Software as a Service
Google has put a lot of effort into promoting Software as a Service (SaaS) – which usually means an application provided by an internet website. This is opposed to the traditional method of distributing compiled software for users to install locally on their computers or servers. My favorite example of SaaS is Google Apps, a collection of integrated applications and services hosted by Google for use by small businesses.
Many people (even professionals) are uncomfortable with SaaS because copies of the software can’t be downloaded or saved and there’s usually a monthly or yearly cost. So in this post I want to explain the benefits of SaaS and why it’s better.
No Installation. With SaaS, there’s nothing to install on your computer. Having to install software doesn’t necessarily take a lot of time, but what if you need to have an application loaded on every computer on your network? That time adds up quickly and becomes expensive.
Server-Side Processing. Your computer no longer has to do all the processing locally, and most of the actual work is done by the server (or ‘cloud’) hosting the application. This means you can use much less powerful hardware. This is the whole reason netbooks are becoming so popular and inexpensive.
Developer Incentive. What incentive do you give a developer after you’ve paid $100 for version 1 of their software? Well, it’s not the kind you’d like. You’ve given them a pressing reason to release version 2 instead of fixing the problems in version 1. And it’s not even a matter of trusting your vendor – any company is naturally going to do what’s profitable even if they’re honest.
With SaaS, you get instant patches and updates, and version numbers aren’t nearly as relevant. The developer now has a huge incentive to improve the software because you could switch to a competitor’s service at any time.
No Upfront Cost. If you needed an application loaded on 20 computers, and a site license costs you $30 per seat, then you’d have to pay $600 upfront before you could even use the software. With SaaS, you usually pay by the month, and the only thing you might have to initially pay for is the cost of the first month of use.
Data Backups. With locally installed applications, you have to make sure you back up your data. But if your data is stored on a server hosting the application, then the service provider will be doing the backups for you. Most providers will have an enterprise-grade SAN which ensures your data is always accessible even if some disks fail.
Of course, it’s always good practice to export your data, but with SaaS, it isn’t nearly as critical. Most vendors are very good at allowing exports in common formats, but you should definitely make sure your vendor supports this.
Cross-Platform Compatibility. One of the best things about internet-based applications is that they work on any operating system that can browse the web. You don’t have to worry that your application may not work after you upgrade your computer to a newer operating system. It’s also very easy for SaaS vendors to create mobile versions of their applications by simply modifying the application’s appearance for mobile screen sizes.
Collaboration. An immediate benefit of switching to internet-based applications is that many users can access the same data at the same time. SaaS vendors usually do a very good job at synchronizing data from different users, but this is something you’ll definitely want to test out. For example, Google Docs & Spreadsheets says that it supports this kind of collaboration, but in practice I’ve seen delays of about four minutes.
Simultaneous Use. Internet-based applications universally authenticate users with user accounts and passwords. However, many of them allow multiple simultaneous logins. Of course you’ll want to make sure this is supported with your vendor, but many of them allow several different people to log in with the same account at the same time. This means you don’t have to buy separate accounts (or licenses) for each user.
Centralized Management. Another thing that’s easy for SaaS vendors to implement is convenient access to account management information and statistics. It’s much more difficult to gather information about locally installed applications, and in most cases where it’s possible, it requires an expensive server application.
Access from Anywhere. Last but not least, you can access your SaaS application from anywhere on the internet. You don’t have to worry about allowing access to servers inside your network (which could cause security issues), and your applications are always available.
