Datto. What Is SaaS (Software as a Service)? (Part 1)

April 13, 2022 - 7 minutes read

SaaS stands for “Software as a Service” and is a cloud-based IT service. It is an on-demand software that can be accessed by the user via an internet connection. Saas is one of the most popular ways to provide business software to consumers thanks to its many benefits, including scalability, low cost, and ease-of-use.

As businesses have shifted from office-based to remote work, leveraging SaaS platforms has been key to keeping businesses running. However, with this increase in remote workers comes an increase in security risks due to the lack of secure infrastructure of a corporate office. To help managed service providers (MSPs) protect remote workers from potential cloud data loss, we have compiled this useful guide.

Read on for a deep dive into SaaS and how you can protect yourself from potential security threats.

SaaS vs traditional software

SaaS is a software distribution model where the software and its data are centrally hosted. This model offers benefits to customers by providing a more stable environment and making it easier for them to maintain their software.

Traditional software is typically installed on a customer’s own computers and managed by that customer. It provides more control over the environment, but it also means that the customer has to install updates, manage backups, and install new hardware if necessary.

Common examples of SaaS companies

There are thousands of SaaS software vendors to choose from, but the more popular ones include:

Google Workspace
Microsoft 365
Salesforce
Dropbox
Slack
Hubspot

These companies are leading examples within the SaaS industry and have come to define the framework of successful Software as a Service companies. However, it’s always worth investigating who has liability for what when it comes to choosing a SaaS Vendor. We put together a few top tips from Managed Service Providers on what to look for.

Types of SaaS solutions

Accounting Software
Billing and Invoicing Software
Collaboration
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
Email Marketing Software
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software
HR
Marketing Automation
Project Management Software
And more

SaaS tools are primarily involved in key business functions and often contain sensitive data. As a result, they are also prime targets for cyber attacks and hackers.

Discover how to protect your business data with Datto SaaS Protection.

What to look for in a business SaaS solution

When it comes to looking for the right SaaS technology to protect your clients’ data it’s essential to make sure it fits your purpose. Here are five key elements to look out for:

1. Liability

Know who is liable for what SaaS providers ensure they won’t lose your customers’ cloud data with built-in redundancy and other high availability measures. However, they do not take responsibility for restoring data if your customers were to lose it. Microsoft calls this the Shared Responsibility Model for data protection.

2. Comprehensive protection

Some SaaS backup solutions only protect email, files, and folders. However, there are solutions available today that offer more comprehensive coverage. When selecting a backup product, look for solutions that offer protection for things like contacts, shared drives, collaboration and chat tools, and calendars. SaaS protection solutions that offer this type of coverage are far more effective at maintaining business continuity than less robust offerings.

Learn more about comprehensive SaaS Protection

3. RPO/RTO

Recovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO) are also critical considerations. These metrics refer to the point in time you can restore to and how fast you can perform a restore, respectively. When it comes to backup these are largely dictated by the frequency of backups and what specifically is being protected.

Solutions that offer frequent backups address RPO since they enable you to restore to a recent point in time, minimizing data loss. As noted above, these make restores faster and easier by reducing the amount of manual effort to perform restores. Plus, they enable users to access data in the event of an outage.

4. Security/Compliance

Many MSPs serve clients in verticals with significant security and compliance requirements. So, choosing a SaaS protection solution that can address these needs is essential. Look for products that back up data in compliance with Service Organization Control (SOC 1/ SSAE 16 and SOC 2 Type II) reporting standards that can meet clients’ HIPAA and GDPR compliance needs.

Solutions that enable automated retention management to meet compliance standards can reduce the need for manual intervention. This streamlines management and ensures that client data is stored for the right length of time.

5. MSP business growth

No discussion of product evaluation for MSPs is complete without considering profitability. Look for products that have the features and functionality you need at a price point that allows you to build margins on your services. Consider products that offer pricing benefits for MSPs such as sales-based discounting and flexible “pay for what you use” licensing.

As noted above, products that increase efficiency can also grow margin and increase revenue, since they require less manual intervention. You may also want to bundle SaaS protection on top of SaaS services that you already deliver — this has proven effective for some MSPs. This isn’t necessarily part of the product evaluation process, but it’s worth noting when discussing business growth.

To get more top tips on what to look for in a business SaaS protection solution, download our ebook.

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