There are a lot of questions being asked by business owners if they really need SaaS Applications in their business. We are helping the business owner to get ideas of what they should question their business before using Software-as-a-Service applications (SaaS).

As we know, Software-as-a-service is a software deployment that technology providers build on cloud infrastructure and make available over the internet. Below are some benefits of SaaS:

• Accessibility: Easily accessible over the internet with 24/7 access from anywhere at any time.
• Operational Management: There is no installation required, hardware updates or any licensing agreements.
• Cost Effective: No upfront hardware costs and work with Pay-as-you-go pricing models.
• Scalability: Highly Scalable where the applications can accommodate based on business current needs and requirement
• Data Storage: The data is on Cloud storage
• Analytics: Able to access data reporting and intelligence tools
• Increase Security: SaaS providers invest in security technology and expertise for the business usage

1. What is SaaS?

Software-as-a-service is a software delivery that allows business to access their data on any device over the internet. With SaaS, the vendors will be maintaining the application maintenance.

Difference between On-Premise Delivery Model and SaaS:

• SaaS deployments don’t require extensive hardware – Most of the IT responsibilities will be managed by the vendor, including maintenance and troubleshooting the software.
• SaaS systems are usually paid within a subscription model, whereas on-premise software requires upfront payment and licensing.

2. What should your business consider before deciding on SaaS vs On-Premise?

As a business owner, understanding the complexity of your business is crucial. You need to understand the below before deciding on which application environment. There are a few areas that you need to consider:

1. How specialised/customised is your business compared to the same business in the same industry?
2. Does the off-the-shelf products offer the features that you need?
3. What level of customisation do you think you will be needing?
4. What is your budget like? Will your business be able to pay upfront for the hardware and a 20% maintenance fee yearly for Premise deployment

As mentioned above, SaaS is paid within a subscription model, so it could benefit companies with a small budget to spread the cost of ownership while adopting robust and modern software.

3. Can SaaS Software be customised based on your business need?

Definitely, the web-based software is highly flexible and able to be modified for specific business uses. Most of these SaaS applications can be customised based on the preferred User Interface (UI) as well as modifications on specific areas such as the data field.

Both on-premise and SaaS applications provide customisation; however, cloud-based software offers far more agility and flexibility for the average company.

4. Will my data be safe in the cloud?

Most SaaS providers are on highly secure public cloud services. We usually invest so much in security, data backups and maintenance.

5. Does my business have any internet and operating system (OS) limitations?

SaaS relies on a very strong internet connection. Unless your business is located in a remote   location, your current business internet connection is more than sufficient to use a SaaS application.

On-premise applications will be subject to electrical outages, hardware failures and other risks.

There are so many options for SaaS available, and it is difficult to determine which model works best for your business. However, with some of the frequent questions listed above, you might be able to find the right fit for your business.