What is SAAS? Explain its characteristics and initial benefits.

5 C] What is SAAS? Explain its characteristics and initial benefits.

• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is a model providing access to applications over the Internet as a web-based service, freeing users from complex hardware and software management.
• Customers access applications through a web browser, avoiding installation and large upfront costs, while providers maintain the infrastructure and offer the application on demand.
• SaaS supports a “one-to-many” delivery model, ideal for applications with broad user bases that require minimal customization, such as CRM and ERP systems.
• This model facilitates the creation of software platforms with general features, enabling easy integration and customization, making SaaS applications naturally multitenant.
• Multitenancy centralizes hardware infrastructure management, reduces customer costs, and simplifies maintenance and upgrades.
• SaaS emerged in the late 1990s and gained traction, with the term coined by the Software Information & Industry Association (SIIA) in 2001.
• Early Application Service Providers (ASPs) laid the groundwork for SaaS, offering hosted solutions with centralized management and one-to-many service delivery.
• The SaaS model evolved from ASPs by introducing flexible, user-customizable applications supported by Web 2.0 technologies, enhancing user interaction and integration.
• SaaS fits into the cloud computing stack, forming part of the broader “Everything-as-a-Service” (XaaS) vision.
• SaaS 2.0 focuses on robust infrastructure and business-driven application platforms, emphasizing rapid achievement of business objectives rather than technology changes.
• Integration and customization are key in SaaS, with existing solutions facilitating service composition and value-added offerings.
• SaaS supports various applications, with CRM, ERP, and social networking being prominent examples, like SalesForce.com, NetSuite, and RightNow.
• SaaS also includes social networking (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn) and office automation (e.g., Google Docs, Zoho Office), offering extensive integration capabilities.
• SaaS enablers, such as Box.net, provide platforms to integrate third-party services, enhancing functionality and information sharing.