Overview
The future of business is constantly evolving, and it’s become impossible to keep up without a cloud computing platform. Software-as-a-service, or SaaS, platforms are a great way to get your business started with cloud data analytics computing. SaaS platforms help a business be flexible and agile, and connect all their employees quickly and easily.
What is SaaS?
As a ready-to-use platform, SaaS is the most basic cloud computing platform. It’s also known as on-demand software, web-based software, or hosted software. A provider supplies the same platform as-is to many different businesses, and the provider is responsible for partitioning users’ data and maintaining and upgrading the platform. For users, SaaS is straightforward — the platform can be deployed quickly and it doesn’t require making decisions about infrastructure. Pricing is based on usage, and you can easily scale up or down at any time, as needed.
Why does SaaS matter?
Not only are SaaS platforms easy to set up, they’re affordable and can save your business money while boosting productivity and connectivity. Startup costs are relatively low and depend on your business’ needs — you don’t have to buy a software license upfront which likely includes features you don’t need or want. SaaS platforms don’t require specific, expensive hardware, either. Since the SaaS provider maintains and updates the platform, you can free up your IT staff and save your business money.
Like most as-a-service platforms, a big part of the appeal of SaaS is accessibility and connectivity. SaaS platforms are delivered via the web, so users just need an internet connection and a compatible device. Users can seamlessly switch between devices while continuing to use the service.
What’s the difference between SaaS and other “as-a-service” platforms?
Of all the as-a-service platforms, including IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-service) and PaaS (Platform-as-a-service), SaaS is the fastest to set up and the simplest to use. It requires minimal setup and no fussing over customization or maintenance. Fast deployment saves you and your employees time and money, and helps everyone easily collaborate from wherever they are, faster.
The lack of customization can be a pro and a con: it’s great if you want to be off and running quickly and mainly need a connectivity tool. However, if you want more control or need a foundation for other projects that require programming or data manipulation, PaaS or IaaS may be more suited to your business needs.
How SaaS helps you compete
With more people working remotely, SaaS platforms have become essential because they connect employees who are spread throughout cities, states, and different time zones. They’re fast to deploy and don’t require special hardware or in-person maintenance, so you don’t have to worry about proximity or scheduling time with IT.
SaaS also makes it easy to integrate increasingly essential data analytics into your business. A SaaS platform can help you gather and analyze data, so you can improve customer services, understand your audience, and boost reach.
Prepare your business for the future
To make a business future-ready, you need the unified, data-driven approach made possible by cloud computing solutions. With a SaaS platform, you can integrate data analytics into your business by deploying a cloud-based, as-a-service platform like Teradata Vantage into your existing data analytics ecosystem.