Category: Products and Services

What Privacy Policy Stands in SaaS Application Development?

Posted on by Jay

Recently, WhatsApp has updatedits user data privacy policy and this update creates so much hush between end-users.

Even tech giant Elon Musk also tweeted about it.

By the way, we do not want to make any comment on that nor want to make any comparisons.

But any user data of any application is a primary concern in today’s market. Service providers must satisfy their end-users by making much-required transparency of data privacy policies.

A few years back, there was only a fundamental shift in how companies do business online, and about data privacy. But after the intervention of cloud-based business strategy things have changed.

Now building credibility as a cloud-based business is harder than ever.

Let’s take the SaaS market. To make the subscription payments option available, the SaaS companies need a strong focus on keeping customer data secure and communicating that security to their users.

Just letting strengthen the privacy concerns are not enough though – the SaaS Application builders need concrete security measures in place that customers can easily understand.

Here we have put together some of the basic information and best practices on data security policies to help you get started with securing your SaaS application. Let’s dive in!

Basic things about SaaS security

SaaS security refers to the data privacy and safety of user data in subscription-based software i.e. Orangescrum, Wakeupsales, etc.

Each day, SaaS companies access, and analyze various data of customers. Even including the credit and debit card details.

As a SaaS founder, If you fail to keep those data safe, it will have a direct and lasting impact on your user retention and business growth.

With high-profile leaks like Cambridge Analytica happening more often, customers are increasingly concerned with their data privacy.

Concerning the customer data safety, different country’s regulatory bodies have issued various security guidelines like GDPR, EU-US and the Swiss-US Privacy Shield Frameworks, etc. These are mandatory to follow as a SaaS company.

And all these guidelines declares “Doing so ensures that whatever data your product has access to, it’s kept secure in a way that customers can understand—whether you’re dealing with internal or external issues.”

Also, the SaaS companies need to consider the data leakage.

As well as keeping secret your customer data you need to protect these customer data from outside attacks also. Or I can say you need to create a secure environment to run your SaaS application.

So, you need to make a dedicated strategy for your SaaS product during the development process.

The best practices to ensure data privacy and security:

Whether you’re developing a new SaaS product or rolling out a new feature, it’s important to consider how these changes will impact your SaaS Application’s security.

SaaS Secrity Layers
Image Source: Profitwell

Keep the following best practices in mind to ensure your data privacy and security.

Encrypt your data

Encrypting the internal or user data should be the top priority through every layer of your technology stack.

A proper encryption ensures that the customer data isn’t immediately out there for all to see.

And let this know to your customers that your product is always keeping all sensitive billing information safe by communicating your encryption policies.

Not to mention, there are many common encryption protocols to use, each ensuring that the data you rely on isn’t stored in plain text.

Make privacy a priority

Privacy and security statements are required by most compliance and regulatory protocols, but that’s not all they’re good for.

By creating a robust statement for your own product, it educates both your team and your customer in how to handle valuable data.

Work with your development and legal teams to define the specific information that should be included in your own privacy policy.

Educate your customers

According to Gartner research, customers will be responsible for 95% of cloud security failures by 2020.

Whenever you onboard new customers or push important updates to current ones, make sure that you’re actively reaching out to let people know how it will impact their security.

More and more SaaS companies are moving to an entirely cloud-based infrastructure and most customers don’t understand the implications of this move.

Make sure your customers know how to keep their information safe to minimize security issues.

Backup user data in several locations

Lots of businesses aren’t prepared for data breaches, which makes effective customer data management very important.

Backing up your data in several locations ensures that no single system failure will damage your security.

Many cloud platforms SaaS companies rely on will provide this functionality as a part of their product, but you need to be diligent with backups to avoid potentially disastrous losses of customer data.

Consult a cyber-security firm

Third-party security firms can provide valuable industry insight into what you need to do to keep your platform secure.

Their testing protocols ensure that your software, network, and infrastructure is kept safe at all times.

As you’re building out your product, these third-party providers can also help you create plans for if/when a breach occurs.

Require stronger passwords

Even when they understand the risk of this practice, many people still use the same password for every login.

Prevent users from making their data vulnerable by requiring strong passwords when they create accounts.

Consider setting up authentication protocols and case sensitivity guidelines.

As the subscription economy continues to mature, a focus on security will only become more important. Always evaluate your current protocols to make sure you’re staying compliant as your company grows.

Takeaways

With a strong focus on SaaS security, you build trust in your product and foster an ecosystem that customers feel comfortable using.

Andolasoft puts user data security first

At Andolasoft, we are compliant with EU and US privacy regulations, we never sell your valuable customer data, and regularly perform security audits and penetration testing.

Check out our security statement for specific information on how we keep our SaaS business secure.

As people become more well-versed in their personal security, more secure products will also be more attractive to buyers.

Want to discuss more on SaaS Application data privacy? Let’s discuss!

 

The Important Elements For Better ECommerce Conversion

Posted on by Jay

In the last 9 months of COVID situation, eCommerce development is considered as the most important development for online product selling businesses. Due to the lockdown, more and more users are turning their heads into the digital world to do business and generate high revenue.

“50-60% of the business contributors are a direct outcome of eCommerce development and designing.”

