Software as a Service (SaaS) has become a popular method for distributing applications and services to customers and is utilized by some of the world’s leading companies, including SAP. But does SAP truly provide a SaaS product?
SAP offers three primary categories of solutions: on-premises, cloud-based, and hybrid. On-premises solutions are traditionally installed and managed on-site, whereas cloud-based solutions are accessible via the cloud, usually on a subscription basis. Hybrid solutions are a mix of the two, providing customers with the scalability, agility, and cost savings of the cloud while retaining some control over their infrastructure.
Whether or not SAP is a SaaS product is contingent on the solution category being used. On-premises solutions are not generally considered SaaS, while certain cloud-based solutions, such as SAP Cloud Platform, are. Hybrid solutions, however, are more difficult to classify, as they offer the benefits of cloud-based SaaS while also allowing customers to manage their own infrastructure. Additionally, SAP provides a variety of other services, such as analytics and mobile applications, which may qualify as SaaS in certain contexts.
In summary, it is up to the customer to decide which of SAP’s offerings best fits their needs and whether or not it should be classified as SaaS. While some of SAP’s solutions are clearly SaaS, others, such as its hybrid solutions and mobile applications, are more difficult to classify.