The Fundamental Differences between SaaS and DaaS

After the cloud arrived on the technological scene, it didn’t take long for providers to develop a wide array of services that delivered scalable, on-demand applications for personal and business use. Known today as cloud computing, these providers quickly began to differentiate themselves based on the types of services they offered, including these among others:

• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
• Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

What cloud computing did for the average business owner, and law firms in particular, was considerable.

Before it existed, law firms were required to cover the upfront costs of funding their own IT infrastructure. From here, ongoing maintenance had to be performed in order to keep it safeguarded from data theft, as well as the replacing and upgrading of both hardware and software. Many times this involved having at least one IT professional on the payroll, if not an entire team, and a dedicated capital reserve for necessitous IT-related projects.

What cloud computing brought to the table, however, was an easily scalable model of robust computing power, lower service costs, greater accessibility and availability, in addition to the latest in IT security. And this is why 64% of small- and medium-sized companies have already begun using cloud-based apps to perform certain tasks in their business.

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Today, two of the most popular services used by law firms are SaaS and DaaS applications. But what you, as a firm, need to know is: Which of these two are better, and how will they help your organization?

Here are the answers.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

When it comes to the Software as a Service model, the name essentially implies what users will be getting from their provider, as it delivers software via the internet that can be used for a variety of business applications.

SaaS applications maintain all of the information in their own databases, which is accessed by users – who typically pay a monthly or yearly subscription – and is delivered to the customer via their web browser. The customer owns the software for as long as they are paying the subscription fee, but more often than not, only provides one type of service for their clients.

The benefits associated with using a SaaS are:

• No software installation or maintenance
• No necessary hardware upgrades to utilize powerful software
• The provider also handles the entire spectrum of the software’s
  • Performance
  • Availability
  • Security

An example of a recognizable SaaS is Salesforce, which is a customer relationship management product designed to create, escalate and track events for employees building complex business opportunities for their company.

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

Sometimes referred to as a Virtual Desktop or Desktop Virtualization, the DaaS model is similar to a SaaS in that it provides software as a service, but its software offerings are characteristically much more extensive and present a higher degree of automation.

Like SaaS providers, DaaS providers like Abacus Data Systems are responsible for hosting and maintaining the infrastructure for user accessibility, data storage and delivery of their service, as well as the overall security of each. But the key differentiators between the two are numerous, and include the following advantages for users:

• Full desktop experience consisting of multiple service applications in one location
• Desktop availability on the computer and any internet-connected mobile device
• Links and relates data across a wide spectrum of the provider’s service offerings
• Offloads most, if not all, of the traditional IT responsibilities of a law firm
• On-demand flexibility when you need to increase the depth of your firm’s technology needs

Beyond these benefits, the DaaS model saves law firms money over SaaS models by addressing everything from case management and conflict of interest checking to bookkeeping and client billing in a single source. Rather than having to rely on multiple providers, each with their own user names, passwords and interface, a DaaS serves as the one-stop solution for being a more efficient and productive workplace.

Want to see a Desktop as a Service in action? Schedule your demo of Abacus Private Cloudtoday.