SaaS Structure

Because applications based on SaaS make use of a multi-tenant structure, this allows numerous clients to access a single data model at the same time. Another thing that makes SaaS distinct from ASP is that SaaS applications provide a lot of leverage when it comes to economies of scale, particularly when it comes to the support and the deployment of the software life cycle.

With SaaS, you’re given network access and control over software which is made available commercially. Your functions can be handled from locations which are central, as opposed to every customer’s site, which means that customers will have access to remote applications via the Internet.

When it comes to the delivery of applications, SaaS will generally use a structure which is similar to the one-to-many architecture, which means that the architecture will have one instance, and it will also be multi-tenant. This can be incredibly useful when it comes to pricing, partnering, and managing multiple characteristics.

The central features of the application can be updated, and this eliminates the need for end users to have to worry about downloading upgrades or patches. It is also possible to have regular integration with a bigger network of software which can communicate, and this will either occur in the form of a mashup, or in the form of a platform.

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that the Service Oriented Architecture will generally be a lot more complex than the older models which have been used for the development of software.

Vendors who offer SaaS will typically price their applications based on the individual user, and there may be extra fees involved such as bandwidth as well as storage. The revenue that the vendor will earn may be lower at first than traditional fees, but because these fees are recurring, they could be more expensive over the long term, though they would also be more predictable as well.

Additional Features and Implementation

One interesting feature that is associated with SaaS is that this technology is capable of altering the concept of the "tragedy of the commons." For instance, SaaS can handle more requests for features from users, and there is no cost that is involved with requesting these features.

Faster releases are available for the brand new features, and this means that the whole community can benefit greatly from its functionality. There is also the issue of the embodiment of the best practices, meaning that the community of end users will be responsible for pushing the publisher to support and maintain best practices. The next issue that must be carefully considered is SaaS implementation.

SaaS is generally defined as being part of four different levels, and these involve scalability, efficiency of the multi-tenant, and configurability. At the first level, the software may be ad-hoc or custom. This means that every customer has a customized version of the application, and they can run an instance of this application via the servers of the host.

Transforming a traditional client-server to this level will require a low level of development cost, and will also lower the cost of operation through combining the hardware for the server along with the administration Level two involves configurability, and this means that the program must offer greater flexibility when it comes to how it is configured, particularly through metadata.

Level Three and Four SaaS Functionality

Level three involves both configurability as well as a multi-tenant efficiency. At this level, the multi-tenancy will typically be placed within the second level, which means that one program must be responsible for instancing all the customers. This approach is good since it makes better use of the services, and there is very little difference for the end user.

Level four deals with both multi-tenant efficiency, scalability, and configurability. It will typically offer scalability through the architecture, which in most cases will be multi-tiered. It will also support a balance of load when it comes to the applications instances which are identical to each other. It is possible for the capacity of the entire system to be increased or decreased.