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Cyberinfrastructure Inc. has helped over 200 companies succeed by creating SaaS solutions for startups and established businesses.
You can rest assured that our information is tested and proven to work. Continue reading for SaaS app development best practices and other information about SaaS development and outsourcing.
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What is a SaaS App?
SaaS applications are web-based apps that can replace offline software. Your clients will only have to install it on their devices or upgrade the hardware to run it.
Clients usually access SaaS solutions via an Internet browser or other APIs. The software provider handles all maintenance. A third-party cloud computing provider typically looks after its infrastructure.
SaaS has a 37% cloud shift rate through 2020, three times that of PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) and IaaS. (Infrastructure-as-a-Service).
Within the next five years, more than 75% of companies, according to BetterCloud, will make their business apps SaaS-compatible.
A Basic Set of SaaS App Features
To provide a comprehensive experience, cloud-based SaaS solutions must include characteristics that set them apart from other online services and platforms.
These features include:
- Login and logout to your user profile
- Model of subscription-based billing
- Flexibility
- Data and application security
- The user-friendly interface
- Automatic updates
- You have the option to receive email notifications.
Read more: The Custom Software Development Process: An Introduction
Here Are Some Things to Consider When Creating a SaaS App
When creating a SaaS app, there are many factors to consider. They are divided into two groups based on the technicality of each.
SaaS application's technical characteristics
These are the critical aspects of a solid SaaS app:
Databases
It is essential to have a large, flexible, secure, and reliable database. However, your business will need a specific type of database.
The type of data, scalability, and expected load are all factors that you should consider.
Scaling
From the beginning, SaaS developers must consider scaling. The software you build must be scalable vertically and horizontally.
Expanding it should be acceptable for your company.
Frequent updates
There is no perfect software. If you want to meet the needs and expectations of your clients, your software must keep up.
It is essential to update your SaaS solution frequently based on user feedback.
Integrations with third-parties
Integrations with third-party applications can increase the marketability of your solution, increasing value and adding features.
You can plan these integrations by making it easy to use APIs and providing documentation. Hosting popular chatbots such as Slack is a great way to make your SaaS application stand out.
SaaS applications have non-technical features.
Your SaaS success is independent of being a solid piece of software. User-friendly is the other half of success for your SaaS.
Market fit
Before you start the development, ensure that the market needs it. It is essential to understand the market before you start developing your solution.
This will allow you to set realistic expectations and move forward as needed.
Process of acquiring clients
It's your job to build an app that users love. Make sure it's user-friendly, attractive, and targeted to the right audience.
For example, show your customers that you care by having a fair pricing policy and a subscription lifecycle. Various packages
A SaaS pricing model that offers different subscription options makes it more flexible and attractive to clients.
Your users will appreciate that they can continue using your SaaS even if their finances change. They can switch to a larger or smaller package.
Now that you know the fundamental elements of your SaaS application needs and the technical and non-technical qualities you should consider.
It's time to code!
Step-by-step instructions on how to create a SaaS app
These are the steps that you should follow when building SaaS apps:
Engineering
This is the most challenging part of SaaS software development. It takes months to build a SaaS app from scratch.
This requires a dedicated team of experts focused on their respective fields.
Design
No one can build cloud applications. Yes, it is possible, but you will pay a steep price. You must design the solution to avoid creating unstable software with faulty or inefficient features.
SaaS design is a multi-step process that yields crucial artifacts, including the software architecture paper, user stories, style guides, mockups, and occasionally even a working prototype.
Let's remember the SaaS aspects. We'll start with the app's hosting structure or how it accommodates users.
There are two options: a single-tenant or multi-tenant approach.
The single-tenant architecture allows every client to have their server for software use. This is a better option for larger clients who may use your resources quickly.
Multi-tenant architecture, on the other hand, allows multiple users to access the same database via separate accounts.
This means they are unaware of each other's existence. The multi-tenant model can be implemented in two ways:
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One instance of the app, one database. This setup allows all users to access the same cloud environment until it is complete.
This approach is simple to implement but has limited scaling capabilities, which can impact the overall performance and user experience.
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One application instance, multiple databases. Each database is limited to a specific point before directing new users to another one.
This gives users more access to resources and makes the software more responsive. This is a more costly approach and takes more resources to implement.
Next, you need to choose your software development tech stack. This is what will build your web app. When building your app, there are many factors to consider budget, Flexibility, speed, scale, affordability, and cost.
Partition
To account for upcoming changes, such as scaling and enhancing speed, operational Flexibility, and improved security, you must divide the data in your software into data stores.
It's much easier to manage each partition individually without dealing with the whole database. There are many partitioning strategies, including horizontal, vertical and functional. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Install
Software deployment is like opening your front door. All the necessary components should be present so that users can access your software and find detailed documentation.
They also need to be able to contact support immediately. Automation is key to keeping deployments on track. It's similar to automating a factory's production line. Software updates are released immediately after they are available.
