Fidelity Group, a leader in creating customer inspired software, telecoms and energy procurement solutions since 2008, has announced the launch of Payments-as-a-Service. This will now see Fidelity expand into the SME UK merchant payment market by providing Payment Software Solutions, Credit Card Terminals, Online Payment Gateways, EPOS and E-commerce Services.
“Since inception, Fidelity has successfully diversified and scaled its service offerings in line with their ‘Everything-as-a-Service’ model, said Alan Shraga, Managing Director of Fidelity. “The launch of Payments is another value-add service that can help retail businesses access state-of-the-art payment software solutions and technology at affordable rates.”
Fidelity Payments is a combined partnership with Modern World business Solutions merchant platform. The synergy between both businesses as software lead enabler-based companies meant that a collaboration was inevitable.
Alan Shraga adds, “We are excited to take the next step in growing our value-add services and also look forward to introducing Payments-as-a-Service to our exclusive channel partners. Our partners will now have access to additional revenue streams, a fully managed merchant payment platform as well as industry leading service and support.”
Fidelity Payments will first launch with a mobile credit card terminal with Elavon as the acquiring bank. Soon after, Fidelity plans to expand the service offering to Online Payment Gateways, EPOS and E-commerce services. They will also become acquirer agnostic by attaining certifications with multiple acquiring banks.
The all-in-one service is said to be the future of cloud computing that can leverage data capabilities. But what makes it so unique from others? Is it revolutionising cloud services?
The different ways a cloud platform service can be hosted and used has provided an enormous canvas to manage solutions according to one’s needs for the particular service. Every deployed cloud service operates on a similar principle of virtualising the computing power of servers into specific required services that provide processing and storage capabilities to data and software-driven applications.
The “as-a-Service” model of cloud computing is a trend that continues to gain traction, especially SaaS (Software-as-a-Service), PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), and IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service). Now, we have XaaS.
Everything as a service is a category of services related to cloud computing and remote access. It includes a vast number of products, tools, and technologies delivered to users as a service over the internet.
Any IT functionality can be transformed into a service for enterprise consumption. The services are paid for in a flexible consumption model rather than an upfront purchase or licence. In a XaaS model, products are usually deployed on online platforms.
Easy-to-use workspaces can be deployed and easily accessed through a browser. Whenever a change is made or data downloaded, the browser sends a request to the hosted platform. XaaS provides Sandboxes, Security, APIs, Analytics and more – all on a single platform. Such a model removes the need to build everything in-house; organisations can purchase XaaS products for extended periods at low costs, making the most of it. XaaS is a combination of SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS offerings.
The Emerging Service
XaaS and the Internet of Things (IoT) are also inter-connected. Making use of intelligent edge and hybrid services, XaaS leverages the space for emerging technologies and is becoming increasingly popular due to its sheer ability to boost business agility and reduce costs that help improve workforce efficiency.
The technology can easily accelerate innovation and get products into the market faster. Many consumer-facing organisations are finding ways to integrate data tools into their existing products to provide users with increased value. An example of one such company is Rolls-Royce.
In recent years, XaaS has emerged to support customer engagement with offline activities like food delivery, property searches, and doctors on-demand.
Instead of having various functions operating in individual silos, XaaS enables organisations to set up services that can be made available for multiple departments at the same time to leverage in the way that they need. There are several benefits of XaaS – it helps improve the expense model, speeding new apps and business processes, and shifting IT resources to higher-value projects.
Multi-dimensional functionalities such as Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) and Container-as-a-Service (CaaS) can be implemented using XaaS. In CaaS, several software code components are packed together in “containers” that can be read and run anywhere and executed whenever required. Containers required to store code can be purchased through provider companies.
On the other hand, DaaS enables users to manage their whole workforce within the organisation over a secure web browser. DaaS services are now replacing the need for businesses to build and provide custom and localised desktop systems.
Benefits of XaaS
Using the XaaS model, businesses can cut costs efficiently by purchasing services from providers on a subscription basis. However, before XaaS and cloud services, businesses had to buy individual products – software, hardware, servers, security, infrastructure – and install them on-site, further linking everything together to create distinct networks.
The XaaS cloud model delivers rapid access to new capabilities from anywhere globally and scalability – two significant key benefits.
Access to newer technologies and increased scalability to more easily adapt to sudden changes in an operating model or workforce shifts, in turn, helps organisations innovate quicker and offer new products and services that attract new customers while keeping existing customers satisfied.
Another benefit about XaaS is that it usually requires a lesser investment than technical architecture on the front and back ends, and allows businesses to rapidly grow or expand usage and service levels as needed.
Businesses can buy what they need, and as much as they require and pay-as-they-go. This allows organisations to continue to reinvest in business strategies more than infrastructure or maintenance costs. What was previously a capital expense has now become an operating expense.
The best choice of deployment model completely depends on the specific needs of each organisation, but the benefits of moving towards a more cloud-based model can significantly outweigh any drawbacks.
Using XaaS as a delivery model can help streamline services and operations to free up several resources for innovation. It eases the digital transformation of previous services to become more agile, increases reach and aids more users in accessing next-gen technology, generalising innovation.
As the tech space continues to move toward a mobile-first, cloud-focused environment, it is becoming essential for businesses to keep everything on the cloud, which is widely accessible and up to date. More and more businesses are now valuing access and outcomes over ownership, with ways to future-proof their business, specifically related to customer experience and technology. As with any digital transformation effort, it is crucial to have a robust and cohesive vision for how a business will use XaaS; otherwise, one may risk landing in a messy situation. To pave the right road, it is necessary to think through marketing and technology strategies, customer engagement plans, and business objectives.
