Convert desktop apps to SaaS without refactoring using Amazon AppStream 2.0

Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) come in many shapes and sizes. For some, software is their sole business, for others, it can be complimentary to their primary business. Nearly every ISV not born in the cloud, with a portfolio of traditional desktop applications, faces a common challenge: migrating to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or face a host of issues that can hinder growth and scalability.

Consumers want SaaS solutions for many reasons. They want greater flexibility afforded by subscription-based software and the scalability that it offers by removing hardware dependencies related to compute power (CPU/GPU) or memory requirements for specific applications. Additionally, consumer fears regarding security and data protection need to be balanced with the need for collaboration and data visibility. This is evidenced by consumers no longer wanting to email attachments and managing different files across collaborative teams.

SaaS alleviates consumer worries about installing software on their devices and managing upgrades. Consumers embracing AI and IoT, expect these capabilities to be integrated into their products driving the need for ISVs to modernize with SaaS to support them. ISVs respond to these consumer modernization needs by migrating their applications to SaaS. While the applications themselves may, in some cases, require unique capabilities, there are more macro friction points organizations need to address on their journey to SaaS.

While Amazon Appstream 2.0 can support migrating a desktop application to SaaS, there are shifts in an ISV’s business model that require more thoughtful preparation. One of the main problems faced by on-premises or desktop ISV customers looking to migrate to SaaS is lack of budget and skilled resources. These ISV are unable to continue to meet customer demand for new features concurrently while re-architecting their products to a SaaS based model. Often, a company’s size and revenue do not afford the ability for significant investment that is not leading to new or add-on sales.

Shifting a software business from a desktop native perpetual licensing model to a SaaS subscription based one is no easy feat in and of itself. The change touches not only the technical teams, but the finance, sales, customer support, and R&D teams. Leading up to the migration and launch of a SaaS product all teams must be in alignment on the messaging to customers. Considerations include: how it will be priced; how orders will be quoted and provisioned; what the impact will be on financial reporting; and how it will be supported. The shift to a SaaS business may even introduce new functions that previously may not have existed. These may include functions such as renewal managers and customer success managers that are proactively focused on adoption vs reactive attrition notices. Some potential ISV customers may reach an impasse wherein their go-to-market teams desire the new distribution model and the subscription-based revenue that a SaaS offers, but their technical teams lack the ability to deliver on this shift.

The financial risk in pivoting from a perpetual license model to a SaaS one draws near term scrutiny for promise of long-term reward. The initial launch of a SaaS product may come with a shortfall on annual revenue for the current fiscal year and subsequent ones (often up to 3-4 years) until a revenue stream cross over occurs. Making this shift to migrate existing applications need to be carefully planned and messaged to shareholders and stakeholders alike. This may not pose a challenge for new or underperforming products, but will most certainly for flagship products.

To learn how our AppStream 2.0 customer Moody’s solved their business and technical challenges, join our breakout session, EUC206 “Convert desktop apps to web-based delivery or SaaS without refactoring” at re:Invent 2023. Our experts will share common pitfalls business face in preparation for their SaaS migration and guide you through the process of leveraging AppStream 2.0 to speed up the migration of your applications to the cloud.

To learn more about the event and sign up for this Breakout session, please see the details below. Be sure to visit the team at the AWS End User Computing kiosk 7 at the expo Village in the Venetian. For guidance regarding all EUC activities at re:Invent 2023, see the AWS End User Computing at re:Invent 2023: A sneak peek! blog post.

Will Lang serves as the Principal Product Manager for AWS AppStream 2.0 service. As the product lead for AWS AppStream 2.0, he is responsible for charting out the product vision and direction as well as delivery of products, features, and services to best meet the needs of our customers.