Having an eCommerce website to represent your business, you need to make it convenient to shop anytime, anywhere across the globe with any device as well.

So, anyone can get your products or services online with a few clicks on a mobile device or computer without the need to visit any store nearby.

And the great part of an eCommerce website is that it also provides the product comparison with an efficient and simpler manner.

Somehow, it is not as easy as it sounds. Due to heavy competition, you need to make your eCommerce application more user-friendly to make your application stands out from the crowd.

Here I have mentioned some of the elements that can help your eCommerce website to make better conversions.

Responsive Design

A first needed element and almost every person caring a smartphone and with the help of which they can also do shopping in a convenient manner. This is where the need for responsive design arises.

Responsive Design

The Responsive UI makes the website accessible on different mobile platforms and desktops.

So, It makes the eCommerce web application more usable for consumers and enhances the online product sale.

Choosing the Right Ecommerce Platform Selection

Choosing the right e-commerce platform for eCommerce development gives flexibility, scalability and expandability to the users of the industries.

Choosing the Right Ecommerce Platform Selection

Among different eCommerce platforms, the common platforms are WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, and Shopify, which has empowered numerous online retailers and brands to grow.

Highlight Products with Description

The e-commerce website works well when the design is matched with the product. Its main purpose is to showcase the product and description that defines the website to viewers.

Besides, an e-store must have a perfect text, color scheme, theme and images to highlight the products with description and keep it coherent for consumers.

Check-Out Option is Mandatory

Check-out options are necessary for e-commerce website because all customers don’t prefer to create an account every time they visit any site to purchase a product.

Check-Out Option is Mandatory

Adding check-out options removes the barrier for customers to shop and thus, increases the conversion rate too. It provides an easy way to shop online and attract more buyers towards any business.

Easy Navigation

Keeping the search features and web pages easy to navigate assists customers to find the exact products the customers want.

This is because, if it takes a lot of hassle to show the product, then there are chances that people might turn away from the website. Easy navigation helps people to find the product in categories easily without spending much time.

Website Speed optimization

The speed of an e-commerce website is important to gain on online business.

No user wants to be on such site that takes much time to load the page and they might switch to another website after a few minutes.

The speed of website should be optimized in order to make it run smoother and give better results.

Site Security

In e-commerce websites, people have to provide personal information such as bank details, account number, address, and mobile number etc. to shop for the products and access the payment.

Site Security

Ideally, these websites are built with a secure socket layer to encrypt the information stored on the site.

Conclusion

There are some website owners who have a mindset that eCommerce development is just to get more customers online.

But, these types of websites are also used to expand the product pages and even, much more.

So, when go seek eCommerce development, develop the site wisely and try to consider all the above things to develop the best site.

How Automation can Robust your B2B eCommerce Business

Posted on by Jay

A strong relationship with partners and customers is critical for B2B businesses. This needs to be reflected in the successful B2B eCommerce strategies.

Nowadays, the B2B eCommerce model moved beyond from just transactions to putting more emphasis on relationships and automated ordering systems.

With these relationship-centered B2B eCommerce models businesses are reducing their spending efforts on low-value tasks and focusing on Extended interaction with long-term business trends, multi-party deals, and on more complex transactions.

This new model has made numerous impacts on the eCommerce business. In fact, some of the techno giants are saying B2B is surpassing the B2C.

What is B2B eCommerce

Well, B2B eCommerce is the typical exchange of products and services between 2 different businesses or companies through the electronic platform. Or you can say, buying and selling the products on the web as the exchange media.

B2B eCommerce business is not limited just limited to selling and buying. It may cover many aspects like;

  • Business Relationship between 2 companies
  • Product information and research
  • Technical learning
  • Product Ordering & Tracking
  • Technical Support, Training and Services
  • Document exchange like User guide, etc

So, technically it brings a lot of value to this process.

Now see, where the “Automation” term is fitting in this process.

B2B eCommerce Automation

What comes first to your mind when someone says “Automation”? In general, it sounds like robots are assembling cars somewhere in factories. But in B2B eCommerce it is not an artificial intelligence SKY-Net-like program.

The “Automation” in B2B e-commerce context is the use of a computer programmed software tool to complete the tasks without human intervention.

Automation spot the patterns in data and make the decision in a fraction of a second.

Now come to the basic topic of this article. How this Automation can help the eCommerce business for a better result?

Benefits of B2B Automation

Let’s go through the five ways that automation can improve your B2B eCommerce business today.

Reduce Errors:

The manual data processing always makes a tiny glitch and these small errors can cost millions in a year.

Just an example: If a B2B seller would make a misenter in an amount at the time of creating purchasing orders, it can cause chaos for both.

To avoid such types of errors you can integrate an automation layer to your eCommerce Application.

So, the orders can be created and communicated without any risk of human errors or even without human introversion.

Basically, no manual intervention is necessary when the electronically generated documents are passed back and forth between seller and buyer.

Get rid of Workflow Friction:

In B2B eCommerce workflow, a great deal of friction is generated that involves manual moving of information from one end to another.

By the intervention of an automated eCommerce cart management system with the inclusion of invoicing programs can make the progress much smoother.