The automated deployment method is quicker and more adaptable compared to typical upgrades. Instead of releasing a major update every few weeks and suspending your entire system, you can deploy more minor changes one at a time.
Test
SaaS software testing ensures that the software meets all your requirements and is free from bugs. Quality assurance should include both manual and automated testing to ensure that the software is fully covered.
Beta testers can help you identify unusual use cases that you may not have considered. This process can also include cloud security assessments.
Monitoring & managing
We'll discuss the development team in more detail later. The best way for them to work is to code and test while a manager supervises and guides them.
Managers are best equipped to determine who should get what tasks and who needs to gain the skills to take on more challenging assignments. This is the person to contact for updates on the SaaS development process.
Optimizing
Cost, tenant experience, availability, performance, scheduling, bulk operations, and other considerations must be optimized in SaaS based eCommerce services setup.
Whatever you want to optimize, ensure you do so after you have reached the desired scale. It's then a matter of identifying the software requirements and ensuring that you have enough databases and servers to support your users.
It's essential to ensure that your software has enough resources to provide a positive user experience but not so much that it costs too much in staff or equipment.
Migration from on-premise to the cloud
It would help if you moved your SaaS development framework to the cloud unless it was cloud-based initially. Many migration options are available depending on the server type, data volume, and downtime.
- P2V (physical-to-virtual)
- P2C (physical-to-cloud)
- V2V (virtual-to-virtual)
- V2C (virtual-to-cloud)
It's one thing to know how to build a SaaS app. Finding a team that can do it at a reasonable price is another.
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Composition of the SaaS development team
Although the number of people in a team can vary, there are specific roles that you must fulfill to create cloud-based SaaS software.
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Project manager. Responsible for managing the custom software development process.
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Analyst for business. An individual who analyzes the market role of your software and documents its progress.
They also assess and build a viable business goals model.
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UX/UI designer. A UX/UI designer is a person who creates and implements the user interface and experience for your application.
This ensures that it's intuitive, visually pleasing, and aligns with your brand.
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Backend developer. This person is responsible for maintaining the functionality of your SaaS app's server-side using scripting languages.
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Front-end developer. Someone who turns designs into code using JavaScript and its associated frameworks.
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QA engineer. A person who checks your SaaS software for bugs and other issues and then reports them to the engineers.
You may need additional specialists depending on the size of your project and budget. For example, a technical writer or marketing specialist.
Or a product manager to help you develop your product. You will need one if you're interested in methodology DevOps, such as SaaS projects and DevOps engineers. Partnering up with a vendor that can provide a variety of specialist services is a good idea.
Building a SaaS Application: What is the cost?
The salaries of software engineers and other development team members dominate software development costs. When building an in-house team of software engineers, including the cost of onboarding and hiring new tech specialists into your budget.
The hourly rate of software developers you hire plus the vendor's fees are included in the cost.
According to most recent survey, senior software developers earn drastically different hourly rates worldwide.
- United States: $46.32/hour
- United Kingdom: $71 an hour
- India: $30/hour
- Ukraine: $37/hour
For the finest quality-cost ratio in Ukraine, outsourcing SaaS application development may be the best option. Ukrainians are a mix of Western business models, values and education.
They also work in a convenient time zone for clients from the US and EU.
How to Develop a Software-as-a-Service Application?
Cloud computing has grown tremendously into a sophisticated and vast ecosystem of products, services, and technologies.
Cloud models are the foundation of most technological advancements. They have excellent resilience, Flexibility, scalability, and speed. Cloud adoption is also being pushed to new heights by wireless communications innovations like 5G R16 or R17.
This has led to a multibillion-dollar economy in which many cloud providers are competing for a rapidly growing market share. There are two main differences between SaaS applications and web apps
By 2022, end-user expenditure on cloud services is expected to reach $482 billion, according to Gartner. SaaS ($171,915 billion), IaaS ($121,620 billion), and PaaS are the top competitors (10,00636 billion).
Let's see what the differences are between these terms.
Cloud ubiquity continues to grow. The epidemic also had an organizational, social, and economic impact. This has sparked the adoption of cloud services and worldwide digital innovation.
SaaS offers many benefits to businesses. It offers reliable protection, scalable pricing, and low requirements for specialized hardware.
Let's examine the essential procedures for developing software as a service and a SaaS product.
Idea Generation and Planning
Any software development lifecycle (SDLC) is founded on the idea-generation and team-communication stages of the creative process.
The next phase is validation once a stakeholder requests a project and chooses a concept idea. Before beginning core development, this entails confirming the viability of the concept. To validate your product idea, you will need to answer three questions.
- Is it possible to build it? To create a product, you will need expertise, capital, equipment, and other resources.
- Is it necessary to build it? Find out if the product is in demand.
Consider its market potential and profitability.
- Is it accessible to everyone? Consider the features of the product to determine its complexity.
It should be easy to use.
