What is SaaS and why does my business need it?

SaaS stands for ‘Software as a Service’ and it is becoming an ever more popular model for delivering great software performance to customers. It comes without some of the drawbacks of traditional installed software solutions.

In the SaaS model, software is centrally hosted and is licensed on an ‘on demand’ subscription basis. The SaaS model represents a change from installed software and is one that has seen increasing traction in all areas, from office software to payroll, and human resources to service desk functionality.

Low cost of ownership

One of the biggest advantages of using SaaS for your business is that doing so will likely save you a lot of money. Instead of a high upfront cost to purchase a software package outright, not to mention installation, infrastructure, and maintenance costs, SaaS is usually available through a subscription.

This offers low initial fees and an ongoing monthly or annual subscription as opposed to a one-time purchase, which can be cheaper in the short and long term. It’s also a common feature of SaaS providers to offer an easier ‘get out’—you can usually cancel the service when you want.

The low initial outlay keeps your capital free to develop the rest of your business, and subscriptions allow for predictable expenses rather than large one-off purchases that unbalance the books. SaaS that offers immediate benefit therefore gives a high return on investment straight away.

As with many cloud computing solutions, SaaS can be far more flexible in terms of allowing you to choose what features you need and leaving out those you don’t saving you money and keeping your experience simple and user-friendly. It can feel like the difference between buying a calculator and a super-computer to do some simple adding up!

Findmyshift is priced per team, not per staff member, and it’s also free if for 5 employees or less.

Scalability

This aspect makes SaaS very well-suited to growing companies. Adding new users or features doesn’t require lengthy lead-times to get software installed. In addition, the computing power is provided by the service provider, so you won’t find your network slowing down just because everyone’s working.

Performance needn’t be your concern—you don’t have to purchase the hardware systems hosting your SaaS applications, and they are usually set up to handle far more than what you can throw at them.

Findmyshift provides all the computing power your organization needs as it grows, at no extra cost.

Accessibility

For flexible businesses with employees or managers on the go, being tied down to a single desk or computer can put you at a real disadvantage. SaaS services are easily available online, so all you need to stay productive is an internet connection. This means your work is available from anywhere on any device.

Some SaaS providers have their own apps as well, allowing you better functionality when you’re out and about and saving you from having to navigate through desktop-optimised websites on your mobile phone.

Initial access is quick and easy too, with no downloads required—just sign up and get going! This makes SaaS a faster and more effective option for businesses that want to see results today.

Findmyshift provides access to employee schedules on mobile devices via native iOS and Android apps, as well as via the built in web browser.

Competitive edge

SaaS gives you access to the latest technology instantly, enabling you to improve your business. This occurs not only through enhanced capabilities, but through having more time to do so, as SaaS upgrades occur automatically behind the scenes—theirs, not yours. This leaves you to focus on business growth without worrying about scheduling software updates.

You’ll always have the latest features available and there’s no end date on upgrades, as is often the case when new software releases make previous packages obsolete. Traditional installed software packages will also need long periods of testing and implementation than SaaS applications before you’ll see the benefits of any new functionality.

Businesses that don’t think they need a competitive edge need only look at their competitors—companies now use an average of 18 different SaaS applications, and so chances are they’re reaping those benefits now. The question really is, “Can you afford to fall further behind?”

Findmyshift provides regular updates to its product, often offering new features at no additional cost.

Security benefits

For small businesses, data security can often be a concern. Ensuring the safe storage of sensitive data can be more costly than such enterprises can afford. SaaS providers offer a solution by handling the infrastructure and integrity of data themselves.

As they tend to be larger than many of the small businesses using their service, they are better equipped to keep the systems in place to ensure security. Be aware that not all SaaS providers treat security with the same respect, so it’s important to find a company that uses proper methods of encryption and backup for your data.

Findmyshift takes security seriously, with mandatory SSL encryption, password hashing, encrypted data storage, two-factor authentication and more.

Guaranteed uptime

Service providers manage the infrastructure behind the software so you don’t have to, and many will offer guaranteed reliability of their systems. Top providers will ensure their service is available at least 99.9% of the time, with compensation due if that promise is breached, and peace of mind for the vast majority of the time that it isn’t.

Findmyshift's servers reside in a secure, world-class data centre, firewalled and protected by a number of physical security layers. For disaster recovery scenarios (power outages, network failures etc), customer data is routinely backed up, encrypted and replicated to a collection of secure off-site locations.

How can SaaS employee scheduling transform your business?

Try it free for 60 days - no credit card required, or take a look at our demo for a quick introduction.