So, the waiting could be over for a work process like open, read and respond to the email, etc.

As both the buyer and sellers waste their time in moving the information between the system and associated people, an automated system can help them to do it faster.

Better Relationships With Customers

Business to Business buyers are decently becoming more enthusiastic about the benefits of integration and automation.

The integration of Automation creates a more intuitive and easier purchasing experience for buyers with automated catalogs.

Better Relationship

Image Source: FreePik

Relying on automated platforms, it is significantly more effective when B2B sellers offer a straightforward path to data exchanges such as order confirmations, purchase orders, shipping notifications, and invoices.

Get Paid Faster

With a manual workflow, the B2B sellers process invoices manually. A dedicated resource creates invoices manually and emails those to the buyers.

And on the buyer side, whoever is responsible gets around to opening the email manually, and getting approval for paying.

Automated Email

Image Source: FreePik

Whereas in the automated system invoices can be created and delivered automatically.

As a result, the buyers opt to pay automatically, and for the invoices, those are required oversight, the right person will see it and react more quickly.

Focus On What Matters for You

Somehow, people worry that automation is taking place in some jobs, and there is a kernel of truth in that.

The automation system will replace some human roles, but it will also encourage us to focus on what matters most for us and for our business betterment.

For example: The automation system will allow the salespersons to focus more on sales and upbringing new business rather than getting stuck in time and paper.

This will definitely reduce the cost while increasing revenue.

Conclusion

There could be many ways that workflow automation helps your B2B business right now. But the proper planning and execution of the strategies can make your eCommerce website a winner.

The eCommerce application development planning is not much exhausting work, but it requires proper knowledge and customer satisfaction points.

You should develop an appropriate site for online business in which users can easily manage their shopping items and place orders.

For a prosperous future of B2B eCommerce, businesses must have to work with the technology and data firms.

What Is The Saas Life Cycle-Application And Development

Posted on by Jay

A SaaS Project Management & Team Communication tool, the enterprises that purchase the services of SaaS providers will always come out on top with efficient operations and organized teams – said by Basecamp.

The Saas Life Cycle is a term used in the software industry to describe the process of creating a new software product. It’s a generic way of understanding the different phases that a software project goes through from the moment you start developing a new application to the moment you release it for users.

If you’re new to the Saas Life Cycle, you might be wondering what exactly it means. Or you might be wondering how you can take your new project through this process to make it more successful. Either way, you’ll learn more about the Saas Life Cycle and how it can help your new software project succeed with this article.

SaaS Development

From the view of experts, SaaS development is unique. It requires a specific skill-set and an open-minded approach.

Never miss an update from us. Join 10,000+ marketers and leaders.

Here are some benefits of using a SaaS:

  • Lower costs. Since SaaS is a “cloud” solution the prices customers are required to pay are much lower than on-premise solutions.
  • Scalability. SaaS is an already developed solution, customers do not need to do much planning, as SaaS are highly scalable.
  • Upgrades. SaaS provides all the upgrades themselves, which is highly convenient for the users.
  • Integration. SaaS are perfect platforms for integration with other services
  • User Experience. SaaS solutions always try to make their UX enjoyable. Which lets their customers spend less time learning how to use the software.

The SaaS Development Life Cycle Must Begin With A Vision

You need to conduct a lot of research if you are willing to develop a great tool. Beginning with, identifying the needs of an organization is a crucial part to fulfill.

Gathering the ideas and evaluating the market will give you an idea of a product that is going to be useful and successful.

The Planning Stage

You can’t develop a SaaS Application much without having a great plan. You and your developing authority must understand how are you going to develop your SaaS, how much it will cost, when will you be able to launch it, and how is the marketing strategy going to look.

Software Development Strategies for your SaaS solution may help with answering those questions.

The Subscription Stage

After all decisions regarding cost and architecture have been finalized comes the time to choose your cloud provider. While there are many decisions to be made regarding a SaaS platform, the cloud provider selection is, probably, the most important one.

Subscription

The Development Stage

The Development stage is a complex stage. There are many decisions to make regarding the project’s architecture.

Actually, there is no point in developing a SaaS application unless it is suitable for all targeted users and has the potential to scale.

Below I have listed some of the essential requirements for a SaaS development to meet to be considered valuable for users and profitable for developers as well:

  • User Experience. The software must be easy to use and user-friendly.
  • Security. SaaS must to provide a high level of security, and its customers must believe in the exceptional security of their data.
  • Customer Support. The Built-in support processes, 24-hour access, and frequent, non-disruptive updates must all take place in a SaaS Application.

By keeping these basic practices in mind, the SaaS development process will mean the following:

Selection Af A Development Methodology

There is a large amount of methodologies available and that are known as the “Software Development Lifecycle”. Let’s break down some of the most common ones below:

  • Rapid – quickly to put together and speed-up the development, and then tested.
  • Spiral – here development divided into cycles, each of which is evaluated to then later influence the next cycle and better the methodology.
  • Agile – development methodology where each iteration gets evaluated after it ends, so that positive change and adaptation of plans can take place before the next iteration begins.

Agile Methodology

SaaS Will Mean HTML5

New products mean using the HTML5 technology. It is one of the most suitable for today’s environment. This technology provides rich Internet applications so, do not need the legacy plugins.

