Just like how CDs became obsolete as people became used to online content in real-time, the traditional software solutions have now succumbed to SaaS or Software as a Service.
Because of SaaS development, now enterprise app developers near me can successfully make their services available to their customers by using cloud platforms while ensuring monetisation through the subscription-based model.
Are you aspiring to develop a successful SaaS application? It is quite likely as SaaS happens to be one of the leading full stack development trends of our time.
This is easy if you know the key features and capabilities that a modern SaaS app should offer. We will go deeper into these features and capabilities. But before all, we want to define SaaS platforms, how they work and the key benefits they offer.
What is SaaS?
SaaS means Software as a Service, which means a software solution can be offered as a cloud-based service to the users over the internet instead of using local devices. Generally, such services are offered against a subscription. All the background tasks and processes for a SaaS solution take place over the cloud. This is why SaaS ensures unmatched scalability and flexibility.
Some of the key benefits that SaaS platforms offer to users worldwide include the following.
- Cost-effectiveness: Instead of establishing the infrastructure and spending on development from scratch, availing of a monthly subscription plan for the SaaS solution is much more cost-effective.
- Scalability: SaaS allows unlimited scalability for apps that continuously grow and get new users onboard.
- Faster development: Thanks to SaaS, you can eliminate many development tasks for both the front and back end and reduce the development time.
- No downtime: Since cloud-based servers are decentralized and located across many global locations, there are always several options when one or many servers go down. This ensures the least downtime for the app.
- Ease of access: Thanks to all-pervading cloud support, SaaS applications can be accessed anytime, anywhere, from any device or browser.
Apart from all the above elementary advantages of SaaS apps for app projects, this distributed cloud and subscription-based approach can also offer modular features, capabilities and value additions for enterprise-grade apps across diverse niches. Thanks to these enterprise-grade value additions, SaaS apps are increasingly getting popular in the business world.
What Key Features & Capabilities Should SaaS Apps Offer?
Everything about SaaS corresponds to ease, flexibility, extensibility and scalability. No wonder enterprises always find SaaS apps ideal for businesses. But some specific features and capabilities are crucial for SaaS app development. Here we will shortlist some of these capabilities and features that any SaaS development company should offer.
Ease of access through the Cloud
The core value proposition of SaaS lies in the fact that it is built upon the cloud. With cloud server support, SaaS apps can ensure seamless accessibility across devices and locations without constraints, easier app maintenance, and smooth-rolling out of updates. Thanks to SaaS, a computer user can instantly avail of the latest OS update without needing to use a CD.
Awesome extensibility
A business, apart from the so-called concerns corresponding to cost and development time, always embraces SaaS because of accommodating a growing user base seamlessly.
As the business and its user base grow, the cloud-supported SaaS decks up more capacity through remote servers, while the client company may only need a higher subscription plan.
Flexible and adjustable cost
When a business embraces a SaaS solution, it can opt for the most suitable pricing model as per its requirements and can even pay for the services as per its uses. There are multiple pricing models that a SaaS solution provider can offer, ranging from user-based, use-volume based, modular and hybrid.
To make your SaaS solution, it is important to offer most users a pricing model with optimum flexibility and real-cost benefits.
Smooth customer onboarding
There are too many SaaS app products that, on the first day itself, are rejected by the users simply because of their confusing interface, which leads to unnecessary time spent by first-time users.
Don’t rely on the customer managers to guide the new users or don’t rely on videos to let users understand everything. You must create an intuitive onboarding experience that most users find helpful instantly.
The modularity of SaaS through third-party integrations
How can a SaaS product allow users to the maximum per their evolving needs? Well, this requires a modular development approach that allows a lot of popular third-party integrations. These integrations are helpful equally for the users as well as developers.
You can often avoid reinventing the wheel through third-party integrations for simple features and functionalities. These integrations allow developers to incorporate certain features already built by other developers and have become industry standards. Apart from allowing a lot of such integrations, you also need to consider building a marketplace where developers can compare and take them.
Mobile-optimized user experience
When SaaS apps cannot run on mobile devices, they automatically lose the vast majority of users. Since enterprise operations are increasingly getting mobile-centric, offering mobile-specific user experience across devices and platforms is a crucial requirement for SaaS solutions.
Seamless updates
Finally, you must ensure that the updates for the respective SaaS solution follow a smooth path and don’t face obstacles due to increased server activity. This is where DevOps can do a great job by rolling out updates seamlessly without interfering with the services.
Wrapping Up
From the above elucidation, it is clear that SaaS will be in the driver’s seat for future enterprise applications. SaaS applications will be at the forefront of digital transformation as they will overcome many constraints related to the device ecosystem, servers, infrastructure and cost.
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Nathan McKinley is a Business Development Manager at Cerdonis Technologies LLC – mobile app development company in the USA , a comprehended service provider of mobile app development for the superior quality of AR/VR Apps.