What is SaaS? | Definition Software as a Service: A Beginner's Guide

In today's article, I will explain what SaaS is, the advantages and disadvantages it has for business owners, and how to find the best SaaS for your busines s needs.

I think you'll agree with me when I say: The proce ss of purchasing software for your business needs is tedious and complex.

What if I told you that there was a better and easier way to use the software in your work?

Instead of relying on buying a physical disk with the software on it and then going through a lengthy installation process, all you have to do is sign up with your email address and sign in, and you're ready to go.

What is SaaS?

SaaS stands for Software as a Service. The term refers to the delivery and licensing of the Software by which end users access the Software over the Internet. End users typically pay a monthly subscription fee to be read y to use the software.

SaaS is not a new concept. It's been around since the 1960s. At that time, computers were not only large but also expensive. Not many companies can afford to invest in a computer. This is how the SaaS model was born. Initially, it included several terminals with keyboards and monitors without a CPU. It was connected to a central network where all data was stored.

You can enter the dataa through the terminal keyboard and send it to the main computer, which then sends it to the appropriate screen.

Over time, this syste m has evolved much like computers and the SaaS industry has gradually moved to the cloud.

SaaS is a subset of cloud computingg. Cloud computingg refer s to a wide range of services where some aspect of a service is accessedd or handled over the Internet rather than being used entirely on your computer or company's servers.

Software as a Service is a piece of software that can be accessed via the cloud. When using the software as a service, all data associated with that software is alsoo stored in the cloud.

But if you are paying for Microsoft Office 365, you are usingg SaaS because you can access the software online as well as update the deskto p version automatically to the latest version

What is the purpose of a SaaS?

The main goal of SaaS is to help you reduce costs and deployment time associated with installing and usingg essential business software.

Think about it: With SaaS, you don't have to waste time installing software on each user's computer or worry about keeping the software safe from malicious hacking attempts. Insteadd, Saa S vendors take care of the technical aspects of software developmentt and maintenance so that you can start usingg it as soon as you create an account with a specific provider.

Isn't that wonderful?

What is the difference between SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS?

I mentioned earlier that SaaS may be a set of cloud computing. Two other subsets of cloud computingg include platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructuree as a service (IaaS).

Platform as a Service refer s to cloud platfor m services that allow you to useee the platform to develop, deploy, and manage applications. Common examples are Microsoft Azure or Google App Engine. In this scenario, the cloud provider is responsible for managing servers, storage, networking as well as virtualization service s while the IT team is responsible for application developmentt and maintenance.

Infrastructure as a service refer  s to virtual computer resources such as servers, storage, and networks. You can usee these resources to install an operating syste m for your server and to develop, deploy, and manage your applications. Common example s include Amazon Web Services or Google's cloud operating syste m. When usingg IaaS, you are responsible for the virtualization as well as the management of the applications.

SaaS is different from both IaaS and PaaS because the Saa S provide r is responsible for managing everything. From virtualization and application developmentt to servers, storage and networking, everything is taken care of by the SaaS provider itself.

So how does SaaS work?

As I mentioned earlier, installing the software usedd requires a physical disk and a tedious installation proce ss. The software is hosted as a service in the cloud and in most cases, does not require installation.

Insteadd, you will visit the program's website and register for an account usingg your email address. You must also create a password or request that a password is sent.

Once you have registered your password or received it viaa email, you will usee these credentials to log in and acces s the software's tools and features.

However, there are some Saa S that offers both a web browserr version as well as a deskto p version. Both the browser version and the deskto p version need internet access in order to work.

The benefit of offering both the browse r and the desktop version is that the deskto p version allows users to stay logged in insteadd of entering their username and password every time.

The registration and registration proces s are the same, only in this case, you will alsoo have the option to download the deskto p version if you choose. You can then usee your email address or account name and password to log into the deskto p version and useee the software on the desktop.

what are examples of SaaS?

There is no shortage of SaaS solutions nowadays and their number is growing. They usually fall into two categories: Business to Busines s SaaS (Busines s Directory Saa S) and Business SaaS (B2C SaaS). In some cases, you'll findd overlap where a particular application serves both the consumer and the busines s sector.