“When back in 2014 Microsoft announced that they will be discontinuing the support of Windows XP, Microsoft platforms that could not support HTML5 slowly began to die off.”

But there still may be some glitch issues with the use of HTML5 on mobile devices, but there are less and less of those each day. If there are any issues, then a native mobile app may be the best course of action.

SaaS Requires Published API’s

SaaS products must have API’s that provide for the development of external widgets and extensions by value-added resellers and other third-party developers.

APIs have to be consistent and should be maintained after publishing. Developers should ensure that APIs must be extended, which requires a very accurate architecture.

SaaS And Stateless Architecture

Stateless architecture is preferred because it provides smooth performance, elasticity, scalability, and fault tolerance. If applications are stateless, there is no need to allocate storage of previous requests, making the cost lower.

These applications can also scale easily, making it perfect for dealing with spikes in usage. Stateful architecture, on the other hand, requires more management and takes up more infrastructure resources.

Stateless architecture is not a requirement for SaaS, though it just may provide the best performance.

SaaS Upgrades

Upgrades must be built into the architecture in a way that will not disrupt user experience.

SaaS companies do not put out different version there – usually there are only two. If a new version is developed, it can be done on a separate server without any migrated clients to minimize disruptions.

Operations – Requirements For Development

New tenant on-boarding and billing services must be built into the SaaS architecture. IaaS and PaaS providers (if they are used), and third-party tools may help with managing that, though their integration must be in the software product itself. There isn’t a defined model for all of this, which means that the developers will have to get creative.

SaaS Implementation Methodology And Deployment

Once the software is deployed, frequent updates and security patches should take place to keep the support requests to a minimum while continually improving the UX.

Helpdesk calls and/or support tickets all result in increased operational costs, so the goal is to automate those tasks as much as possible and. Remember – constant monitoring and patches/updates will keep your customers happy.

SaaS Development, Operations, And Management Are Unique

Everyone must consider SaaS development, invest heavily in the talent of the people developing it.

This is the most expensive part of the endeavor – the requirement for a very specific skill set.

And, if you intend to have a top-rated piece of software – robust, expansion-ready, innovative, with well-received UI and UX, secure, and reliable in its implementation – then you must be prepared for the high costs involved.

Saas Development Tools

SaaS projects are usually complex and oftentimes unique. It means there is no defined stack of tools mandatory for SaaS development. You can build your SaaS development stack off of your project requirements, your architecture and your marketing strategy.

I’ve worked with the team at Andolasoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

LEARN MORE

Nevertheless, some of the more popular tools for SaaS development are listed below:

Server-side development:

Conclusion

SaaS solutions have become the best options for many businesses these days. Their availability, scalability, and pricing policies all provide their users with an abundance of benefits.

Whether you are looking to adopt a SaaS in your business, or you are planning to develop a SaaS of your own, the concept is as innovative as it gets and it is worth all the attention it has recently been getting.

10 Tips for Building a Successful Software Business

Posted on by Harikrishna Kundariya

In this age of computers and smartphones, we’ve started to rely a lot upon the software programs that give them life. Since computers started becoming prominent, there has been a boom in the software industry.

The software has made life easier for everyone, from education, entertainment, business, or the day-to-day issues, the software has brought the solutions of almost all of them at the fingertips.

The convenience that the software programs have brought to the lives of the people has increased their demands. An increase in demands naturally leads to an increase in production and the same happened with the software market.

Software businesses are growing and new startups are emerging, seeing these businesses grow, everyone at least once wishes to start a software startup. The catch is to do the right things to make it a successful one.

Here are some suggestions that could help you make your software startup a success-:

1. Be Customer-Centric

A business thrives by the efforts they put to satisfy their clients/customers. Making money might be the dream that brings people to start a business but an important key to success is to satisfy the customer.

A customer-centric business thrives over the motivation of solving the problems incurred by the customers rather than just focusing on converting them and making them pay.

Make sure the customer service is responsive, efficient, and welcoming, and you’ll retain the customers and bring in new ones.

2. Minimum Viable Product

For any business, especially for a startup, the efficient use of capital is always an issue. Businesses face risks during several stages of production and distribution, and a faulty decision can deplete a lot of money.

Minimizing risk makes business much more smooth. For a software-based company, this can be done by introducing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product).

An MVP is the most basic version of the product with only the essential features of the product. After introducing the MVP, enhancements and upgrades can be done as per the feedback of the user-base.

This way, businesses avoid scenarios where they incur losses because certain features or the software is badly received by the public.

3. Collaborative Marketing

Marketing is an important part of business development and the interesting thing is that the field of marketing is open to lots of creative ideas, innovation, and experimentation.

Out of all the methods that software businesses use to market their product, an interesting way is to collaborate with other businesses where there is no conflict of interest.

The Co-Marketing model which is used by companies to promote each other’s products helps the participating companies access the other company’s user base and thereby grow their audience.

Because of the growth in the user base at a comparatively lower expense, it is a win-win situation for all.

4. Incentivize the Employees

Efficient employees contribute substantially to a business, however, it is not easy to make them work efficiently.

