What exactly is software as a service (SaaS)?
Software as a service (or service) is an approach to using software that is of particular interest to companies that cannot invest large sums of money in software solutions or want a quick return on investment. Software as a service is a modern way of delivering software solutions in the form of a web application. The great advantage of this use of software is that the user does not have a large initial investment, but the software is paid in the form of a monthly rent.
The key elements of software as a service are:
- The software is installed on a server, which the client accesses through one of the standard Internet search software (Chrome, FireFox, Edge, etc.);
- The software is owned by the service provider who continuously takes care of its functionality;
- Clients pay for the use of the software in the form of monthly rents in accordance with the scope of its use.
| Personal software | Software as a Service (SaaS) |
| It is paid in advance | It is paid monthly, per use |
| High initial costs | Low initial costs |
| Application costs, maintenance, infrastructure, IT resources | Subscription costs and minimal engagement of IT resources |
| Longer time required for configuration and implementation | Fast implementation |
By applying this approach, customers are relieved of the costs of software management (purchase, installation, maintenance, licenses, etc.) because this obligation is assumed by the service provider. He is responsible for the operation of the software, debugging, adapting it to new versions of system software, installing new versions and the like.
Generally, such software can be accessed from any location, as well as devices (computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.). Of course, this approach is not without its drawbacks, where the biggest problem is that if you do not have access to the Internet, you cannot access the software or data.