What Should You Look For In The Perfect Software As A Service For Your Business
We know the fact that Software as a Service is a big asset for any business. SaaS solutions has opened a whole new avenue of opportunities for small businesses to utilize powerful technologies at a minimal financial commitment.
This is a huge benefit for SMBs which have to constantly work on tight budgets and smaller workforce. Using Software as a Service, SMBs need not worry about software maintenance, up gradations, configurations and other such basic issues.
Furthermore; you are offered with added benefits of paying as per your requirement, flexibility, ease of access, and data security and backup. What’s not to love about it!?
However, small business SaaS solutions come with its own set of perils. Understand and analyze the best possible solution which suits your business.
So does one check whether a particular Software as a Service provider is the right one for your business?
It would be great if you test the product before you decide to invest in it. Try their free trial version for a month and see if it truly helps your business. Though; there is no hard and fast rule about what works and what doesn’t.
We have a list of pointers that can help you decide what you need to look for in the perfect Software as a Service solution for your business.
How To Make a Perfect Software as a Service Solution for Your Business?
#1. Check for its Security Parameters
The first drawback about Software as a Service is the fact that your data is on a third party server. So it is of paramount importance that you analyse the kind of security parameters they possess.
Analyse the safety of your data during transaction and storage. The best SaaS solution will be the one which is transparent about its entire security infrastructure and the protocols involved in it. The industry standard for data encryption is 128-bit.
#2. Check How the Cloud Infrastructure Is Hosted
With 3 major types of hosting, and you need to check your business requirements to analyze which one would be best for you.
The major categories of cloud hosting are:
Public: In this, your cloud service provider would basically open up the infrastructure for public use. SAAS solution would ideally be in the cloud service provider’s location. It can be operated by many businesses at the same time. This comes with ease of implementation and low operational cost. However, it has minimum security.
Private: The name clearly defines it as a cloud solution which is owned solely by one company. If you are looking out for high levels of data security and data management, then this is for you. This can be operated both internally and externally. It is highly scalable. This also gives a greater control over your Software as a Service solution.
Hybrid: This is ideally the best of both public and private cloud solution where you would get data security, scalability, and ownership coupled with more control and increased collaboration.
The ideal software as a service solution for your business would depend on what you are willing to let go and what is most important for your business.
#3. How Flexible the Vendor Is on the Cost
While looking out for Software as a Service on cloud, choose a vendor who is able to predict and cater to your growing needs as and when you require and also provide you some critical services at an affordable cost. You must be able to scale up and down without having to worry about exorbitant SaaS pricing.
Choosing a pay-as-you-use model would be the best for you as you can just choose to pay for the services chosen by you and increase and decrease as and when you scale up or scale down. A variable pricing would ensure that you can keep utilizing the services of your SaaS solutions provider without any major deviations in your finances.
#4. Availability and Response Time
It is a known fact that any business solution should be able to accommodate growth in both business and workforce.
The ideal SaaS solution would be one that provides scalability as and when you need it. Choose a vendor who has handled a volatile and unpredictable business in the past efficiently.
Also, an ideal Software as a Service Provider would ensure that the solution provided is regularly upgraded and up-to-date with bug fixes. Ensure that you as a client would get a free access to any such upgrades that would happen in the future.
#5 Customizations, Compatibility and Ease of Integration
While it is impossible to allow huge customization in the SaaS solutions. But; once it gets implemented, it is very important that your vendor allows a certain level of customization to tailor it according to your business needs.
A perfect Software as a Service solution for your business would be that which is easy to integrate into your existing system and has cross-platform compatibility. This ensures that you can easily collaborate and work with your clients who work on different operating platforms without having to complicate your business communications.
Your SaaS solution must be fully operational on all the major web browsers and operating systems available. It must also be mobile compatible and easy to use on all other hand-held devices.
Choosing the perfect cloud service providers is very important for the success of any business. There are so many criterion to consider and analyse before you can settle down with one vendor for your business.
In conclusion, it is safer to invest in a service provider who has been in this industry for a considerable amount of time. Go for one which is completely transparent and a well-defined SLA which is both simple and up to the industry standards.
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