The rapid changes in IT and the intricate process of buying CDs or DVDs to install new software or upload to your software applications. Because of the many inventions and developments in the internet and technology, we now have cloud-based software applications to replace the on-premise software everywhere.
This article will look at the advantages that SaaS offers, leading to more and more businesses and companies jumping in to use it. At the same time, the number of SaaS software providers continues to grow day after day.
SaaS, which stands for software-as-a-service, means a cloud-based business model where users have access to a vendor’s software delivered through the cloud with the access fee on a subscription basis.
This subscription-based fee can be monthly, some months, or yearly. With these intriguing features of having the software delivered through the cloud, SaaS offers some important advantages. Let’s take a look at them.
Top Advantages & Benefits of SaaS
#1 Lower Upfronts and Costs
Payments for SaaS are on a subscription basis and can make a lower upfront payment to use the software. This feature contrasts with on-premise software delivery, where you have to make a wholesome perpetual payment and pay for installation before you can use it.
The SaaS pay-as-you model allows businesses to cut costs as they will only pay for the features they need. This characteristic is also advantageous to startups and small businesses as they can now have access to high-end software at lower costs. This high-powered software was initially expensive and could only be gotten with huge investment in IT infrastructure and couldn’t be purchased by most startups and small businesses due to lower budgets and budgetary constraints.
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#2 Maintenance and Updates
SaaS also does not involve any ongoing operating expenses such as upgrades and maintenance. The SaaS vendor makes the maintenance to the IT infrastructure that you use and the upgrades and updates that are needed.
This feature removes the stress and cost of maintaining the infrastructure in-house or making upgrades on your own and saves the time you could have used in testing and deploying the updates, etc. What’s more? The upgrades are automatic and are made without interrupting your use of the SaaS software and applications.
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#3 Easier to Implement
SaaS software is hosted in the cloud and therefore already installed. This feature means that you don’t have to worry about setting up a huge and complex IT infrastructure. The SaaS vendor handles the required complex IT infrastructure before deploying SaaS business applications. All you have to do is register and, in some rare cases, download a web browser application or extension that is compatible with that SaaS software.
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#4 Cross-Platform Feature
You can access SaaS software and applications through any device that can connect to the internet. This feature makes the SaaS model have great cross-platform compatibility. What’s more? You do not have to worry about the OS of your device. All you need is a web browser. This feature allows users to access the software from wherever they are and with any device. Hence, increasing efficiency and productivity.
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#5 Time Effectiveness and Management
Just like it saves money, SaaS also helps users and businesses in saving time. SaaS software installation only needs a good internet connection and the purchase of a log-in. This feature of SaaS saves the time used to do manual installations with the traditional on-premises software. Also, the maintenance, upgrades, and updates in the software and IT infrastructure have been seen on-premises now in the software vendor’s hands. This removes the work hours and stress from the users and saves production time.
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#6 Easier App Integrations
SaaS software and applications integrations with other systems and platforms are easily made. This is because of their compatibility with APIs, and it allows individual users and companies to easily integrate their in-house systems with the SaaS vendor’s software using their APIs. It hence makes for better performance of the in-house systems.
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#7 Easy Scalability
SaaS software and applications are hosted in the cloud by the vendor, and users can change their preferences. You can easily select more features that you want as your business grows or deselect the use of some other features when you think they aren’t necessary. These are also these features that you have to pay for. Ultimately, SaaS gives you the ability to augment resources with minimal friction whenever easily.
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#8 Easier to Use
SaaS software is easier to use when compared to on-premise software for many reasons. They don’t involve coding, as they come with baked-in samples and best practices. Users can also do proofs-of-concept and the SaaS software functionalities and ease of use features before they are released. This feature makes SaaS software very to use and adopt among employees.
Guaranteed levels of service (SLAs), data recovery and backups.
In contrast to the on-premises traditional software delivery model, SaaS software vendors give the users assured guarantees called ‘service level agreements ‘ of how well their service will take it. What’s more? While the data backup process can be labor-intensive and time-consuming, SaaS software makes your data backups automatic with on-premise software. It will be easy to recover in case of loss.
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#9 Higher Customization a White-Labeling
Another awesome feature of SaaS is the aspect of white-labeling SaaS solutions which entails customizations made according to some clients’ unique requirements. However, it is not every SaaS service provider that offers SaaS white-labeling solutions. This white-labeling solution makes it possible for big tech firms and businesses to deliver advanced services to their customers.
Are there challenges and risks or disadvantages with SaaS? Yes, just like every coin that has two sides, there are some demerits that you can get with the use of SaaS. Such disadvantages include having less control over your data and software, security breaches, and service disruption due to hacks and other internet malicious activities. With SaaS, there is also latency and, in some cases, difficulty when you want to change or switch from one SaaS vendor to another.
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Wrapping Up
Cloud-based IT service delivery is becoming the future of IT, and SaaS is part of it. The advantages are the many reasons why the SaaS business is growing day after day and why you should go SaaS.
Many have decided to switch from using on-premise software to cloud-based SaaS software and applications because of the benefits or advantages over the disadvantages.
Continually SaaS software vendors continue to develop IT solutions that solve these SaaS adoption challenges, and soon most of these disadvantages will exist no more. Be assured that the business software delivery model will bring more advantages to businesses in the future, so it is rational that you go SaaS now than later.