When you invest in software as a service (SaaS), no matter what its ultimate application, there are a few fundamental benefits that this approach can offer over in-house alternatives. These become even more pronounced when you are turning to remotely hosted apps in the cloud, which are designed to ensure that your IT systems are thoroughly protected from whatever security threats lurk in the wider world.

SaaS can be ideal for IT protection, particularly if your business is relatively small and may not usually be able to invest in the resources necessary to ensure that you do not suffer from breaches and other security issues.

Set-Up and Hardware
When using a third-party provider to invest in software as a service, the hardware that powers the programs is necessarily located elsewhere. Since it resides in the cloud, with the scalable might of a server farm behind it, the software will not be a burden on your internal systems.

In turn, this means that you do not need to worry about whether you have enough in-house processing power or data capacity to handle IT protection and security. You will therefore not need to pay for installation or maintenance of any hardware when using SaaS for IT protection, nor worry about factors such as ongoing updates for the software itself.

This makes setting up IT protection quick and simple in the first place, since it can be activated remotely and does not need local installation, giving you near instant peace of mind. When wasted time represents lost revenue, it is valuable to be able to get IT systems in place with minimal delay.

Ease of Use
Platforms providing SaaS are generally quite easy to use because they are designed for end users who may not be the most technically minded people around.

This is certainly true of IT protection platforms, which provide an uncomplicated gateway into the world of security and let you control all the elements that watch over your business without confounding you with complicated interfaces or arcane systems.

There is of course a learning curve, but it means that you will not need on-site staff who are specifically trained and skilled in the usage of a given platform. Like the other areas of SaaS this leads to the one oft-cited benefit that can clinch a decision on adoption: lower costs.

Cost-Effectiveness
Because you will ultimately be removing the costs for hardware, installation, maintenance and management of IT protection by choosing SaaS, you will have much more liberty when it comes to how your budget is applied. This could mean that you spend your cash on other projects, or in these times of economic uncertainty simply make savings and put the cash aside for any future issues.

The short-term savings of SaaS are joined by long-term considerations, such as the ability to free yourself from the constant upgrade cycle, which sees both hardware and software become obsolete after a certain period of time.

Buying software on demand from a third-party vendor that operates in the cloud will mean that future updates and augmentation will be the responsibility of another company. In addition, the scalability of this approach means you will never be paying for anything more than you actually require in your business.

Hopefully it should now be obvious that SaaS is an ideal type of platform for IT protection and other areas of the industry, from both a practical and financial point of view. It just requires businesses to take advantage of it in order to make the benefits more acutely felt at both small and large firms.

Daisy Group plc are a leading provider of SaaS solutions. Find out more on their website.