Software As A Service. Software as a Service SaaS Guidelines Gartner defines software as a service SaaS as software that is owned delivered and managed remotely by one or more providers. SaaS runs on a SaaS providers servers.
Software as a service SaaS allows users to connect to and use cloud-based apps over the Internet. Instead of installing and maintaining software you simply access it via the Internet freeing yourself from complex software and hardware management. Software as a service is different Traditional software also known as on premises or on prem is generally a large upfront expense with limited installations.
Common examples are email calendaring and office tools such as Microsoft Office 365.
Customers in software-as-a-service SaaS arrangements face complexity in determining the appropriate accounting under IFRS Standards for fees paid to the cloud service provider and related implementation costs. These Software-as-a-service providers offer not only software hosting but IT consultancy as well. Updates come in the form of new versions of the software that must be paid for and installed again. SaaS runs on a SaaS providers servers.