective dedicated operating system and hardware platform.  The embedded software solution is often composed of multiple server applications and processes.  These server functions are integrated within a dedicated management environment and operating system that is uniquely configured to support them.  Additionally, the hardware platform which is the “physical appliance” is specified, configured, and sometimes fabricated exclusively to support the embedded operating system and server application.  Together, the computer hardware, operating system, and server software form the complete “appliance”, an instantiated AbSD. 

The best known appliances have targeted perimeter security or routing applications, but the appliance model supports both in-band and out-of-band solutions from a network perspective and can even be deployed with complementary software that is not resident on the appliance. 

## AbSD – End User Organization Benefits

- All in one solution
- No hardware procurement or configuration
- Easy installation
- No software installation or integration
- One stop support and maintenance
- ..for hardware, operating environment and application
- Secure, centralized management
- Built-in security
- Integrated backup and recovery
- Hardware maintenance

**Notes:**
AbSD offers end-user organizations a truly turn-key solution from metal-to-function. AbSD offers exceptionally rapid time-to-value through hardware, OS and application integration. Most appliances simply need to be attached to a network and can immediately begin vending their applications after some minor configuration. Unlike traditional software delivery there is no software installation or integration required, and this removes one of the most expensive and complex tasks of traditional software delivery.

The costs of a software solution do not stop at the point that the system is installed and configured from a hardware or OS level.  The initial deployment is the beginning of an ongoing maintenance and operations cycle - a cycle that may exist over the next 3, 5 or even 10 years for a particular deployment. With appliances, the end-user organization receives support from one vendor for all aspects of the solution including hardware replacement and software update support for both the application and integrated operating system. 

Most appliances offer centralized management of all solution components. A web-based console typically offers access to application functionality, as well as to common management services such as hardware maintenance, security settings, and backup and recovery. As an integrated solution appliances also can offer self-healing and automated maintenance of system components. 

## AbSD – Vendor Benefits

- Reduced development and testing costs
- Predictable performance and scalability
- Lower support and maintenance costs

**Notes:**
AbSD solutions also provide significant benefits to vendor organizations, which often are passed on to end-user organizations in the form of lower costs and more reliable solutions. First, appliance vendors need only develop, test, and maintain one hardware, OS, and application server combination

Secondly, controlling the entire stack allows appliance vendors to configure the complete solution for predictable scalability and robust security. The hardware, OS and application stack can be tuned to predictably achieve specific performance target 

Lastly, appliance vendors can reduce their support costs and offer superior customer service through self-healing, self-maintenance, and remote support 

## Conclusion

**Notes:**
Reducing complexity and simplifying technology is a big driver to more rapid adoption of appliances. AbSD successfully eliminates the costs and complexities of traditional software delivery and avoids the shortcomings of SaaS by providing a completely integrated hardware and software solution. AbSD offers unique benefits such as:
High reliability through built-in hardware redundancy and automatic failover
Outstanding security through a hardened system with built in backup and recovery
Predictable, scalable performance via a purpose built, pre-tuned solution
Easy up-keep through self-healing and automated maintenance
The appliance-based approach offers the advantage of reliability - functionality that simply works the same way all the time. AbSD, through superior affordability, performance, reliability, security, and ease-of-use is the clear winner in today’s software market.

## To learn more about AbSD and how the KBOX Family of Appliances simplifies IT managementPlease visit www.kace.comThank you!

**Notes:**
Thank you for attending our webinar on AbSD.

If you would like to learn more about AbSD and how the KBOX Family of Appliances can help your organization affordably automate IT management please visit our website at: www.kace.com.