Top 3 Business Applications Of SaaS (Software As A Service)

Software as a Service (SaaS) is one of the largest segments of the cloud computing market at the moment, commanding more investment from businesses and offering plenty of potential applications in the typical working environment.

Although the adoption of SaaS is growing at an impressive rate, there are still businesses that have yet to take the plunge and experience the benefits for themselves. To give you an appreciation of why SaaS can be advantageous, here are three of the top business applications for this type of cloud service.

CRM

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is an asset for any business that has a burgeoning client base that it wants to build on and enhance. If you are going to host your CRM software in house then there are a variety of issues that you may encounter, most of which are based around storage capacity, processing power and bandwidth.

Smaller businesses may not have the on-site resources to do justice to modern CRM software, which is why choosing a cloud-based solution may be sensible.

With the CRM software being hosted in the cloud you can enjoy scalable levels of storage, processing power and bandwidth so that you can cope with sudden growth and reduction in demand.

For busy sales periods this can be very useful, since it means that you will be able to handle a sudden influx of customers and give them the best possible experience to help maximise conversions, while still enjoying an affordable service in the quieter times.

Security

Although the cloud can get a bad rap for the levels of security that it is able to offer, when it comes to SaaS it can actually become a much needed additional layer of protection for companies that might otherwise have been exposed to a variety of risks.

Cloud-based software apps are hosted on dedicated data centres that are built with the express purpose of providing carefully monitored access. This means that while those with a legitimate ability and need to use the apps will be able to do so with ease, there is far less chance of a breach occurring and unwarranted access being granted to a malicious third party.

It again comes down to the types of resources that businesses have available in house compared to what can be achieved with the economies of scale accessible to cloud providers. It is not reasonable for most companies to provide 24-hour monitoring for internally hosted services from both automated systems and manned workstations, but this is exactly what you get if you choose to use SaaS.

If you are concerned about the integrity of the data that you handle using mission-critical software apps, as well as the access restrictions which are in place on the apps themselves, then taking the cloud route is sensible.

Mobility

In-house app hosting can be beneficial if you want to be in total control, but the negatives begin to pile up when you start thinking about the need to make your services accessible externally.

Remote and mobile workers may not be able to access such solutions without quite a lot of technical preparation and maintenance involved, which is why SaaS can be appealing to companies that want to increase workplace flexibility and cater to those who often need to operate while away from the office.

Any device with a web connection can make use of cloud-based software solutions, giving SaaS the edge over alternative technologies.

Businesses that want to better manage their customer interactions, while enhancing security and improving mobility, would do well to consider adopting SaaS in order to help them achieve these goals with the minimum of expense.

This article was written by Jamie Garner, an employee of Daisy Group, one of the UK’s largest independent business telecommunications providers.

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