Software as a Service

Software as service (SaaS) systems are entirely run and managed by their provider. The end user typically pays a monthly fee for access to the system. All the service providers clients share the same single system. This type of system will be hosted either on a cloud service providers infrastructure or using the service provides own infrastructure.

The advantage of this type of software is that the end user does not need to be concerned with the management of infrastructure or (typically) the installation of any software. In organisations without an IT department or one looking to streamline its infrastructure such services are attractive. Billing cycles for this type of service are typically monthly and per employee.

There are some disadvantages to this type of system architecture. Notably since all clients share one system any changes have a global impact, limiting or preventing the ability to add screens, fields or reports. In a similar way an attack on the service can have a wide-ranging impact. Within a data management strategy, since data valuable data is held and controlled by a third party, additional risks may need to be accounted for.