Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
Gone are the days of on-premise shrink-wrapped software that needs big investments of time, money and effort. This is the time for on-demand Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). SaaS rides on the pervasiveness and real-time access of the Internet. It delivers business applications as a subscription service. Eliminating the need for large-scale installation, infrastructure, maintenance or support, SaaS offers quick and hassle-free access to business functionalities as well as a very high degree of customizability.
With SaaS applications, organizations no longer have to acquire additional servers or hire additional staff to handle their application requirements. Instead, the SaaS provider shoulders this responsibility and expense by hosting its applications in a multi-tenant data center and guaranteeing availability and performance.
The most attractive feature of SaaS is its pricing model. Since SaaS works on a subscription basis, payment can be made as per actual usage of the application. The other advantage that companies find convenient is that they don't have to worry about whether independent software vendor (ISV) will fulfill their promises and deliver new software versions or who will help them migrate to new features. All that is taken care of by the service provider.
With SaaS, companies get a cost advantage, ease of implementation and management, accessibility to the latest technology at no additional cost in the IT infrastructure, and the freedom to focus on core competencies.
