What is SaaS?

“Excuse my ignorance, but what is SaaS?”

Yeah, it might be 2022, but I am still getting so many different versions of the above question when I say I write website copy for B2B and SaaS brands.

(And, that question often follows others like, “What is copy?” and “B to what?” But that’s for another time.)

Don’t worry, you are not ignorant.

But the interesting thing is that you’re using SaaS products every single day, you just didn’t know there was an actual term for it.

So, for those of you who are too embarrassed to ask the question, here goes…

SaaS = Software As A Service

It is those cloud-based tools you rely on to do nearly everything at work.

Software as a service (or SaaS) is just a way of delivering applications over the Internet as a service. So, instead of installing and maintaining software, you quite simply access it via the Internet, mitigating yourself from complex software and hardware management.

Examples of SaaS Products:

Slack

Slack is a communication tool, a single place for messaging, tools and files. There are two main methods of chat in Slack: channels which are group chats, and direct message or DM which is person-to-person chat.

Zoom

Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service you can use to virtually meet with others — either by video or audio-only or both, all while conducting live chats — and it lets you record those sessions to view later.

Gsuite

G Suite is a suite of online applications created by Google for businesses. With G Suite, you will have access to a number of powerful Google applications: Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, Hangouts, and Plus.

G Suite for Work gives you professional email, online storage, shared calendars, video meetings, and more. You will be able to share spreadsheets and documents, create video conferences with Hangouts, and use instant messaging. You can also share calendars with others, making meetings easy to plan.

And the one and only…
LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the internet. You can use LinkedIn to find the right job or internship, connect and strengthen professional relationships, and learn the skills you need to succeed in your career. You can access LinkedIn from a desktop, LinkedIn mobile app, mobile web experience, or the LinkedIn Lite Android mobile app.

A complete LinkedIn profile can help you connect with opportunities by showcasing your unique professional story through experience, skills, and education.

Simplification As A Service

You’re welcome.

Advantages of SaaS

The main advantages of SaaS include compatibility, accessibility, and operational management. Additionally, SaaS products usually offer lower upfront costs than your traditional software download and installation, thus making them more available to a larger range of businesses.

Here is a breakdown of some advantages:

Accessibility:

One great advantage of any SaaS product is the ability to run through an internet browser, so it doesn’t matter which Operating System is used to access it. So regardless as to whether the user is trying to run the application on Windows, Mac, or Linux machines, the application still remains accessible. This makes SaaS applications incredibly versatile in a couple of different ways.

Hardware:

This is one of the best selling points about SaaS products, and that’s the minimal initial investment required to use it.

Even the smallest business can now have access to software tools through SaaS-based cloud applications that originally only huge corporations could afford.

Market reach:

Pricing can be cheaper and more available to businesses of all sizes. For users this means being able to access services not normally available, therefore both expanding and improving business services, productivity and general opportunities.

Saving and storage:

With SaaS, your data is routinely saved in the cloud. What makes this advantageous is that employees can switch between their devices without losing work or data, simply by the fact of logging into the single account, regardless of which device is being used.

Data and analytics:

Because everything is run through a centralized platform this means it’s easy to capture data and provide it for analytics use.

Overall, SaaS offers a whole bunch of benefits that should be in the interests of both the suppliers and the users. While quite a few businesses may still choose to set up their own cloud management services to control their own data, for the majority of smaller businesses at least the availability of SaaS offers opportunities that can help them develop, expand, and provide more value to both staff and customers.

What is your favorite Saas product?

And if you need help creating consistent content for your audience, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for help! Click here to schedule a discovery call today!