What Can Local Governments Learn From SaaS Companies?
A SaaS (Software as a Service) company is a company that hosts software applications, making them available to customers over the internet. The idea behind a SaaS company is that the software being used resides on the SaaS company’s server while the user accesses it remotely.
SaaS companies and their functions vary greatly, but some of the more commonly sought-after SaaS applications include:
- Customer resource management
- Enterprise resource planning
- Accounting and invoicing
- Project management
- Web hosting and ecommerce
- Human resources
- Data management
Partnering with SaaS companies affords government offices the opportunity to increase efficiency while reducing administrative costs, and providing more effective and productive services to their residents.
Specifically, organizations partnering with SaaS companies can experience some of the following benefits:
- Cost savings: most SaaS companies charge a monthly or yearly subscription fee which helps spread out the cost of the application over time. Furthermore, SaaS customers have don’t have to invest in expensive hardware needed to host the applications.
- Low-effort updates: because SaaS companies maintain and update the software as needed, SaaS customers do not need to install any software or conduct any updates.
- Mobility: in most cases, SaaS customers can access their systems from any device or remote location, making SaaS ideal for geographically varied workforces.
- IT expertise: SaaS companies invest in the IT support needed to troubleshoot and maintain their applications, which means SaaS customers don’t have to.
- Scalability: if a SaaS customer needs to expand capacity or add users, it doesn’t need to purchase new hardware or install new software — the SaaS company will do so on their behalf.
Partnerships between SaaS companies and government agencies can transform the way people – both employees and residents – think about government offices. Employees become more productive, customers more satisfied and budgets remain in check. It’s simple: SaaS companies are the solution for those who want to work smarter, not harder.
