Software as a Service (SaaS)

Not every organization wants to build, host, patch, and maintain every application it uses. Running software internally can demand servers, storage, backups, upgrades, licensing work, and specialist support just to keep one business tool available. For many companies, that effort makes less sense when the software can instead be delivered as an online service.

That is the idea behind SaaS. The provider runs the application and makes it available to customers over the internet, usually through a browser or lightweight client. The customer focuses on using the software rather than owning the full stack underneath it. This model has become common because it reduces operational burden and makes software easier to adopt across many users and locations.

SaaS is a cloud model in which the provider delivers a finished application over the internet and the customer uses it without managing most of the underlying stack. Its appeal comes from speed, convenience, reduced infrastructure burden, and easier adoption across distributed users. Its main security lesson is that hosted software still requires strong governance around accounts, permissions, integrations, and data handling.