Software-as-a-service (SaaS) has been disrupting the work world as we know it for more than a decade. SaaS applications are a part of almost every workflow, democratizing formerly expensive tools in a subscription model that even the smallest company can take advantage of. After all this time, you wouldn’t think the SaaS business model would continue to change. However, it looks like 2021 will see some new SaaS trends on the horizon.
What to Expect from SaaS in 2021?
Simplicity, flexibility and low-cost are all features of today’s SaaS offerings. That’s probably why 89% of businesses use an average of 15 or more SaaS tools. Before SaaS, software was installed on-premise and required a hefty up-front licensure fee to use. Since the software wasn’t online, updates occurred infrequently, if at all, and many were also pay-to-play. With the inception of the internet, software moved to the cloud in a more manageable subscription service. Updates occurred in real-time in the cloud, so you receive constant security improvements and feature upgrades for no additional cost.
How will SaaS, a tool ubiquitous in most businesses today, change in the coming months?
- Artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to impact SaaS tools. The benefit is that more manual processes found in SaaS applications will likely automate. Look for more chatbots as standard SaaS features and the increasing ability to personalize these tools.
- White labeling SaaS products will grow next year. White labeling allows the subscribers to put their company name on the software product and even resell it to other customers for a percentage of the sale. Instead of building a software solution from-scratch, white labeling allows you to brand someone else’s product as your own to add to your existing service line.
- Blockchain technology will begin to crop up in SaaS tools. Blockchain offers a way to use distributed computing to record transactions into an indelible record. It can provide enormous security and reliability, particularly in finance or transactional databases.
- API integrations of SaaS products will continue. Application program interfaces (API) are the technology bridges that allow two or more disparate platforms to link and share information. Without APIs, software solutions are siloed, requiring manual workarounds to get two tools to play nicely with each other. Look for more applications to offer APIs next year so that multiple SaaS solutions can be cobbled together for new ways of conducting business.
- SaaS will go mobile-first. That’s because both consumers and businesses are conducting more and more of their affairs from a smartphone. Watch for even the most sophisticated software platforms to evolve to the small screen, including project management, testing, and more.
- SaaS will unbundle next year. This will free up solutions to sell to companies that have legacy platforms in place. This will also give smaller businesses that don’t require all of the bundled services to go ala carte for just what they need. This will allow more personalization of all the right tools you need for even the smallest of businesses.
While these are just a few of the trends to look for next year, what won’t change is that the software engineers that can build these products will be highly in-demand. That’s where Blackstone Talent Group can come in handy. Whether you’re a candidate looking for a change or a business looking for technical staff, we can help you reach your goal. Get in touch today!