Even though the employees vow to work diligently in an interview, and a lot of them keep up with their words, often an employee lacks the motivation to give it their best.

The best way to motivate an employee is to give them an incentive and appreciation for their accomplishments.

5. Solve Problems

There are a lot of startups that tend to imitate successful products and fail because people aren’t finding the product helpful. Whatever the issue is, if the product isn’t helpful to the clients, if it isn’t solving their problems, it will fail.

Before developing a software program, always do in-depth research about the demands, the issues that the people are facing, how important will your program be for them- are there any other simpler means to solve the issue, does the issue really bother them, and so on.

6. Measure, Analyze, and Improve

To improve something, you need to know its present condition, and how the outcomes are affected by changing its aspects. The same goes for businesses, you need to be aware of certain indicators that reflect how the business is performing.

These indicators are called KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). It is necessary to monitor these indicators along with other indicators and after analyzing the situation, make proper decisions that will improve the situation.

7. Offer Packages

The main source of revenue for a software-based business is subscriptions. While it is essential to offer some free tools for a user to hang on to the software, it is important to provide some exclusive plans that offer more sets of tools.

Such extensive tools are generally used by regular subscribers and businesses who are quite reliant on these exclusive tools and readily pay for them if the standards meet their expectations.

8. Client Retention

As we discussed in the last point that subscriptions are the major sources of revenue for a software company, now if the churn rate for the software is high, the business will lose money in the form of marketing campaigns to maintain the number of subscribers.

Retaining the subscribers is the key to success for a software business especially those with a SaaS product. Proper customer support, attractive offers, and quality products are the things that can make a customer remain subscribed.

9. Third-Party Integration

People extensively use computers and smartphones these days, most of the time, they need different software programs to accomplish a particular task.

Integrating the software with third-party software programs with which it is generally used, will help the users a great deal.

Making a flexible API that can be easily integrated with different platforms and worked upon by developers will help grow the popularity of the product and increase its value.

10. Make it Simple and Intuitive

For a software program to be convenient for public use, it needs to be simple. People don’t want to go through the hassle of learning how to make use of the program to accomplish tasks.

Popular software programs have a simple interface through which people can find their way easily and find the necessary tools and paths intuitively. Make it interactive, simple, and intuitive then see its shining.

Conclusion

Discover essential strategies for establishing a thriving software business with the guidance of Andolasoft, a software development company.

Whether you’re a startup or an established firm, learn how to streamline your development process, harness cutting-edge technologies, enhance user experiences, and effectively market your software products.

Andolasoft’s proven expertise serves as a guiding light, empowering you to overcome challenges, make informed decisions, and pave the way for a prosperous software business. Explore these invaluable insights and set your software business on the path to success today! Contact Us now

The SaaS Trends You Should Watch Out For In 2021

Posted on by Jay

“Software as a service” (SaaS) is becoming an increasingly viable choice for organizations looking for the accessibility and versatility of software solutions and online data analysis tools without the need to rely on installing and running applications on their own computer systems and data centers.

Gartner predicts that the service-based cloud application industry will be worth $143.7 billion by 2022, which is a level of growth that will shape SaaS trends in 2021.

SaaS is a software distribution model that offers a lot of agility and cost-effectiveness for companies, which is why it’s such a reliable option for numerous business models and industries.

It’s also popular amongst businesses for its simplicity and user accessibility, security, and the widespread connectivity that serves to streamline business models, resulting in maximum efficiency across the board. Today, most companies are in the process of implementing various business intelligence strategies, turning to SaaS BI tools to assist them in their efforts.

2019 was a breakthrough year for the SaaS world in many ways. With a new year on the horizon, in this article, we’ll explore 10 essential SaaS trends that will stand out in 2021. But, before we do that, we will discuss the general characteristics revolving around the industry that will help put additional light on the SaaS industry trends for 2021.

Before we dig any deeper into our top ten SaaS industry trends for 2021, let’s dispel some common myths surrounding the industry.

Never miss an update for us. Join 10,000+ marketers and leaders.

The Key Characteristics

Before we explore our essential software as a service trends for 2021, it’s important to consider what defines SaaS as not only a technological development, but as a working business model.

Flexible payment options: Businesses don’t have to go through the expense of purchasing software and hardware. Instead, they have the option of utilizing various pricing structures. Flexibility in payment models, where they only pay for the resource usage they need, for instance, is attractive for many organizations in today’s competitive world.

Scalability: Cloud-based SaaS enables businesses to expand with ease due to its inherent scalability. Companies can be selective about the types of features and options they want.

Updates: SaaS providers handle the necessary software updates and develop new features over time, so businesses don’t have to invest ample amounts of time in this particular area of operation.

Accessibility: With SaaS, businesses have the mobility of accessing applications from any digital device and location, making it especially convenient for mobile platforms. Additionally, it boasts ease-of-use and is user-friendly.

Increased collaboration: SaaS developments enhance a business’s ability to promote collaboration across teams and departments due to the facilitation of file sharing, in addition to a distinct ease of reading and understanding across systems.

Security: Most SaaS models are known for their enterprise-level security, which is a more holistic approach to security than many centralized, on-premise solutions. In Cloud SaaS, per-existing disaster recovery protocols are in place to manage potential system failures. This means that your business’s data is available and secure regardless of a data breach or system failure.

