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Glossary

SaaS (Software as a Service)

SaaS is software you use over the internet on a subscription, without installing or maintaining it, because the provider takes care of that.

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SaaS stands for Software as a Service. Instead of buying a program once and installing it on the company's computers, you access an application that lives online, usually in a browser, and pay a recurring fee to use it. Everyday examples are professional email, online invoicing tools and video-conferencing platforms.

The provider handles everything behind the scenes: servers, updates, fixes and baseline security. You open the program and always find the latest version, with no installations or technical maintenance to manage. You typically pay per user or per feature tier, with the option to add or remove seats over time.

The subscription model makes it quick to start and the cost predictable, but it also brings trade-offs: your data sits with the provider, the customization on offer is often limited, and you depend on the continuity of the service. For many common needs SaaS is the most practical choice; for very specific processes it may not be enough.

In practice

For an SMB, SaaS is often the simplest way to get professional tools without in-house technical skills and without large upfront costs. For standard needs like email, invoicing or document management, it's almost always the right choice. At Nesso we don't try to replace what already works: if a good SaaS covers your need, we'll advise you to keep it. We step in where subscription software falls short, that is when your processes are too specific for a standard tool, or when you use several disconnected SaaS apps and data has to be re-entered by hand. In those cases we build custom solutions or integrate them with the SaaS you already have, so you keep the benefits of a subscription where it makes sense and get custom work only where it really makes a difference for your business.

Related terms

Cloud computingCustom softwareBusiness management software (gestionale)

FAQ

The cloud is the general idea of using computing resources over the internet; SaaS is a specific case of it, a ready-to-use program you access online on a subscription. In practice every SaaS relies on the cloud, but not all cloud is SaaS: you can also use the cloud just to store data or host custom software.

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