Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), usually only thought of in the context of office software, has myriad applications for commercial lighting that many companies are still unaware of.

SaaS itself has come a long way from its IBM days in the 1960s. It is now a robust and burgeoning industry, and its applications are expanding as fast as the companies that are designing and selling it.

The Internet of Things has opened up a new world of SaaS opportunities. If cloud computing can be useful for storing and selling things like customer data, imagine the possibilities for device data—especially data from huge networks of devices that are sharing information with each other.

But what should you, as a company, be looking for in a commercial lighting SaaS solution?

First—let’s look at the overall benefits of a SaaS model.

What are the main benefits of the SaaS business model?

1. Low overhead and easy entry

Unlike with traditional software, SaaS comes with no upfront overhead costs related to on-premises infrastructure, such as servers. All of these functions are handled by the cloud providers and can be tapped into whenever and wherever and at a much lower cost than if you were doing it yourself. This makes it much easier, and much less costly, to get started offering your SaaS service. SaaS subscriptions also typically included ongoing maintenance, upgrades, and support, making the long-term costs far less, as well. Low overhead and easy entry

2. Scalability

SaaS offerings scale easily and adapt to change easily. Since they’re usually provided through the cloud, they aren’t restricted by the typical parameters that come with on-premises systems and can handle an influx of users without losing quality or value. If users want more features or a different type of service, they don’t have to buy another type of software, since the SaaS offerings are typically integrated with each other. Scalability

3. Easy to use and upgrade

Traditional software upgrades, especially at the level of large commercial or industrial offerings, can be extremely timely and costly. With SaaS, the upgrading services, and testing of the new versions, are built into the service. This makes them happen at way less cost to you and with way less time and headaches. SaaS offerings are also easier to use since they come with already-baked-in best practices and user guidelines. Easy to use and upgrade

What is commercial lighting SaaS?

Most commercial lighting systems today are run on-premises in building-based servers. Apart from being expensive to set up and maintain, these systems are also far more prone to disastrous events like fires and water leaks that can lead to the need to completely replace the entire system.

A commercial lighting SaaS system is a complete, cloud-based commercial lighting solution with devices, software, installation, and upgrades that you can control from anywhere through a data management portal. The lights in the system are far more energy efficient and are implanted with sensors that process and transfer data that can be used to create recurring monthly revenue through data-based subscription services.

What to look for in a commercial lighting SaaS platform

Commercial lighting SaaS is a relatively new concept because building owners and managers are just starting to wake up to the world of possibilities available to them in IoT-based commercial lighting solutions.

That said, there are certain things you will want to look for in a commercial SaaS lighting platform so that it:

a. Gives you the most flexibility and opportunities possible, and

b. Is as easy to use as possible.

These are the those things you should be looking for:

1. “One stop”, not “many stops”

Your commercial SaaS platform provider should be able to offer the full package of functionality, from backend data analytics to front-end massively fun and functional LED lighting solutions. Make sure it’s a one-stop solution for hardware devices, control software, and installation management. You really don’t want to have to be dealing with ten different vendors, or even two. One vendor. One platform One solution that does it all and keeps it all working. That’s what you want. “One stop”, not “many stops”

2. Total digital management

You want a commercial lighting SaaS solution that puts you in total control of all your devices and all the data they generate via an easy-to-use dashboard and data interface. Through this interface, you should be able to easily monitor all of your devices and maintenance needs through built-in reporting, analytics, and systems insights. This will, in turn, allow you to implement strategies to reduce operation and maintenance costs. Total digital management

3. A flexible, open ecosystem

Your commercial lighting SaaS solution should be compatible with multiple IoT protocols, including Bluetooth Mesh, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Sig Mesh, and more. It should also be open in the sense of being able to integrate other types of products, including security, HVAC, blinds, and more, and products from many different brands. A flexible, open ecosystem

4. Energy management

A great commercial lighting SaaS platform will offer total energy consumption management in the form of:

·Actions and scenes that can be automatically executed to implement energy-saving strategies.

·The linkage of single device or group actions with sensors, schedules, sunrise and sunset times, and weather conditions.

·The viewing, comparison, and analysis of device-specific power consumption by day, month, or year. Energy management

5. Device management

Your commercial lighting SaaS platform should give you total device control in the form of:

·Viewing and controlling devices from a map of the lighting layout.

·Monitoring device conditions, including, status, operation time, energy consumption, and life expectancy.

·Automatic alarms when devices change to “abnormal status” and notifications to maintenance team.

·Streamlined installation and project management through an installation and commissioning app. Device management

With all of the above characteristics included, there’s one final factor we should mention in what to look for in a commercial lighting SaaS solution: passion. What do we mean by passion? The company providing the solution should be clearly passionate about—and highly experienced in—all things IoT and all things smart. They should have IoT manufacturing relationships across the globe and have their hand in all major smart home and smart device markets. This is Tuya Smart. Go here to learn more about our commercial lighting SaaS solution: https://pages.tuya.com/CommercialLighting.