As businesses continue to rely on innovative data discovery tools and technologies to increase both their productivity and their efficiency, and as new software as a service trends continue to emerge, this young, groundbreaking industry can only go from strength to strength.

Even if figures diverge somewhat, the many forecasts conducted on SaaS industry trends 2021 demonstrate an obvious reality: the SaaS market is going to get bigger and bigger.

Indeed, according to Bloomberg, public cloud platforms, business services, and applications (SaaS) will all grow at a 9% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) between 2019 and 2023, and worth $60.36 billion. A Betterbuys report reveals that the specific expenditure in the U.S. SaaS Industry is forecasted to reach $55 billion by 2026.

And according to Gartner, the global public cloud service market is projected to grow significantly in 2021 and beyond.

“Customers won’t care about any particular technology unless it solves a particular problem in a superior way.” – Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, one of the planet’s biggest SaaS providers

All signs indicate that this coming year is going to be an interesting, trendsetting year for the trends in SaaS industry. Of all the developments currently in the pipeline, these 10 SaaS industry trends, in particular, are showing signs of standing out as the most significant in 2021:

1. Artificial Intelligence

The first of our most impactful trends in SaaS is of the autonomous, self-learning variety.

Today, Artificial Intelligence is all over the place – it made the top 3 of our list of our business intelligence trends for 2021 – and next year, it’s expected to make some serious waves. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are becoming more widespread; it’s becoming a game-changer worth $15.7 trillion.

AI optimizes business processes, increasing productivity and efficiency while automating repetitive tasks and supporting human capabilities.

Within business scenarios, artificial intelligence (as well as machine learning, in many cases) provides an advanced degree of responsiveness and interaction between businesses, customers, and technology, driving AI-based SaaS trends 2021 onto a new level. There are numerous features developed by modern software providers based on artificial intelligence such as data alerts.

With an AI algorithm using the most advanced neural network for anomaly detection, and a machine-learning algorithm for pattern recognition, these data alerts learn from trends and patterns and let you know as soon as something important happens.

That way, when a pre-set goal is met, or when something unexpected happens, you will be notified, enabling you to keep continuous control over your business.

Since it is often easy to lose track of what really matters when so many KPIs have to be monitored, an online reporting tool will safely keep an eye on your data and anticipate any fluctuation and change – and alert you when it veers off course.

Artificial intelligence is positioned to disrupt the SaaS landscape in a variety of ways, improving the key characteristics of the SaaS model across the board. When SaaS is combined with AI capabilities, it enables businesses to obtain better value from their data, automate and personalize services, improve security, and supplement human capacity.

How will AI improve SaaS in 2021?

  • Automation: Machine Learning, a subset of AI, is utilized in SaaS to automate responsiveness in customer service reports and applications, such as AI-powered chat operations with live chatbots.It will also automate the onboarding process of SaaS.
  • Personalization: Software is easier to use with technologies such as natural language processing (NLP), which automatically processes human speech patterns, and voice control. This can be deployed across customer service functionality to improve customization and better address client needs.
  • Speed: Artificial intelligence-enabled SaaS speeds up internal processes and operations, allowing businesses to obtain fast answers to questions, make quick forecasts, and speed up their overall level of responsiveness.
  • Security: Due to artificial intelligence-enabled automation, and the ability of machine learning to recognize patterns, SaaS security is enhanced by the quick identification and remedy of potential threats with built-in self-recovery.

Artificial intelligence-optimized SaaS solutions provide businesses with the ability to augment their internal processes with fast automation, more efficiently address customer service operations, and improve the level of personalization and responsiveness throughout their processes, which will remain one of the trends in SaaS to keep an eye for in 2021.

2. Vertical SaaS

Our second forecast for SaaS trends in 2021 is Vertical SaaS. Whereas Horizontal SaaS focuses on clients across any sector and industry, Vertical SaaS is completely customizable, targeting clients within specific industries and supply chains.

Some examples are healthcare analytics software, retail analytics, or modern logistics analytics. Companies who are looking to benefit from specialization are finding Vertical SaaS to be a cost-effective, industry-specific option that allows them to refine the customization of certain features.

Why the Vertical SaaS trends are going to have such an impact in 2021?

Vertical SaaS providers also have the ability to adapt features according to client demand and industry, and effectively address customer needs within their niche. This results in more flexibility and upselling opportunities, and lower customer acquisition costs.

Vertical SaaS also provides the following benefits:

  • Customer intelligence: Enables businesses to obtain industry-specific customer data and intelligence, which plays a critical role in gaining customer-focused insights.
  • Pre-defined metrics and KPIs: Vertical SaaS is already integrated with pre-defined metrics, KPIs, and analytics that businesses can utilize to assess and address daily and long-term processes and performance.
  • Business value: Software is designed to meet industry requirements; therefore, it provides a higher degree of business value for company operations and performance.
  • Improved data governance: Vertical SaaS is positioned to address data governance procedures via the inclusion of industry-specific compliance capabilities, which has the additional benefit of providing increased transparency.
  • A higher standard: In 2021, higher quality service from industry-specific vertical SaaS providers will emerge, as each developer aims to distinguish itself from the ever-increasing crowd.

