For electronic system companies (IP, semiconductor or system companies), providing access to a virtual model of their electronic systems can provide great benefits. Doing it using software as a service expands it even more.

There are of course the independent benefits of virtual platforms (available pre-hardware, easier to use than hardware, …) and of Software as a Service (no requirement local installation and license management, no compatibility issues between software and host operating system, access to server farm with consistent computing power, software installed and running, universal access anywhere, …), but the combination of the two is really what makes it attractive.

Let’s take the example of a semiconductor interested in going to market with their chip. Rather than delivering a datasheet and waiting for silicon availability, you can provide to interested customers, prospects and partners an immediate experience using a virtual platform without having to deliver anything to your customer directly. You can experience such concept by visiting CoWare Versatile reference virtual platform at http://www.coware.com/solutions/vp_saas.php.

Such approach will enable companies to engage customer early, increase your credibility and product success while maintaining go-to-market costs low. Are you using virtual platform? Are you using SaaS for your engineering tools? We would like to hear your experience!