How can organizations make the most from a SaaS management platform?

Management in SaaS (Software as a Service) is a cloud-based concept. It is simply a question of subscribing to software in the form of services delivered via the Internet rather than installing them on the company’s servers.

The software is hosted and run on the service provider’s cloud servers, and company employees connect to it via the web from a computer or any device, including mobile devices. The SaaS model can therefore allow the company to make significant savings. In addition, generally, SaaS is based on a subscription business model.

Thus, rather than paying for a license, the company pays a user fee at a monthly and annual flat rate. The price of this subscription includes all costs (use, storage, maintenance, security) and varies according to the resources consumed, the features used and the number of users.

Formerly reserved for certain types of software, SaaS mode is now available in all categories. We find SaaS software for office automation, accounting, collaborative tools, videoconferencing, communication, customer relationship management and resource management. More and more software publishers are turning to SaaS management to meet the strong demand from businesses.

SaaS mode has many advantages for companies, including SMEs. First of all, we can cite a cost significantly lower than that of traditional software acquisition. Since maintenance and update costs are included in the service, the total price is much lower.

Why go through SaaS?

Cloud-based SaaS application eliminates the need for companies to install and run them on their own systems. This eliminates – or at least reduces – the costs associated with the purchase and maintenance of hardware, software and technical support.

A company can subscribe or terminate a SaaS offering as needed (add or remove a user, a feature,etc.) when it is obliged to purchase software licenses to install them on its entire computer fleet without having a margin of manoeuvre if employees arrive or leave. And the savings can become substantial in the case of applications that require the purchase of new hardware to support the
software.

SaaS management saves money

In addition, the price of the subscription to the service is proportional to the resources consumed and the functionalities used. Finally, fierce competition is raging in this emerging market, and the various suppliers are trying to stand out with aggressively low prices.

Still, on the economic front, SaaS mode has another advantage. In the form of a service, the software is no longer seen as an investment in the company’s balance sheet but as a fixed operating cost. In fact, it is possible to deduct this expense from the company’s results. This is an advantage for
accounting.

It should also be noted that the pooling of resources between the various companies that use SaaS from the same supplier makes it possible to reduce the energy consumption of the servers. SaaS mode, therefore, makes it possible to save energy.

SaaS management allows for greater flexibility

Another advantage is that the company no longer needs to perform software installations or updates. These tedious tasks are performed on the service provider’s servers, and users only need to connect to the interface via the internet to enjoy working and up-to-date software. It is also possible to access it from anywhere, with any device, at any time, on the sole condition of having an internet connection.

SaaS mode also brings certain flexibility to the company. It is possible to choose the same provider for all software or to choose a different provider for each software. Depending on your needs, preferences and the strengths and weaknesses of each supplier, it is, therefore, possible to compose your own mix of service providers.

What are the advantages for companies?

The ability of applications to run on both mobile devices and computers contrasts with many traditional desktop-only business applications.

SaaS business model also benefits from the fact that service providers can perform automatic updates in software – often on a weekly or monthly basis – so that SaaS license managers don’t have to worry about buying any new versions or installing fixes such as security updates.

How to integrate a SaaS application?

SaaS offerings are available from so many vendors, and it has been a key trend is the increasing integration of these offerings. Both services are intended to integrate multiple SaaS applications, such as single sign-on and access management, and efforts within the SaaS vendor community to
create integrations between software from various vendors so that business processes can flow more easily between these applications from multiple vendors.

Conclusion

As you can see when looking for information about the SaaS model options, these are information management and control services that practically all companies have been integrating for years, becoming more than a tool of their businesses: an essential part and inseparable of them.