Project management firm boost efficiency and speed of delivery with Amazon AppStream

Founded in 2005 in Sweden, project management (PM) firm Hansoft delivers software for clients in sectors including game development, the Internet of Things and space and defence. At the time, the company operated in a far less advanced and less crowded marketplace.

Hansoft vice president of marketing and customer success Johan Karlsson explains: “There was a big gap in the market when Hansoft started […] Now, there are hundreds more PM solutions in a list that grows every time we look, so we have stiff competition.”

As competition grew, Hansoft found that others were able to move faster to meet customer demands, something that began to affect the company’s bottom line. Hansoft identified two distinct challenges: convincing potential customers to try its software, and getting existing on-premises customers to do the same, in order to convert them to the more flexible SaaS model.

Hansoft eventually decided on Amazon’s fully managed streaming applications service AppStream 2.0. IT solutions director Erik Jakubek said: “We launched the Amazon AppStream client, and it just worked. There was no more to it than that.” With AppStream, customers can now access Hansoft software in mere seconds via a web browser.

There has also been a marked impact on the company’s sales process, as the shorter time required to showcase its software means that deals can be closed quicker. As Karlsson says: “Using Amazon AppStream, we’ve reduced the first steps of our sales cycle by up to 20 percent.” This ease-of-engagement also ensures that Hansoft makes an excellent first impression on potential customers.

AppStream has also delivered cost savings for Hansoft and enabled it to devote more resources to its core offerings. Karlsson says: “The simplicity of AppStream means we can focus on development work that will help make Hansoft the best PM software in the market. I’d estimate it saves us the effort and expense of two full-time staff. That equates to a lot of extra features for customers!”