Thought Leadership

PLM Machine Builders – the power of SaaS cloud technology provides benefits to industry solutions

By Blake Snodgrass

Cloud technology is changing the product development process and fundamentally impacting how a business operates. A quick look at recent history shows how many of the original computer systems ran as dumb terminals connected to a powerful mainframe, a predecessor to cloud services. Then, in the late 1970s, we saw the introduction of personal computers (PC). In the 1980s we witnessed these PCs transforming businesses. Then as they became more ubiquitous, there was a move into local area networks, linking these computers to centralized data storage. This costly model was dominant for many years, with departments managing the infrastructure and software.

However, the advent of the Internet began to change many things. In 1999, Salesforce introduced its first CRM software (customer relationship management software), providing a tool to help organizations provide customers with a unique and seamless experience, building better relationships by providing a complete picture of all customer interactions. So, the first built SaaS came along around this time.

SaaS, or software as a service, is a way of delivering applications over the Internet. SaaS is a form of a cloud solution like with mobile phones or backing up data to iCloud or Google Drive. Still, it also relates file sharing tools like Dropbox and, more recently, SaaS applications which are pervasive in our work lives. So, companies like Salesforce are leading the charge with CRM, and Microsoft is moving from selling the office suite to now having a cloud service for document creation and storage. Additionally, SaaS can run on any device, PC, laptop or mobile phone.

Siemens Xcelerator offers a broad range of capabilities that take the power of cloud and SaaS, further making PLM adoption easier by increasing preconfiguration and developing industry-focused solutions out-of-the-box. Therefore, software plays a critical role in managing your data, leading to the decision to partner with the gold standard cloud provider, Amazon Web Services or AWS.

A crucial enabler driving broader adoption of the cloud is infrastructure improvements, faster and more reliable Internet, and lowering the cost of cloud services, thus removing the need for capital investment in system maintenance. In addition, IT support staff is not necessary with the SaaS solution running on the cloud, and there is the benefit of a service level agreement (SLA).

PLM has a reputation for being difficult and expensive to deploy. Still, customers are drawn to SaaS by the robust underlying technology of the most popular PLM system in the world. Also, Siemens PLM is combined with the gold standard cloud delivery by a web service (WS). Furthermore, the next phase of SaaS is industry solutions that provide preconfigured installations tailored to specific business processes. Tailored solutions offer a better and more efficient path from configuration and start to deliver value immediately.

Learn more about PLM Machine Builders. Also, look for an upcoming five-part podcast series starting in January 2023 with experts discussing various details of this topic.


Siemens Xcelerator, the comprehensive and integrated portfolio of software and services from Siemens Digital Industries Software, helps companies of all sizes create and leverage a comprehensive digital twin that provides organizations with new insights, opportunities and levels of automation to drive innovation.

For more information on Siemens Digital Industries Software products and services, visit siemens.com/software or follow us on LinkedInTwitterFacebook and Instagram. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Where today meets tomorrow.

Leave a Reply

This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/thought-leadership/2022/12/16/plm-machine-builders-the-power-of-saas-cloud-technology-provides-benefits-to-industry-solutions/