Software as a Service (SaaS)
Cecelia Wright Brown, Kofi Nyarko · IGI Global eBooks · 2012
SaaS, short for Software-as-a-Service, is quickly becoming the dominant approach for software delivery as a Web-based service. It is a software deployment model in which an enterprise application is delivered and managed as a service by a software vender to simultaneously meet the needs of multiple customers. By enabling remote access to software and its associated functions, SaaS allows organizations and individuals to access business and commercial functionality at a cost typically less than paying for licensed applications. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the origin and evolution of SaaS, as well as to describe its roll in today’s enterprise environment. This chapter begins with a description of the evolution of SaaS, followed by the architecture, implementation, and associated business model.