Technological advancement are moving fast and if you are a thriving business, what you knew ten years ago may not be as effective today. The impact of technology even affects how you run your business. Today, your physical signage is not enough – you need social media pages. Your merchandise requires more than a display rack, so you get an e-commerce website. Gone are the days when the only significant software you use in your business is a point of sale (POS) system.

Want to grow your business? If you are serious about expanding your enterprise, you must consider integrating Software as a Service or SaaS applications in your operations right now.

SaaS is referred to as the ASP or the application service provider services. Another term for it is software on demand. But perhaps the most popular term for it which you may have heard of is the Cloud.

SaaS is viewed as one of the booming fields in the world of Information Technology. According to Vanson Bourne in The Business Advantages of Moving to the Cloud, your business is bound to grow by 19.63% if you shift to the cloud platform.

But no matter how it can help your business, this technology and the positive statistics will mean nothing if you have no idea what it is in the first place and how your business can take advantage of it.

So, what is SaaS?

Software as a Service or SaaS is a hub for software delivery and remote data management that lets you retrieve or upload information from any digital device that is connected to the internet and web browser. Basically, the cloud is a shared platform and data repository for IT services. Think of a massive online hard drive for applications.

Who uses SaaS applications?

You might be surprised. The Saas platform is extensively used by huge companies across industries. Top companies that follow the Saas business model include big names like Google, Hubspot, Adobe, Shopify, Slack, MailChimp, and Microsoft.

SaaS applications are also availed by different businesses, IT professionals, CEOs, and executives. One of the reasons for this is because it provides applications for basic business functions such as sales management, human resource management, customer service management, and even the simple but equally important email communication.

Because of its convenience and reliability, Software as a Service applications can also be personally used by individual users. If you are paying a subscription for Google Suite or Dropbox storage, you are already using the SaaS platform.

How can SaaS benefit its users?

1. No large upfront payments

If you are using Cloud-based software, you only pay as you use. You do not need to make a big initial payment just to get your operations going.

This is favorable for midsize companies who are counting their budget up to the last coin and those who cannot afford to make huge financial risks.

2.  Cut costs in your organization

The potential long term savings of SaaS applications is one of the biggest benefits. If your company does not want to spend cash on-premises system maintenance, then you must consider using the software as a service platform.

You might think that adopting SaaS solutions may be expensive at first, but in the long run, it can cut costs in your organization. It is relatively cheaper than buying software for an on-premise system which carries extra expenses like purchasing extra hardware or paying personnel for system maintenance.

There are also a lot of Cloud-based applications offering discounts on subscription fees like this background remover that can further let you save money.

3. Convenience and availability

One of the best features of SaaS is that it allows you to access your software anytime and anywhere on any device that has a web browser and an internet connection.

This is useful especially if you are working in the field most of the time. Access your files in the cloud or use a SaaS application on your mobile phone while on the go. Is your business reliant on a sales team in the field? The SaaS platform will be a great companion to help your manpower to do better and improve sales performance.

4. Assured data security

Now we get to the biggest concern for this kind of system – data security. If you are a company that is about to adopt the SaaS system, your biggest question should probably be: Are all my information protected in the Cloud? This is a legitimate worry if you are a SaaS company.

In fact, according to LogicMonitor, even IT professionals consider security as the biggest challenge when shifting to SaaS technology.

The good news is, SaaS providers assure their users that security is also their number one concern.

One of the cloud provider’s most important responsibilities is maintaining the data of their users, so they primarily spend their efforts on making sure that all the information entrusted to them is protected.

To ensure this, SaaS vendors have different servers in various locations and have invested in automatically backing up files and data. In fact, a user’s cloud data is so safe that, according to Gartner, 99% of SaaS failures would be the customer’s fault.

5. Reduce IT costs

Another benefit of adopting SaaS for your enterprise is that it also reduces your IT costs. A company that relies on software would usually need a dedicated IT team to do maintenance jobs and IT-related concerns.

With the Cloud, everything is done by the provider. For a small subscription fee, you free yourself of the rigors of providing your software maintenance, updates, and security.  You also do not need to purchase any hardware or install a local server in your area.

Your Turn…

Why should you integrate SaaS into your business?

We listed five reasons why you should.

But simply put, consolidating SaaS into your enterprise is the now and the future of doing business.

According to Gartner’s research, around $111 billion of IT spending is allotted for shifting from an on-premise to a cloud platform. By 2020, this expenditure should have increased to $216 billion.

This only shows that the interest to integrate SaaS is growing fast. And it does not show signs of slowing down. Even small businesses are now moving towards adopting Cloud solutions.

So when will you?

Author’s Bio:

Yen Pedrajas is a technology enthusiast who loves to review and write informative content about the latest tech trends and ideas. She is currently managing public relations and customer operations for Removal.AI. 

An AI technology that operates as a background remover SaaS tool to offer professional photo editing and removing the background of images for eCommerce and all other web and app development purposes.