In recent years, the software world has been consumed by, which has grown into a $273.5 Billion Market Value, with estimated revenues expected to exceed $363.2 billion in 2025.
Most small businesses are rapidly shifting towards using SaaS solutions in their daily activities, as they have proven to be convenient and effective options.
Table of Contents
What is SaaS?
Software as a service, commonly known as (SaaS), is a software delivery method where applications are made available to users over the internet (i.e., as a service). Unlike the traditional way of purchasing and installing software, SaaS eliminates the hassle of software and hardware set-up. Instead, users can sign in and use apps while they run on a cloud server. B2B (Business to Business) SaaS is the same concept but focuses on providing software to other companies to enable their daily operations.
Characteristics of SaaS
SaaS has numerous characteristics. Here are some of them:
- Easy Customization
Most SaaS tools are very flexible and allow users to tailor their look and use to suit their needs. This is a crucial feature, as the same software can be used by different companies across various industries and markets.
- Multitenant Architecture
“Multitenancy” is a software feature that allows multiple users to access a single instance of an application running on a cloud simultaneously. Thanks to multitenant architecture, employees can work uninterrupted while collaborating and sharing information without lifting a finger. It also enables them to cu
5 Reasons Why SaaS is Beneficial for SMBs
The rise in SaaS usage shows that it has numerous benefits stored up for its users.
- Cost
Thanks to the way they’re deployed, SaaS tools can easily be obtained and maintained with minimal costs compared to their traditional counterparts. This is mainly due to the pay-as-you-go payment model that cuts down costs as you pay only for what you use.
SaaS can be very beneficial for small businesses because it grants them access to high-quality software at a rate that would be impossible to achieve otherwise.
- Time Efficiency
Time efficiency is a core goal for many businesses, not just the small ones. However, SMBs will often go above and beyond to do as much in as little time as possible. This makes them perfect candidates for SaaS, as it’s quick and easy to sign up, install, and start working.
Most SaaS applications are very intuitive, which saves time on training. Furthermore, the software vendor handles maintenance and upgrades, giving the users even more time to focus on what really matters.
- User Friendly
Imagine switching to new software and having to spend an eternity getting your workers acquainted with the application. Frustrating, right? Thankfully, most SaaS applications are easy to grasp. Some even come with built-in use-case examples.
- Compatibility
SaaS applications reduce compatibility discrepancies to the minimum. Even when you have to log into multiple systems, SaaS makes things easier as you can access the software with any internet-accessible device.
- Scalability & Accessibility
SaaS applications are easily scalable. No matter how many new users join, they can be onboarded without any trouble in record time. SaaS typically also has no limit on the number of users. It can be accessed anytime, from anywhere.
Disadvantages of Saas
Software as a service has tremendous benefits. However, there are some drawbacks you should watch out for.
- Lack of control
The fact that you don’t have to manage anything can be exciting but also a problem. You have little to no control over how the application is used, and things can quickly go wrong without your knowledge. SaaS vendors can mitigate this disadvantage by establishing strong SaaS customer support.
- Security and data concerns
Working with Saas requires you to allow a 3rd party access to your database. In the case of a security breach, this can be very risky for users as their personal data will also be affected in the process. If confidential data is compromised, it can put users at a great deal of risk.
- Connectivity requirement
SaaS’ remote capabilities are amazing. However, they require an internet connection to function. Meaning that users who live in areas with unstable internet will be unable to access the applications.
4 SaaS Vendors and Examples
There is an insurmountable number of SaaS solutions on the market. However, for this article, we chose to include four, each with distinct features and use cases.
- CRM Software
Every business that wants to grow should work on satisfying and retaining customers. Hubspot, ClouTalk, Pipedrive, Netsuite, Microsoft Dynamics, and Zoho are some CRM solutions you can try, depending on your company’s size and needs.
- Email Marketing
Email marketing has remained a major tool for businesses wanting to increase sales. MailChimp is one of the most trusted email marketing software. You can also embed email survey and use it to your advantage.
- Content Management Software
Content management software (CMS) makes designing and publishing content quickly at scale easier. Hubspot, Prismic, WordPress, Ghost, Webflow, and Contentful are some of the more popular content management systems designed to help website owners publish a lot of content at scale without carefully designing each page by hand.
- Project management software
Asana, Zenhub, Airtable, Wrike, Kissflow, Trello, Zoho Projects, Hive, Basecamp, MeisterTask, Evernote, and Microsoft Tasks are just a few of the hundreds of project management tools designed to help you create, assign, and track tasks on a team.
Speed up your workflows with SaaS.
While larger companies have the budget to build and host their own software in-house, SaaS applications help small and growing businesses solve problems with pre-built tools and templates. No wonder then that a survey by Computer Economics revealed that a whopping 60% of surveyed companies use some form of SaaS solutions.
This clearly shows that SaaS solutions are here to stay and will only increase in market share. After all, SaaS offers you flexibility while saving you time and money. And isn’t that what everyone wants?
