It's been a little over two years since I joined the enterprise SAAS startup, and in that time, I've learned a lot.
A lot has changed in those two years, and I thought it might be useful to document my thoughts on where the company is currently at, and where I see it heading in the future.
So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on enterprise SAAS.
1. What Is SAAS?
We heard a lot about SAAS (Software as a service) in 2016.
It comes into play when developers start to build business model around web apps. It is especially useful for handling millions of requests or data.
You can either build the software in-house or get a 3rd-party vendor to build it.
Therefore, I personally prefer building enterprise SAAS software in-house in less secured environments.
In my opinion, there are a lot of limitations to the way web applications are running at present.
My personal experience working with Linux server stack has been a nightmare.
It's definitely doable, but I think it lacks UI ergonomics and it takes a lot of time to get used.
In contrast, Microsoft sets a lot of UI standard and lends support to devices from a wide variety of mobile platforms.
I believe we will see the SAAS emerging as more and more of an influence across the business industry.
2. Why SAAS company Enterprise Is Popular?
SO much time and energy are required to build stand-alone software. From design, to build, to packaging, and deployment, the process can take months or even years.
Then when the software is fully released, that's when the real work begins.
What if you could build software and deploy it in weeks, and still have all the benefits of owning your own technology?
"Enterprise software" or "Software as a Service" or "SAAS" cloud technology SaaS model provides enterprise-size applications that are hosted over the internet. And using this, customer deployments are delivered on demand and allows companies to scale up or down on demand instantly so as to manage growth-spending freezes. Usually, these products are cloud-based and virtualized.
Enterprise SAAS helps solve these challenges, so we've seen market demand skyrocket for resources that are able to give users enterprise SAAS solutions.
3. 3 Most Important Differentiators of Builders of SAAS
1 - The market segment you choose
To succeed first you need to carefully think about which market segment you want about which target customer you want to attract.
According to a report build by CB Insights, the hottest fintech subject, there will be 32.1 million fintech jobs created by 2022.
Most of those positions are technical positions, which means they require skills in one of the following:
2 - Technology stack or approach
If you do not have a strong technology background, you most likely will not be able to handle the code that goes around those projects.
Very often, the decision to use a specific technology acclimates to your start-up needs, your team and your current resources.
It's a good idea to meet companies using specific technologies, both good and bad in order to make a smart choice.
The best part is that because the technology stack is rather closed, and there are only a few vendors, implementing a new technology might be more easy than with other domains.
3 - Specialization (or not)
The majority of businesses do not have a single product "that does it all."
The most successful ones define their niche, and try to be really good at what they do.
In any case, you can use an enterprise SAAS to provide quite different services than those that are already available to businesses.
4. What Has Changed in Market for SAAS Over the Last 3-4 Years?
As of today, there is sustained momentum in the enterprise SAAS market. There are a lot of interesting tools out there that share the common goal of making the company's life easier, and allowing them to focus on their core competencies without having to spend hours and hours on routine tasks.
The market is blossoming, and there is a gift for the startup saas builders - job openings.
However, the problem with identifying your target market and start building your SAAS business is that this can be a difficult task. Especially if it is a new venture that you've developed from scratch.
A good SAAS builder has the ability to analyze what is already in the market and estimate the customer demand, and with this information, start "flipping the switch" with their idea of SAAS.
The bad news is that repositioning your product and building a startup over the course of a few years is a true test of "sinking or swimming" for most startups.
The good news is that the more you adapt to changing industry dynamics, and the more you learn from successes and failures, the easier it is to keep up..
5. Why Start with SAAS, Not Marketing Building?
Two years after I started, my first urge to document my thoughts on enterprise SAAS was to create this blog post: the one that would sum up everything I've learned, mentioned in the last two years of my work.
Thing is, I've seen a lot in the last few years. It's very likely that what goes down on the corporate Saas lifecycle is not exactly the same as what goes down into the "life of a standard" SaaS product. Here are some tips before you burn your money on a start-up SAAS of your own.
First, you should recruit a kick-ass team and ideally at least 2-3 people should be former startup founders.
They will have tons of experience, skills and know-how which will go a long way from helping you get off the ground.
Secondly, you don't have to focus too much on the innovative stuff at the beginning.
Focus on one thing at a time. SAAS is easy enough that it's tempting to try outsourcing code and other backend stuff.
But you should never do that in the early stages.
Getting the product to market is one and only thing that truly matters.
Unless you have an equal number of people or you have a great stomach and are willing to market yourself too.
When you do it right, the business will run itself.
6. What Should Be Done Differently in System Administration?
System administration has always been the foundation of technologically advanced tools.
The reason why is because tools such as operating systems, antivirus, web servers, and much more have to be in place to connect a computer to the internet.
That is because servers run the internet, so they have to be running software capable of providing resources to hundreds or even thousands of visitors and clients at once. Simple, right?
But there is much more to system administration than just creating working tools.
Patch management in particular has a heavy responsibility, and these individual steps should always be inspected thoroughly.
Regardless of the business, there is always one thing that has to be prioritized.
This is why implementing manual patch management systems and software is not only recommended but absolutely essential regardless of operating systems.
7. When to Scratch SAAS Foundation and go for Marketing Pitch?
As you're a business owner, you probably hear numbers like ADT, PayPal, and HostGator on a daily basis. Each business owner now wants to go out from their home and the need is definitely important, but highly risky.
If you want to promote your assets, there might be a big rise in your demand in the market which cannot be covered by new clients alone.
So in that absence of these needs, usually the right time is when you hear large businesses mentioning these names.
I would highly reccomdita you to confirm with them before using them, as you might be charging a vendor more than the market rate.
It's all about working software.
Agile is an adaptable, iterative approach to software development that lets teams work collaboratively in short cycles to deliver valuable, working software. It's based on the principles of Lean, which focus on maximizing customer value while minimizing waste.
The Agile Manifesto was created in 2001 by a group of software developers who were frustrated with the traditional waterfall approach to software development. They wanted a way to develop software that was more flexible and responsive to customer feedback.
Since then, Agile has become the most popular approach to software development, and has been adopted by organizations of all sizes, in all industries.
Agile teams are self-organizing and cross-functional, and they work together in short cycles called sprints to deliver valuable, working software.
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