SaaS is an abbreviation of Software as a Service. It’s one of the Cloud Computing services in which a software is delivered through the internet. This kind of service does not require any downloading, but only a stable internet connection to use it.
(Link to cloud computing article)
The software application itself in SaaS is originally developed, tested, and maintained by the cloud providers before reaching its users.
Advantages of SaaS
When talking about SaaS advantages, we mean accessibility, compatibility, operational management. Let’s dig deeper into each one of these:
1- Accessibility
How many times did you think that you can’t download software on your device? Moreover, how many times do you worry when you start downloading a version of software and think that it is not compatible with your device? Well, the SaaS is different.
One of the biggest advantages of SaaS is that the software delivered can be used through an internet browser without the need of downloading it on your PC or mobile. With This concept in mind, SaaS can work on various PC operating systems like Windows, Mac, and Linux. And for the mobile devices, it can work on both Android and IOS smartphones.
2- Updates and Patches
Have you ever worried about having software in your device updated with the latest version? In SaaS service you don’t have to worry about that as it happens automatically before you realize it.
In such an important thing like downloading updates, SaaS takes the lead as you don’t have to download the updates yourself as the provider of the software updates it centrally without affecting any of its users operations.
3- Hardware
Some big issues for a lot of softwares are the need for servers and compatible software along with hardware configuration and a lot of costs. But in SaaS, any small business can have access to the software tools as it’s cloud-based.
The ability of scaling is promising and the company can switch plans if there’s a small or big number of users using its software.
4- Storage and Backups
In any kind of software, it’s important to save backups in case the software crashes. The thing is that SaaS already saves its data in the cloud.
5- Data Analysis
As SaaS is run through a centralized platform, it’s easy to capture the data and analyze it. And the companies that use SaaS have already access to the reporting tools to track the data and make use out of it.
Disadvantages of SaaS
The main disadvantage of SaaS is that you need a good internet connection in order to use the software. But that is not the case nowadays as a lot of people have access to the internet.
3 Examples of SaaS:
1- Microsoft Office 365
It combines all the Microsoft office services like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc into a cloud-based format. With Microsoft 365 you can create and edit your files on different devices seamlessly in real-time.
2- Google Applications
Applications like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar are all built on a cloud-based structure in which you can share, create, and send files through different devices.
3- Slack
It’s a real-time messaging application that’s widely used in universities and companies to organize work and talk about specific topics in different channels.
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