Before we go on understanding about who is a SaaS developer and what a SaaS developer or engineer does. It would be a good idea to first have a look at what SaaS is, as well as the various concepts revolving around it.
What is SaaS?
If you do not have much idea about what SaaS is or the concept behind SaaS. Then, I hope this section helps you answer a few questions and doubts you may have related to the following, and give you a fair idea about what goes into SaaS as well as how crucial it has become in our day to day life when it comes to using even the simplest of websites and services online.
SaaS basically stands for Software as a Service. That is, a developer or company is providing to its end users a piece of software to be used as a service, usually online over cloud.
Today, most of the things you do online or the services you avail online basically work on and over cloud. From the streaming apps you may be subscribed too to the online transaction services you carry out your transactions on, all depend and work on cloud. And SaaS in all this can be basically seen as the model or process responsible for making it all happen.
What is the SaaS model or SaaS development process?
Hence, in the simplest of terms SaaS basically means that a vendor is providing his or her app (service) to end-users online with the help of cloud or a cloud host.
What basically goes around the whole SaaS development process is that:
- A developer will develop a software or application to run online while being hosted on cloud servers.
- This app or service as a result of being hosted on cloud servers can be accessed by users from anywhere around the world, as long as they have a device and internet to access it.
- Such an app or service is usually available on a website or even an app which users have to subscribe to in order to avail its services or functions online.
Moreover, there are two main ways in which the SaaS model or the SaaS development process might take place:
- The first instance is where a software developer or more popularly known as an independent software vendor (ISV) may contract a cloud provider to host the application or service on their cloud servers for end users to have access whenever needed.
- Then, the second instance is where a developer or a company itself working on such services and apps may both develop as well as host the services or apps on their own, i.e. on their own servers and manage it by themselves.
Hence, SaaS can be seen as one of the three different cloud computing models out there, all involving hosting of resources on cloud servers for users to access them online.
SaaS along with IaaS and PaaS, thus form the three different categories of cloud computing with each hosting a different type of service made accessible to users and businesses, depending on their specific needs.
Here, IaaS stands for Infrastructure as a Service, while PaaS stands for Platform as a service, and SaaS as we all know by now stands for Software as a Service.
Where IaaS is primarily employed by big companies and businesses to outsource resources such as servers, storage space and other networking hardware from IaaS cloud providers. And PaaS provides resources to developers or companies to develop and create applications over their cloud servers and using their cloud computing resources. Saas on the other hand, is usually a cloud computing service which lets vendors or businesses to host their applications on cloud servers for end-users to access the app(s) from anywhere around the world, as long as they have an internet connection and a device via a browser to access it.
What are the Pros and Cons of SaaS?
At present risk assessment and management has become one very crucial part in running a business properly. And if you are planning to develop a SaaS service or employ a SaaS Developer or engineer to develop a SaaS service to sell to users. Then, having a fair idea about the pros and cons for SaaS can take you a long way in setting up a successful SaaS service business.
Advantages or benefits of SaaS
SaaS comes with a lot of benefits. However, the few we have listed here below are some of the most popular and widely seen pros or advantages of the following cloud computing service model.
1. Reduces recurring expenses
With SaaS, you can prevent recurring expenses for both vendors selling the application as a service as well as the end users using the instance of the app provided by such vendors.
When a vendor can just host one instance of the application over a cloud server and give its access to multiple users at the same time. This as a result reduces a lot of repetitive expense involved in management and development of an app or service for each end user that might have been needed to be done individually.
Here, the vendor simply needs to host one instance of the app on a cloud server. And that instance of the app is available for use to all users subscribed to it on a multi-tenant basis.
2. Easy Scalability
Depending upon the end-users needs. SaaS models can be scaled up and down easily to provide end-users with features and functions according to their needs.
3. Easy accessibility
Given that SaaS models or services are primarily cloud based. This gives users enough freedom to access and use an app online from anywhere around the world and at any time whenever required.
4. Automatic and synchronized updates
Having softwares and apps updated automatically can take away a lot of burden off end-users, who otherwise might have to update their respective apps individually if it was installed specifically on each of their respective devices.
Hence, when one instance of an app can be updated once and that results in the app getting updated for all at the same time, without the need for end-users to update the app individually. This helps a lot in keeping the updates synchronized and same for all users bringing a sense of uniformity.
5. Various Customization options
One major advantage of using SaaS is the power of customizability and integrability that comes with it. The SaaS model often gives vendors and businesses the ability to customize as well as integrate an app or service with other applications, as a result generating a wider variety and scope of features and services to end-consumers.
Disadvantages or cons of SaaS
Now that we have seen what are some of the major pros the SaaS model has to offer. It is equally important that we understand the different cons of the particular model to know what to expect as well as deal with any setbacks that might be caused by the particular model in the future.
1. Data Breach
One major threat for both vendors as well as end-consumer in Saas services is dealing with a malicious data breach or an attack done on servers hosting the particular app or service. Since one instance of an app is available for use to all end-users subscribed to it. Any compromise of breach of data of such an app might result in disruption of services and data loss for all users at the same time.
2. No control over the choice of versions
Since the update process or patching up process is centralized in nature and is mostly done by the vendor themself. Being able to update or downgrade a version of the app according to a user’s choice is not something present in case of a SaaS model.
Hence, if a version of the app is updated or a patch is installed by the vendor. Then, it will be the same for all users and beyond scope of change for any user individually.
3. Issues and problems are centralized in nature
Just like an update is centralized and uniform in manner. If any issues arise with the app at the server end or there is any problem with the servers themselves. Then, all end-users are bound to suffer the same at the same time without having any control over fixing the issue on their own at their individual levels.
In such cases, usually the problem has to be solved by the vendor themselves, with the end-users just being updated about the progress for the same.
Who is a SaaS developer?
By now I hope you have developed a fair idea about what a SaaS model is and how you can use it to scale your business and develop apps and services to sell to end-consumers.
Next, in the following section we shall discuss and explain to you how you can develop such a SaaS app or service and with whose help.
Hence, here is exactly where the role of SaaS developers comes into play.Â
So, to put in the simplest of terms, a SaaS developer or engineer is anyone who develops as well as maintains a SaaS application or service. From coding the whole application to deploying it on a cloud server to maintaining and further customizing the app or service are all more or less done by the SaaS developer(s) themself.
They are primarily responsible for creating cloud-based apps and services easily accessible by end-consumers from anywhere around the world, as long as connected to the internet via a device which can access such a server or website.
What does a SaaS engineer or developer do?
If the above section helped you answer who a SaaS developer is. Then, that should pretty much give you an idea about what a SaaS engineer or developer does or what role they have to play in the development and deployment of such SaaS apps and services.
A SaaS engineer should be mainly equipped with the following skill sets such as a good programming knowledge, expertise in cloud computing, and knowledge of the various web development frameworks such as front-end and back-end programming. Along with that, a SaaS developer must also have expertise in database management, API Development and encryption models to be able to develop apps and services that are of the optimum quality.
But, that is not all that makes a developer stand out from the rest having the same set of skills and knowledge as mentioned above. A good developer comes out or grows to be better out of experience. And when searching for a developer to develop your dream SaaS application or product. It is very important that you search for just the right SaaS developer with the right set of skills, expertise and experience.
