Many Russian enterprises have implemented SaaS solutions. Their use is often due to the desire of businesses to improve the usability of certain applications, to ensure the necessary dynamics of production, as well as save. How justified are such expectations of entrepreneurs? What are the specifics of SaaS solutions?
What is SaaS?
The abbreviation SaaS is Software as a Service, that is, âsoftware as a serviceâ. This scheme assumes that the user receives software whose functions are available through the web interface, while the main software part of the application is on the developer's server.
SaaS-model is a kind of cloud technology, perhaps one of the most popular. Now this scheme of interaction between the software provider and the user is no longer considered exotic, but in general it can be called quite new for the global and Russian IT market.
Benefits of SaaS
Having defined the meaning of the term SaaS, what it is, let us move on to consider the advantages of the corresponding software distribution scheme.
Its main feature is that the user does not need to install the program on his computer. Also, he does not need to worry that he will have the latest version of the application at his disposal - its developer will always update the necessary files in a timely manner.
What is very important for many users is the reference materials accompanying the corresponding type of solution, as a rule, the most relevant. While for âdesktopâ software versions, user manuals may become obsolete over time.
Reliability
SaaS products are in many cases more reliable than the solutions that are installed on the computer. This is primarily due to the fact that the bulk of the hardware functions on the provider's servers are duplicated.
That is, if the hard drive failed on the supplier side, you can be sure that important information has already been written to backup media belonging to the counterparty.
Versatility
Another major advantage that SaaS solutions determine is that the user can work with the necessary interfaces from any computer - the main thing is that the Internet should be available at an acceptable speed. Many of the SaaS providers adapt the interfaces of the corresponding software not only to use on a regular computer, but also to the specifics of mobile devices - smartphones, tablets.
Among the indisputable advantages of programs in the SaaS format is the ability to simultaneously use the same interface by multiple users. So, for example, you can collectively edit a particular document. Even if several people gather at the computer on which the âboxedâ program is installed, it is most likely that it will not work effectively.
Economic benefit
In many cases, SaaS programs are cheaper than boxed software. This is due to many factors: in particular, the lack of costs for distribution of disks. In addition, prices from suppliers of SaaS-programs are often tied to some specific functions of the application: in this way, the user may not buy those software features that he does not plan to use. At the same time, high-quality technical support for users, as a rule, is included in the payment for a subscription to cloud applications within the SaaS model. Providers of this type of solution usually do not save on the quality of client services.
In many cases, a SaaS service is much easier to put into production than desktop applications. Traditional software formats may require upgrading the hardware of corporate computers. Cloud solutions are usually not too demanding on the performance of the PC hardware components.
SaaS Disadvantages
We learned about the essence of the concept of SaaS, what it is, what are its main advantages. Now consider also the disadvantages of the corresponding type of cloud platforms. They are few, but they should be known.
The most obvious drawback of cloud software in general, and SaaS in particular, is that certain sensitive data is often transferred between the software provider and its user, and not every enterprise security system guarantees their protection from hijacking. Of course, modern computer technologies for encryption and access control allow us to build very serious barriers to destructive subjects. But they do not always help out.
Some of the most important types of software are completely impractical to provide in the cloud format. But here we can note the lack of universality not so much of these or those decisions, but of the concept as a whole. For example, an antivirus in SaaS format cannot be as effective as working according to a traditional scheme - since the corresponding type of program must have full access to the RAM and hard disks of the computer. It is not easy to implement the corresponding function through the browser.
At the same time, some basic functions of anti-virus software, for example, scanning individual files for infection, many manufacturers of the appropriate type of programs are ready to provide users through SaaS platforms. And these solutions are sufficiently effective.
Note that in order to use the cloud infrastructure, the enterprise, one way or another, will need access to the Internet. And if for some reason the provider crashes, then if the production processes are too dependent on SaaS services, the company may suffer significant losses. But this is rather not so much a flaw in the concept as a distinctive specificity of its functioning. If the company has a SaaS platform as a key component of the digital infrastructure, then management needs to work hard to diversify its Internet access channels.
Prospects for SaaS
What are the prospects for further development of the SaaS solutions market? Estimates of analysts in this regard are very different. But in general, experts speak very positively about the growing demand for relevant computer technologies. Particularly promising the use of cloud concepts experts see in the field of small and medium-sized businesses. This can already be seen in the example of numerous American enterprises that are very actively using the appropriate solutions.