3. The Growing Need For API Connections

The API (Application Programming Interface) has been a fundamental part of software development for years, and this is precisely what our third SaaS trend focuses on. With the explosion of SaaS solutions and adoption by the market, the need to integrate them into an existing business system appeared.

Some companies may want to migrate all their data to a cloud platform, but many actually would rather harmonize it with their already existing infrastructure in order to improve it – and this is where the problem lies.

At first, SaaS providers didn’t come with a complete integration solution. That failure served to complicate the work and caused them to disappoint their customers as a result

They would then redirect their clients to a third party to supply the specific APIs enabling the customer to integrate the cloud solution into their existing system.

It was indeed better for the SaaS developers not to reinvent the wheel, and to win some precious time and resources relying on third-party APIs. Their go-to-market time frame was shorter, and they could focus on their core capabilities to develop differentiated functionality.

However, more and more SaaS vendors tend to provide greater integration capabilities instead of redirecting their customers to third parties.

As Benoit Lheureux, vice president of research firm Gartner Inc., says to Tech Target: “redirecting your customers to a third-party for integration solutions when integration is a requirement in every IT project of substance is falling short of meeting your customer requirements.”

If you are looking to invest in a cloud vendor’s services, you should ask the following questions beforehand to ensure a seamless integration:

  • What capabilities is the provider offering me to integrate the SaaS within my existing business system?
  • Can this provider also integrate the legacy systems I use?
  • Is my data protected while the integration process is worked through?

4. Increased Thought Leadership

One of the most effective ways to serve the needs of your target audience is through equal measures of inspiration and education – and as more SaaS providers tap into this mentality, we expect thought leadership will become a prominent software as a service trend in 2021.

At present, only 24% of SaaS businesses publish content to educate or enlighten. Others are solely company-focused, and 11% of the primary players don’t even operate a blog, according to Callbox. Astonishingly low figures by all accounts.

But, as the landscape becomes competitive with more SaaS startups competing for the attention of savvy businesses like yours, there will be far more SaaS resources available in the form of videos, interactive apps, blog content, eBooks, and digestible whitepapers.

In turn, this will make software as a service even more widely accessible while offering businesses a wealth of new information about the industry, making it all the more transparent as a result.

While you’re waiting for this SaaS trend to blossom, here are two industry thought leaders you should follow:

  • Mamoon Hamid: A well-respected industry expert and board director on 16 SaaS operations, including Wave HQ and CloudOn.
  • Noah Kagan: A celebrated tech player and one of the web’s leading SaaS experts.

5) Migration To PaaS

As the software as a service industry evolves and innovation increases, many developers or providers will focus on customer retention on top of customer acquisition.

That said, in 2021, we expect to see SaaS migrating towards the realms of PaaS (platform as a service) – developments that empower businesses to build custom apps as add-ons to their original services. The likes of Salesforce and Box have recently launched PaaS-centric services in a bid to hold a strong market share in their niche, and we expect to see this SaaS trend become all the more prevalent this coming year.

To put the relevance of this trend into perspective, here are 3 key advantages of using a PaaS development:

  • The enhanced features, functionality, and ability to customize will enhance your overall business agility, giving you more time and creative space to innovate and focus on your core commercial initiatives.
  • PaaS offerings are, by their very nature, robust, flexible, and accessible which means you will be able to scale your business more easily by using a platform as a service.
  • Security is a distinct advantage of the PaaS model as the vast majority of such developments perform a host of automatic updates on a regular basis.

6. Micro-SaaS

The sixth of our software as a service trends comes in the form of a little something called micro-SaaS.

Like any innovative and invaluable industry on the rise, large numbers of players begin to enter the arena, saturating the market and intensifying the competition – which means in 2021, and beyond, SaaS companies will have to find new ways to innovate, offer value, and connect with new prospects.

In response to a new, more cutthroat climate, we expect to see more micro-SaaS innovations emerge from the woodwork this coming year.

Typically, micro-SaaS businesses are run by a small team, sometimes even by one or two people. Micro-SaaS products are usually complementary add-ons to existing platforms or developments, created with the aim of improving a missing feature or enhancing an existing SaaS product.

These more niche, more “miniature” SaaS offerings could prove increasingly valuable to businesses across industries in 2021, which means we can all expect a host of fresh micro-SaaS innovations over the next 12 or so months.

To clarify the meaning of micro-SaaS in a nutshell, here is a definition of the concept explained by Storemapper’s Tyler Tringas:

“A SaaS business targeting a niche market, run by one person or a very small team, with small costs, a narrow focus, a small but dedicated user base and no outside funding. Hence, micro-SaaS.”

7) SaaS Pricing Policy Change

The seventh in our definitive rundown of SaaS trends comes in the form of policy. Studies show that 98% of SaaS businesses earned positive results from making core changes to their pricing policy.

By reviewing every aspect of platform pricing, a host of companies across niches have grown their audience, connecting with a broader demographic of consumers. And this growing SaaS trend is set to evolve in 2021.

