What is SaaS? Top 10 Software as a Service (SaaS) Examples

Software as a Service (SaaS) continues to gain momentum in every aspect of the business world. It eschews traditional maintenance, installation, and management techniques. SaaS lets service providers take on the responsibility of security, availability, and performance.

Computer Economics, an IT management metrics company, has reported that 60% of enterprises have integrated some SaaS software solutions into the business.

Every company should be acquainted with the essential SaaS applications

Still on the fence on SaaS? Perhaps a deeper knowledge of some of the cutting-edge and popular SaaS applications will help you make up your mind.

1. Salesforce.com

Salesforce is the most significant software as a Service (SaaS) application. Salesforce’s customer relations management software allows businesses to gather all data about prospects, customers and leads on one online platform. This allows authorized employees to access crucial data from any device at any time. Salesforce attributes its tools to increasing sales for customers by around 37 per cent, on average, and driving increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.

2. Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office productivity tools like Word, Excel and PowerPoint are standard for a long time. However, they have recently introduced the cloud-based Microsoft Office 365 significantly extends the Office suite. Users can now create, edit, share and publish content using any PC, Mac, iOS, Android or Windows device in real-time. It also lets users connect with colleagues and customers across a range of tools ranging from video conferencing to email and use a range of collaboration tools that enable secure communications both inside and outside the company.

3. Box

The online workspace lets professionals collaborate with anyone, wherever. Users can securely share large files via traditional links or a custom URL, protecting documents and data via permissions and password protection. Box supports a variety of file types and lets users test files before downloading. The entire content sharing, editing discussions, and approvals are restricted to one central file, and users get immediate notifications whenever edits are made.

4. Google Apps

Google has long since expanded beyond its search and advertising roots to provide businesses with a complete suite of tools for productivity. Google Apps includes custom professional email (complete with spam protection) and shared calendars, and video meetings in conjunction with Google Drive. Google Drive, a cloud-based document storage system, lets staff access their files from any device and immediately share them with their colleagues. This eliminates email attachments and the hassle of merging multiple versions.

5. Amazon Web Services

Amazon has also evolved beyond its core online shopping platform to enable the online delivery of cloud-based IT resources and applications backed by pay-as-you-go pricing options. Amazon Web Services currently encompasses more than 70 services, including storage, computing, networking, database, analytics, deployment, management tools, and the Internet of Things.

6. Concur

For finance and staff on the go working from home, business travel is a hassle. Concur streamlines travel and expense management to simplify the process. Its web-based and mobile solutions allow employees to make travel arrangements based on their preferences and personal needs while also ensuring the bookings are within the company’s spending limits. Concur additionally reconciles expenses after travel has been completed and sends electronic hotel, airline, and auto rental receipts directly into the digital expense report. This eliminates the need for paper receipts to be tracked, collected and filed.

7. Zendesk

The cloud-based customer service and ticketing system allow agents to efficiently manage inbound customer questions across all communication channels such as chat, email, social media, phone, or phone. Automatic Answers, a machine-learning-powered tool to interpret and solve customer questions and requests, Zopim (a live chat service) as well as Zendesk Voice (a cloud-based integrated phone support system) are just a few of the features. According to Zendesk, more than 86 per cent of its customers communicate with its business users with positive reviews.

8. DocuSign

DocuSign is an electronic signature platform and transaction management system which supports electronic contracts and other electronic documents. Sign, access, and send business documents to and from any location they prefer. This means that the agreements and approvals are completed in just a few moments, not weeks. DocuSign electronic signatures are legally binding for most personal and business transactions in nearly every country worldwide. More than 85 million users use the app in more than 188 countries.

9. Dropbox

Dropbox lets you store all your files and documents at your fingertips on every device. The documents and files you add to the Dropbox storage account are instantly visible on all your devices. Professionals can begin a project on their desktop, edit it on their mobile and finish work from a home computer. Then users can invite teammates to access any Dropbox folder or share specific images and files through password-protected links; there’s an option to wipe the remote in the event of an emergency.

10. Slack

An instant messaging, archiving and search service, Slack is redefining business communication. Group conversations can be organized regarding specific subjects and projects using open channels. Also, you can limit sensitive interactions to only individuals who are invited. You can also communicate with your colleagues in private through secure private messages. Slack allows users to communicate about documents and files, including spreadsheets, PDFs and PDFs. Users can make comments or highlight them for future reference. Every message, notification, as well as a document, is immediately archived and searchable.

Cloud automation Tools are the process of using specialized software tools and methodologies to automate some of the manual tasks associated with managing and operating cloud-based IT infrastructure. There can be many cloud automation tools that effectively enhance cloud tasks. Ultimate Business System (UBS) also provides excellent cloud automation tools that make regular tasks much easier.