What is XaaS? XaaS is a group of services that helps users engage in cloud computing. Many professionals in IT use XaaS because it can recognise several types of products and technologies that they can then offer as services to clients. If you work in IT or are interested in the technology field, you might benefit from learning about XaaS in case you ever want to use it for your own cloud computing. In this article, we define what XaaS is and explore some of its most common benefits, followed by tips for using it.
What is XaaS?
XaaS stands for anything/ everything as a service and refers to the collection of services that people can offer through cloud computing. While there are other popular services in cloud computing, such as software as a service (SaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS), XaaS combines all of these into one category. The emergence of XaaS might result from innovations in technology that allow users to group services together and the growing popularity of information technology processes in the business world.
For example, many companies that use XaaS typically provide digital B2B, or business-to-business, services such as developing applications and managing servers. This means that these companies can use XaaS to offer services to other companies that comprehensively manage their IT processes.
Benefits of XaaS
Here are some of the key benefits of using XaaS:
Improved purchasing options
One of the clearest benefits that XaaS can offer is a new option for purchasing cloud computing services. Before XaaS, customers typically had to purchase individual products and services to install on their devices manually, such as software, servers and cybersecurity programs. However, XaaS allows users to purchase different levels of subscriptions to services that they can access and install on their devices from almost any location. This can benefit companies by enabling them to only pay for the products they want to use and to adjust their payment plans and subscriptions according to how their needs change over time.
Higher-level opportunities for IT professionals
XaaS can also be beneficial to companies by taking care of basic IT operations. This can allow IT professionals to spend more time focusing on higher-level projects that might require their attention. For example, if a company typically employs IT professionals to oversee data storage, it can start using XaaS to organize its data and transition those IT employees to more complex projects, such as developing new applications or creating new infrastructure for communication systems. This can also lead to more innovations in technology that result from IT professionals having time to pursue creative or independent projects.
Increased adaptability for businesses
Another benefit of using XaaS is that it can help businesses adapt to new conditions in the market where they operate. This can occur because XaaS provides ways to quickly start new technology projects, such as coding new applications and creating new responses to cybersecurity threats. As XaaS operates on the cloud, users can also typically access their projects quickly and scale their infrastructure using automated processes, which can help businesses adjust their operations according to market demands and emerging technologies.
XaaS also allows for resource pooling and responsive elasticity support, so businesses can add or remove services from their XaaS subscriptions easily, depending on which services they use more frequently throughout the year.
Higher productivity
Using XaaS can also benefit a business because it can result in higher overall productivity. This is because XaaS services typically streamline and automate processes that might otherwise take long periods of time to complete. Using XaaS can reduce the time required for certain projects and allow employees to finish more work in a shorter length of time.
I used to be a customer of one of the major UK networks. Billing or tech queries took a hours of waiting. Each time I contact Fidelity Group they get back to me promptly with the answer. The service is impeccable.
★★★★★
AA Lighting Group.
/Business Manager
Our preferred provider, Fidelity Group, came to our rescue. Other companies pretend to be the best but Cristian was not just a step ahead – he was miles ahead!! Thank you, Cristian, Thank you Fidelity Group!
★★★★★
Emma
/Business Manager
We have been a customer of Fidelity for a number of years now and the service is always impeccable….SIM cards are sent out next day, which is extremely helpful for our fast-paced business. I would highly recommend working with Fidelity Group.
★★★★★
George Serbanescu
/Business Manager
My old supplier took hours of me waiting on hold and I was never able to get a clear answer. Each time I contact Fidelity Group they get back to me promptly with the answer regardless if this is about billing, a technical issue, roaming. The service from Fidelity is impeccable.
★★★★★
Gwen S
/Business Manager
We moved to Fidelity 2yrs ago. Moving to Fidelity was extremely simple and the saving was significant. The service received from you is amazing. You always deal with everything in the a professional manner responding to all queries in no time.
★★★★★
Julia Connely
/Business Manager
I have had difficulties using Horizon on my mobile and Carl has helped me to get the new hub connected with a lot of patience. Found out that my broadband provider had to give permission for connection as it wasn’t their hub I was using anymore. He has been very calm throughout.
★★★★★
Mac McGlone
/Business Manager
I spoke with Carl after my system was down. He guided me through the problems and kept me informed. The follow up was excellent until the problem was resolved.
★★★★★
Richard Davies
/Business Manager
We recently changed from a standard broadband line to a leased line with Fidelity. It was installed within two months of signing (and that included the Christmas/New Year break), so much quicker than we expected. And it is far superior to our old line. A very efficient service.
★★★★★
Matthew Finn
/Business Manager
Been a hosted telephony customer of Fidelity now for almost a year and be delighted with the service. The tech support is first class as you get a dedicated adviser to handle your case all the way through, which I love! I would definitely recommend.
★★★★★
Neeta Patel
/Business Manager
Marco has helped a great deal on the problem and has helped to improve the services after discussion, some of which I did not realise were available. He kept in touch until we were fully happy.
★★★★★
Mike Hawkes
/Business Manager
Great company, helpful and always available when required.
★★★★★
Kevin Dowling
/Business Manager
Fidelity is an excellent telecoms provider. The levels of support we receive pre and post-sales are second to none.