Software as a Service (SaaS)

Software as a Service (Saas) is a model of software deployment whereby a provider (like Black Rim Solutions) licenses an application to customers for use as a service on demand. Black Rim Solutions hosts the application on our own web servers or the customer can also download the application to their device, disabling it after use or after the on-demand contract expires. The on-demand function may be handled internally to share licenses within an organization.

• network-based access to, and management of, commercially available software
• activities managed from central locations rather than at each customer's site, enabling customers to access
• applications remotely via the Web application delivery typically closer to a one-to-many model (single instance, multi-tenant architecture) than to a one-to-one model, including architecture, pricing, partnering, and management characteristics
• centralized feature updating, which obviates the need for end-users to download patches and upgrades.
• frequent integration into a larger network of communicating software - either as part of a mashup or as a plugin to a platform as a service. (Service oriented architecture is naturally more complex than traditional models of software deployment.)

• More feature requests from users since there is frequently no marginal cost for requesting new features;
• Faster releases of new features since the entire community of users benefits from new functionality; and
• The embodiment of recognized best practices — since the community of users drives the software publisher to support best practice.