5 Benefits of Using a Software as a Service in Maritime Recruitment

Are you a small to medium sized shipowner or manager who has made a new year’s resolution to streamline your maritime recruitment strategy and crew operations in 2021? If so, that’s great news for you - and it could be good news for us too!

Martide exists to help make life easier for shipping companies when it comes to sourcing seafarers for your vacancies whilst also pulling all of the different strands of recruitment and crew management together into one cohesive whole.

It’s about being more efficient, increasing your productivity - and becoming an all-round well oiled machine so that you can outpace your competitors.

So how exactly do we do that? Through our Software as a Service (SaaS) solution which has been designed specifically to meet the needs of shipowners and ship managers. (As well as to help seafarers to find their next contract at sea.)

But if you’re not completely familiar with the term Software as a Service, you might already be losing interest in what we have to say - but bear with us because being adaptable and switching to an SaaS model might be just the thing your business needs moving forward.

Read more: The Pros and Cons of Software as a Service in Maritime Recruitment

In this post we’ll take a closer look at what an SaaS actually is, as well as the benefits of a Software as a Service solution for the maritime industry.

How can Software as a Service help your maritime recruitment team?

1. An SaaS is more affordable

When compared to traditional software, an SaaS solution is often more affordable. That’s because with the traditional model, not only do you have to buy the software application or program yourself, you then also need to install and configure it - or pay someone else to do that for you.

Software as a Service is stored in the cloud in a shared environment (more on that later) and used, by you, on a rental basis - usually on a monthly subscription.

This means the software’s license costs are usually lower than software you buy and the monthly fee will normally include customer service, maintenance, and upgrades - the cost of which is split between all users.

And this also means that because you’re paying monthly, there will be no huge, up-front cost to beg your accounts department for to pay for the software!

2. You can get started almost immediately

One of the other great things about implementing a Software as a Service, such as Martide’s maritime recruitment and crew management platform, is that you’ll be able to start using it almost in the blink of an eye.

All you need is internet access and a web browser on any connected device - laptop, computer, tablet, or even smartphone. Traditional software can require a lengthy implementation process of weeks - or even longer.

Because an SaaS solution is stored in the cloud, you don’t need to wait for anything to be installed on your computer: you can log in and access it immediately.

Plus this means that you don’t need to worry about any of the issues that are normally associated with new software installations.

3. You’ll be able to work from anywhere in the world

Traditional software is installed on the server and the computers in your office. If you want to work remotely, or while you’re commuting or traveling, that means you won’t be able to access that particular software.

And with working from home increasingly becoming an option, you need anytime, anywhere access to all the systems and applications you need to be able to do your job.

Let’s face it, even if you’re facing an extended period of working remotely, lugging your office desktop PC home is not really the most convenient of things!

Read more: How to Make Working From Home Easier with Software as a Service

Plus, if you’re a manager, do you really want all of your expensive office equipment relocating to your employees’ homes…?

It is just as important to be productive from your kitchen table as it is from your office, which is where an SaaS comes into its own.

Open up your own device. Log-in to your Software as a Service platform. Do your job. Simple!

4. Your SaaS will be scalable - at no extra cost

Any software solution worth its salt will evolve. Whether it’s traditional software or a Software as a Service offering. The creators of platforms, applications and programs will continue to tweak their solution, fix bugs and issues, and add new features.

That’s great, right? Well, yes it is. But if your application is traditional software that means you’ll have to periodically install new versions or download new patches.

You also might miss an update which can leave you vulnerable to cyber attacks if you’re not running on the latest, most secure version.

But with an SaaS, the provider - i.e. a company such as Martide - will manage upgrades and updates on your behalf. You’ll always be running the latest version, and you can be assured that you’ll have access to all of the software’s most up-to-date features and benefits.

(At Martide, we also let you know what we’re working on every month through our monthly Changelog which gives you a rundown of the latest features launched and what issues, if any, we’ve fixed.)

5. A Software as a Service solution is a secure solution

Any decent provider of a Software as a Service will take every step to ensure that their platform is safe and secure for their users.

Cloud hosting offers a secure storage environment, whether you’re accessing Google Drive or Microsoft 365 - or a slightly less known entity such as Martide’s cloud-based maritime recruitment and crew management platform!

In our case, your seafarer data, certificates and HR documentation are all securely stored in the cloud for anytime, anywhere access no matter which device you’re using.

We also take GDPR and the privacy of our employers, manning agents and seafarers very seriously.

We encrypt all of your data in our secure database, and as mentioned above, we also operate on a shared environment principle (yes, we really will get to that in a minute…) which also ensures the security of your data.

So those are five benefits of using a Software as a Service solution to empower your crew management and maritime recruitment operations. Now let’s take a brief look at this ‘shared environment’ that we keep mentioning!

Martide’s SaaS operates in a secure multi-tenant environment

Here’s what that means for you…

Martide’s Software as a Service solution operates on a shared - or multi-tenant - principle so that you can be sure that your data is being stored privately and securely.

Great - so what is a multi-tenant principle?

A multi-tenant SaaS principle means that one single - or multiple - devices have access to an SaaS via the internet.

For example, as we’ve already discussed, you and your organization’s employees can access Martide’s maritime recruitment and crew management software on your laptop, tablet, phone or PC without you having to download or install it.

This analogy sums up the multi-tenant principle best:

Perhaps your shipping company’s office is situated in an office block. Each office in this block is rented by a different company - or tenant. You all coexist and work in your own office.

However, you all share the same utilities - e.g. the water and electricity supplies, and you all have use of the elevator, the lobby and maybe the bathrooms.

So, your company is one of Martide’s tenants: You and your data exist separately and securely within our SaaS. However, you and the other tenants (employers or manning agents) all have access to Martide’s features and functions (the utilities - the water and electricity supplies.)  

Nice analogy! But...

How can you be sure your data really is separate and secure?

We’ve already covered how Martide’s SaaS is cloud based. In fact, it is hosted on Google Cloud Google Security Whitepaper.

In simple terms, the cloud is the internet and cloud computing refers to an SaaS - such as  Martide’s platform.

If we return to our office block example, we can look at it this way: our SaaS is stored securely in the cloud and is accessible by multiple tenants. But because we separate data through an access control feature that is based on company, users, and roles your data is unable to be accessed by the other tenants - or users.

Just as employees from the other businesses working in your office block can’t unlock your door and enter your office, they also can’t access your data in Martide's system.

The benefits of using Software as a Service: conclusion

We hope that we’ve given you some food for thought and if you’d like to know more about how Martide’s maritime recruitment and crew management SaaS can help you create a more cohesive and integrated way of working, we’d love to hear from you.

From access to our accredited global network of manning agents, to branded adverts for your jobs that seafarers can apply for through our website and mobile app, to our in-built messaging system which gives a 360 degree view of all of your team’s communications, our SaaS solution is here to help.

Get in touch with us today and let us help you keep your new year’s resolution to streamline your operations!