Enterprise SaaS Emerging Trends
Enterprise SaaS applications are becoming more and more popular with small to medium businesses. According to just about all researchers, the future of Enterprise SaaS functionality is looking bright.
With budgetary pressures and increases in both the complexity and the expense of traditional systems, startup enterprises are increasingly choosing to go with SaaS solutions. This increase in demand has led to a transformation of how companies and individuals now deliver services and have led to some very cool innovations for young companies.
It seems like no matter what problem you are looking to solve there will soon be an on-demand, subscription-based solution to help you out. The following are some emerging trends and opportunities related to SaaS that you may want to consider in your startup business.
Enterprise SaaS Trends for your Startup
Artificial Intelligence as a Service
Artificial intelligence machine learning procedures in software have existed for some time now; many of the problems surrounding such software have made implementing it prohibitive. For many SMBs, AI-based solutions are still out of reach. However, AI as a Service can introduce the benefits of machine learning in your software, by just plugging in an API-based service.
If you are building software in your startup, look for an AI subscription tool to help you with machine learning, application testing, and process automation. IF buying and deploying AI software seem too expensive, look for a subscription-based tool.
The Emergence of Data as a Service
The basic idea of Data as a Service, DaaS, is to provide a large volume and wide variety of data via the cloud. The data is offered to the end user for a subscription fee and at a portion of the standard cost to acquire it yourself. Most current DaaS solutions do not stop at the collection and distribution of data rather they usually allow the end customer to use filters or scorecards to pre-evaluate content to utilize only the pieces they want. DaaS subscription service can be the end of purchasing bulk data blindly.
DaaS providers are becoming increasingly more valuable as more companies embrace data analytics. We all know the power of Big Data combining all of your disparate information in near –real time to run analytics but imagine if you could augment that information for a respected 3rd party when you need it.
DaaS comes in handy when looking for sales prospecting information.
The Proliferation of Application Programming Interfaces, APIs
If you are looking to introduce fully integrated SaaS products into your life, there is good news. In the recent past, we have seen a fundamental shift in how systems work together. SaaS products deliver value programmatically through an API (Application Programming Interface), rather than a GUI (Graphical User Interface). API SaaS-based systems can integrate with each other on the backend and present seamlessly blended user experiences on the front end.
APIs enable us to look at web-based solutions almost like building blocks in that we now can attach different functional applications together around a central database and create a custom end to end processes.
Platform-Agnostic SaaS Architecture
The SaaS providers have recognized that each of their customers might use the subscribed functionality in different ways. As a result, the providers usually deliver their solutions to you with the ability to access their applications in a platform-agnostic way.
Think about it, some of your team may have Windows-based PCs while others have Apple. SaaS functionality needs to be able to run on a PC or a Mac also you may be needing access from work or home. Add to it that you may also require access from cell phones, and it is clear that you will need your tools to run on multiple platforms.
Also, do not forget to keep an eye on the future. At some point, you may want to have your team have access via their smartwatches or even their automobile screens.
WhicheverSaaS tools you select, make sure to check with the provider to see if they support the platforms you require.
Enterprise Subscription Management and SSO
Most SaaS applications come with an easy to use admin interface that enables you, as the customer, to manage the accessibility, rights, and privileges of all of your internal users. These admin interfaces can save much time and add much needed of security to your process. Thes admin control panels usually come bundled with the SaaS product at no extra cost.
The problem comes in when you need to grant access to hundreds of users, and you do not have time to sit at the admin control panel all day keeping up with all of the new hires, promotions, and terminations.
To address this issue, SaaS application providers can utilize something called Single-Sign-On to allow you to share the internal credentials of your team with the SaaS application
Single-Sign-On comes in a myriad of flavors and to determine what is best for you I advise speaking with a consultant.
