Running a business comes with several difficulties and risks. For this reason, business owners often look to services and mediums to mitigate the risks, cut expenses and solve the difficulties that come with the day-to-day running of a business. One of those services is SaaS (software as a service).
Implementing SaaS in your business can be likened to a cheat code in a game. It comes with several benefits that help minimize cost, save time, increase workplace collaboration, and solve software issues like maintenance and scalability.
Businesses that wish to implement SaaS are required to hire a SaaS provider. And here is where you, a business owner, may experience a little difficulty. How do you hire the right SaaS provider for your business? What criteria should you note?
We have answered that important question below. But, before we consider that, let’s take a brief look at what SaaS entails.
What is SaaS?
SaaS—aka software-as-a-service—is a household name in the business sphere. It is a software licensing model in which access to the software is granted on a subscription basis, with the software being housed on external servers rather than on servers located in-house.
SaaS is often accessed via a web browser. Users can log in to the system using a username or password rather than go through the troubles of installing the software. Common examples of SaaS are Google Workspace, Salesforce, Cisco WebEx, etc. These softwares are often provided by SaaS companies who make them available to businesses.
That said, let’s look at some tips for selecting the right SaaS Company for your business.
1. Ask for a service level agreement
There are several SaaS providers out there, with each offering a diverse level of availability and performance charged at a different price scale. Discussing these levels coupled with their prices is an important aspect of negotiating a Service Level Agreement. The Service Level Agreement should provide:
- A comprehensive list of services offered
- Notification requirements
- Definitions of availability and downtime
- Methods used to communicate any loss of service and downtime
- Required availability for each service provided, including approved downtime limits
Some of the factors outlined above may not be essential to your business. In fact, there may be extra factors you may want to look at. But, regardless, these factors can be used as a blueprint to discuss with your SaaS provider when scrutinizing their offerings.
2. Determine reliability
One of the major features you may want to consider before hiring a SaaS company is reliability. The reliability of SaaS companies will be your lifeline when you encounter certain issues with the software, especially at odd hours.
While most SaaS providers claim to be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, not all have a proven track record of bailing their clients out in times of dire need. Of course, you wouldn’t want to go for such a SaaS provider. Instead, you’ll want to go for one with a good fault tolerance or disaster recovery on the ground to help guarantee availability in the event of a huge disaster.
3. Ensure that the services meet your expectations
As tech keeps advancing in LATAM and worldwide, you expect to see similar improvements in tech-related services like SaaS. Today, there are loads of SaaS apps out there that boast several unique features, waiting eagerly to be adopted.
Of course, these apps serve different purposes and are tailored for specific businesses. Your ability to select a SaaS provider that meets your expectations would go a long way in adding value to your business.
Take note of your business problems and go for services that can help solve them. Do you have issues with team collaboration? Go for a provider that offers team collaboration tools like Slack, Zoom, etc.
Nothing beats having a SaaS provider that meets your business expectations. If you are struggling with IT issues, you can consider a software outsourcing LATAM to maintain balance and ensure that all systems charged with core business functions are operating optimally.
4. Security
Ensure you dig deeper into the security offering of the SaaS provider. Remember, using a SaaS model means your data is hosted by a third party and accessed online. In light of this, you will want to ensure that the SaaS provider has adequate security safeguards and ethical guidelines to ensure privacy and prevent a data breach.
Conclusion
Many business owners rush to select a SaaS provider only to end up regretting their decision within a short time. Often quell the urge to rush things, especially when it involves crucial aspects of your business operation. Take time to sit down and sieve through various SaaS providers using the factors highlighted above. In the end, you will be satisfied with your selection.