Traditionally, software as a service companies have built their business models based on flexible pricing structures. By offering flexible price points, it has been easy for vendors to drive revenue. But in a seismic industry shift, software-centric businesses have been forced to remold their pricing policies.

Stiffer competition, industry saturation, and the rapid development of SaaS platforms (improved features and functionality) mean that software as service players of all shapes and sizes are starting to reinvent their pricing models according to the needs of their clients or customers.

By leveraging business intelligence and analytics to drive their pricing structures, droves of service-based software businesses are developing more tailored pricing solutions, enjoying increased success as a result—a SaaS trend that is sure to shape the landscape in 2021 and beyond.

When looking for a potential SaaS service, value for money is best represented in a service that will meet your needs on a sustainable basis. Make sure you keep this in mind in 2021.

8. Platform Unbundling

One of the most disruptive SaaS trends in recent times, platform unbundling is set to dominate the landscape as we move into 2021.

Most traditional software as a service platforms are considered horizontal, offering every single feature or function imaginable in one single tool. But, as user needs become more complex, and the industry continues to evolve, platform unbundling is likely to become all the more prevalent.

Every business—depending on its size, sector, and culture—has a specific set of needs, which means that today’s vendors are beginning to realize that not all of the functionality on their platforms suits every prospective client or customer. That’s where unbundling comes in.

Unbundling is a term used in reference to the growing list of startups that provide software-based solutions packaged in the form of an API (application programming interface) rather than a typical ‘full-featured’ platform. Such businesses are on the rise and are expected to make their mark in 2021.

While this is indeed food for thought, it’s important to remember that not every solution will suit an API-based unbundling business model. For instance, when it comes to data analytics, ambitious companies across industries will look to a centralized solution that offers all of the insights, features, and functionality required for online BI in one place.

While it’s important to remain abreast of this most vital of SaaS industry trends, before looking at unbounded services or offerings, you must consider whether doing so will work for your enterprise and its ongoing commercial goals. If you’re looking to improve your data analytics processes, in particular, unbundling is unlikely to be the answer.

9. A Mobile-First Mindset

Number nine on our essential list of SaaS industry trends is centered around the topic of mobile. By the year 2022, experts project that around 72.6% of the world’s population will browse the internet using their mobile devices.

In our mobile-driven age, we’re free from the shackles of time or geographical location, meaning that people can connect with their peers and remain productive 24/7, 365 days of the year. We are in the midst of a portable age, and as more innovative software developers wise up, the mobile-first mindset will serve to shape the future of SaaS.

Increasingly, companies across sectors operate critical parts of the businesses from their tablets or smartphones. Moreover, more employees than ever feel empowered to perform their jobs better by being able to work with dynamic mobile dashboards and various tools.

More software providers will adopt a mobile-first mentality, optimizing their offerings to suit a host of mobile devices. This means we’re likely to see an even more impressive array of mobile features in 2021. Also, as we move towards a new year, increasing numbers of software as a service vendors will develop new solutions to meet this growing demand.

To cut through the noise and push yourself to the front of the pack, offering robust and reliable BI tools that work across desktop and a range of mobile devices is essential.

Mobile devices and screens require a unique set of features and functionality, and by placing their focus on mobile-first design & development, SaaS vendors are likely to enjoy a healthy return on investment (ROI) next year and long into the future.

Mobile-first is, without a doubt, one of the most integral SaaS industry trends for 2021. There will be more portable platforms available to your company’s disposal than ever before — don’t miss out.

I’ve worked with the team at AndolaSoft on multiple websites. They are professional, responsive, & easy to work with. I’ve had great experiences & would recommend their services to anyone.

Ruthie Miller, Sr. Mktg. Specialist

Salesforce, Houston, Texas

LEARN MORE

Enhanced SaaS Solutions For 2021

SaaS industry trends aren’t showing any signs of slowing down, and innovative SaaS solutions will only continue to grow in the coming years. Artificial Intelligence-empowered SaaS, Vertical SaaS, the growing need for and development of API connections, increased thought leadership, a migration to PaaS, a plethora of micro-SaaS offerings, mobile-first innovations are here—and these software as a service trends are shaping the future of SaaS.

“Dreamers are mocked as impractical. The truth is they are the most practical, as their innovations lead to progress and a better way of life for all of us.” – Robin S. Sharma, author & tech advocate

Above all else, these inspiring trends in SaaS are a testament to the enduring future of the industry and our increasing societal demand for robust software-centric solutions across the board. The revolution is here, and it’s digital.

We are in the age of digital transformation. As more companies migrate towards a cloud-based, data-driven existence, the scope for offering practical software innovations will continue to rise, and rise, and rise.

As data continues to be the driving force behind smart business strategies in a digitally dependent world, SaaS options are going to be an increasingly convenient and affordable option across industries, both now and in the coming years.

By taking stock of these essential SaaS industry trends for 2021, you will win tomorrow’s digital battlefield, pushing yourself ahead of the competition.

With these 10 trends in SaaS positioned to further enhance cloud-based solutions on the cusp of 2021, organizations, like yours, will have the technological capabilities to drive their business objectives towards successful outcomes.

For more digitally-driven insights, explore our guide to getting started with big data analytics and business intelligence for small business— or talk to our SaaS expert.