Regarding the most popular segments of SaaS, researchers call CRM (client management system), HRM (personnel management), ERP (company resource management). In Russia, all these computer technologies are familiar to business and are being actively implemented by enterprises. However, the specifics of the Russian market is that a large percentage of potential consumers of SaaS solutions are configured conservatively. Many customers do not understand what the real benefits of deploying cloud concepts can be, as it will affect the business.
SaaS Technology Development Factors
The main factors that will affect the success of SaaS-technologies in Russia:
- developed legal framework (especially regarding the mechanism of responsibility of cloud software suppliers to customers for the safety of confidential data);
- improvement of Internet lines (in many regions, particularly in the Far East, the speed of online channels is significantly lower than in the European part of the Russian Federation, because many potential users of SaaS solutions simply cannot afford to take advantage of the relevant products technically);
- the effectiveness of marketing approaches of cloud service providers (many of the market players are still growing due to the fact that the market segment in question is growing, and demand in some cases significantly exceeds supply).
An important aspect of the prospects that SaaS services will be actively promoted in the Russian Federation is increasing confidence in IT outsourcers among Russian businesses. The fact is that many enterprises of the Russian Federation are still striving to form the internal staff of IT-specialists. In the case of using "cloud" services, a significant percentage of the tasks to be solved will have to be outsourced to contractors. Whether enterprises will be able to carry out such a reorientation on a systematic basis is a big question.
SaaS - for small and medium-sized businesses
The main consumers of SaaS in the Russian Federation, as well as in the USA, are small and medium-sized enterprises. This is largely due to their philosophy, which is not as conservative as the approaches of many large businesses. Also, small and medium-sized enterprises, as a rule, are very rational in assessing income and expenses, and if they see that a cloud solution is cheaper, then taking into account possible risks in the field of information security, management will most likely prefer SaaS.
In addition, many companies, I must admit, due to insufficient finances tend to use pirated or not quite high-quality free software. SaaS-system can be a way to switch the company to licensed software at low cost. Therefore, many companies order cloud software only in order to start using high-quality legal software and receive technical support.
Small and medium-sized enterprises value the mobility and dynamism of business processes. Therefore, many entrepreneurs are impressed by the opportunity to use one or another SaaS service from any device and from any place - the main thing is that the Internet should be available at an acceptable speed.
Cloud solutions save one of the entrepreneurâs most valuable resources - time. A person does not need to think about how to implement this or that type of software, and how and by what means to hire specialists to install software on âdesktopsâ or servers â the necessary program in most cases is immediately ready to work.
SaaS and related solutions
Speaking about the features of SaaS, what it is, it will also be useful to consider other concepts of interaction between software providers and users, which are very close to what is being considered. As we noted above, SaaS is a type of cloud technology. Thus, there are other subspecies that are more or less similar to SaaS. Consider their specifics.
Among the models of interaction between the software developer and the consumer, similar to SaaS, we can distinguish:
- IaaS;
- PaaS.
What are their features?
IaaS Specificity
IaaS is "infrastructure as a service." In the case of SaaS, the user "rents" from the provider only the interface that is accessed through the browser. This model, in turn, also involves providing the client with the necessary equipment.
PaaS Features
PaaS is a "platform as a service." It is quite close to SaaS, however, it involves the use of certain hardware components on the supplier's side - for example, disk or processor resources. Many hosting services are âplatform as a serviceâ. That is, the client, if necessary, uses the resources of servers rented from the hosting provider.
It can be noted that in some cases it is very difficult to draw a clear line between IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. There is, relatively speaking, a âpolar criterionâ that allows one or another solution to be attributed to IaaS - this is the presence on the user side of hardware components (for example, cash registers). There is a sign that unambiguously characterizes the technology as SaaS - a "clean" web interface, access to which the customer receives from any computer. The middle position between the noted concepts is PaaS. In some cases, it may be closer to IaaS, for example, if it is assumed that the use of certain functions of the âvirtualâ server will require special equipment (for example, a laptop with a distribution kit for network administration, which is provided by the provider for rent). But it is possible that the corresponding service will be closer to SaaS. For example, provided that the bulk of the specialistâs work will be carried out online without using branded equipment from the supplier.
So, we learned the specifics of SaaS, what it is. This technology provides businesses and private clients with a wide variety of opportunities to increase work efficiency, solve production problems, save financial resources, and achieve the required comfort of using various applications. Programs implemented in the SaaS format are especially in demand by small and medium enterprises. The Russian IT market is characterized by a high potential for increasing demand for the corresponding type of solutions.