Saas, short for Software as a Service, dates back to the 1950s, but the modern concept emerged in 1999 with Salesforce CRM.
SaaS offers applications as a service, with infrastructure and maintenance provided by the cloud service provider. Customers can concentrate on using the software without having to worry about the technology. SaaS dominates today as a cloud computing service, covering everything from messaging to enterprise resource planning. Compared to on-premise software, it offers fast time to value, minimal management and predictable costs. The functionality is based on cloud computing, enables fast software access and requires minimal customer management. The provider takes care of deployment, maintenance and security.
Despite benefits, there are challenges such as “shadow IT” and vendor dependency. Awareness and measures are crucial.