SaaS (Software as a Service) is a cloud model where a complete application is hosted and managed by the provider and delivered to users over the internet, with no infrastructure management required by the customer.

What are examples of SaaS?

Email and productivity suites, CRM platforms like Salesforce, communication tools like Slack, and many industry-specific business applications are common SaaS examples.

Most SaaS products use subscription pricing, often tiered by number of seats, usage volume, or feature access, billed monthly or annually.

Who is responsible for security in a SaaS product?

The SaaS provider is responsible for securing the application, infrastructure, and data at rest, while customers are typically responsible for managing their own user access, permissions, and data they choose to share.

What's the difference between SaaS and PaaS?

SaaS delivers a finished, ready-to-use application to end users, while PaaS delivers a platform for developers to build and deploy their own applications on top of.

Cloud

Software as a Service (SaaS)

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Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud computing model in which a complete, ready-to-use application is hosted and managed entirely by the provider and delivered to users over the internet, typically through a web browser, with no…

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Definition

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud computing model in which a complete, ready-to-use application is hosted and managed entirely by the provider and delivered to users over the internet, typically through a web browser, with no infrastructure or maintenance required from the customer.

Overview

SaaS is the most abstracted of the three classic cloud service models — above Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) — because the customer doesn't manage any infrastructure, runtime, or even the application code itself. Instead, the customer simply uses the software, usually paying a recurring subscription fee based on seats, usage, or feature tier. Familiar consumer and business examples include email and productivity suites, CRM platforms like Salesforce, communication tools like Slack, and countless narrower business applications for HR, accounting, and customer support. The provider is responsible for everything: hosting, scaling, security patching, feature development, and uptime, which is why SaaS products typically publish a service level agreement (SLA) covering availability. SaaS has become the default way most organizations consume non-core software, since building and operating equivalent functionality in-house rarely makes economic sense outside of a company's core product. For organizations building their own products on top of cloud infrastructure, Backend as a Service (BaaS) offers a related but distinct model: rather than delivering a finished application, it delivers ready-made backend building blocks (auth, databases, storage) that developers assemble into their own SaaS product.

Key Concepts

Fully hosted, ready-to-use application delivered over the internet
No infrastructure, runtime, or maintenance responsibility for the customer
Typically subscription-based pricing by seat, usage, or feature tier
Provider handles hosting, scaling, security patching, and uptime
Accessible from any device with a browser or client app, with minimal setup
Frequent, provider-driven feature updates without customer-managed upgrades

Use Cases

Business productivity and collaboration tools (email, docs, chat)

Customer relationship management (CRM) and sales tooling

HR, payroll, and accounting software for small and large businesses

Customer support and helpdesk platforms

Marketing automation and analytics platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

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