Next is idea testing. This includes:
- Extensive market research.
- Determining the technical parameters that are required.
- The creation of the prototype application.
- For compliance with regulatory requirements, check the prototype.
After the customer has approved the idea and decided to proceed with the planning phase, it is time for the customer to decide.
Analysis and planning are usually about looking into.
- Alignment.
Is the project in line with the company's goals?
- Resource availability.
Can you provide the required specialists and tools, or will you need to hire a team of developers?
- Project scheduling.
How does this project relate to other tasks in the company?
- Cost.
What is the estimated cost of the project? Which pricing strategy is the best?
Project managers, developers, business idea analysts, UX/UI designers, key stakeholders, and other stakeholders should all be involved in the project's planning phase.
To construct a high-level scope of work (SOW), which covers everything from project specifics to terms and schedules to anticipated results, you should have enough information after each phase.
Results
This phase allows the founder to decide what system he will create, how it will be different from others, which his primary customers will be, and what his pricing and marketing strategies will be.
He may decide to use one of the following SaaS pricing models:
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Cost-plus pricing. The most common pricing strategy is cost-based pricing, mainly preferred by new businesses. With the help of this SaaS method, you can sell your goods for more money than it took to produce them.
You can accomplish this by raising the price to generate a profit. You can increase your profit margin by 15-20% on the cost of building a SaaS product.
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Value-based pricing. This pricing strategy aligns the price of your SaaS product to the value it delivers for customers.
Instead of just calculating expenses, research your target audience and discover their priorities for your SaaS product.
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Competitor-based pricing.
This pricing model allows you to set the price for your product using your competitors' pricing without having to conduct extensive customer research and calculate your business expenses.
Technical Requirements
Understanding the project's technical requirements is the next step in software development teams as a service.
Whether the CTO or the vendor compiles the technical documentation depends on the vendor the entrepreneur deals with. The technical information required for product development is available to our clients.
Each piece of software must solve a customer problem. To understand the specifications of the project, the following questions should be asked:
- Who and why will you use the software?
- What problem solves the software?
- What kind of data input/output is required for this project?
- What security and privacy policies will you use?
- Are you looking to integrate with APIs or other tools?
Adopting Agile software development, you can begin sprint planning or divide challenging jobs into more minor, manageable phases during the technical requirements phase.
UX/UI Design
Next, you need to design how the software will work. Mockups, wireframes, and user stories are all part of a design.
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UI refers to any user interface to access a digital service or product. It is the appearance and feel of the future platform.
UI design refers to the appearance of an interface. This includes screens, touchscreens, keyboards, and sounds, as well as lights and lights. To make the user interface as intuitive as possible, a UI designer must consider icons, buttons, typography, color schemes, spacing, imagery, and responsive design when designing a SaaS mobile application.
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UX was created. As a result, UI improvements. It is about creating a blueprint for the platform.
UX design does not focus on visuals but on interface functionality. UX design is about the user's experience with the product. UX designers ensure that customers receive the right product or service.
They also consider how simple it is for users to complete the tasks. UX designers work closely with UI designers and UX researchers to create SaaS apps. Additionally, they collaborate closely with product teams, marketers, UX engineers, and marketers to do qualitative user research to enhance the user experience.
Software Development and Testing
This phase's primary purpose is to convert a design into an actual platform. Software developers and solution architects work together in the development stage.
A dedicated development team produces the source code for SaaS apps using a technical stack chosen during the technical requirements phase. In contrast, the solution architect team builds the infrastructure and architecture. These are the main steps of SaaS testing and development:
- The platform's UX/UI design files are provided by the design team.
- The backend engineer writes the code that allows the application features to work.
- The front-end developer connects the front end to the backend and deploys the design to the server.
- The QA tester tests the app to identify and report bugs and then manages fixes.
- The project manager oversees the whole process and coordinates it at every stage.
This phase also involves the information and security team, which helps implement best practices in SaaS development related to governance and security.
Product Deployment
Once everyone has agreed on the functionality and design of the software, it is time to start building it according to the SOW and requirements.
This is the most challenging and riskiest phase of SDLC. DevOps engineers or dedicated DevOps teams are responsible for the main activities of the SaaS platform deployment.
They automate the workflows and create a CI/CD pipeline.
Before going into production, the main goals of the product deployment stage are to maintain SOW, prevent scope creep, and produce clean, effective software.
Most businesses use an Application Release Automation (ARA), continuous deployment model, or other solution to automate the deployment procedure.
Maintenance and updates
The SDLC continues after software launches. It is a "lifecycle," so the end of one phase is the beginning of the next.
People will find bugs and ask for more functionality once they start to use the software.
Customers' needs change constantly. These requests must be reflected in your product backlog.
The maintenance and maintenance of SaaS based crm solutions are also included in this phase.
This will ensure that customers are satisfied and that their software works as expected. In this phase, tech entrepreneurs often need to set aside a budget for maintenance. It is essential to discuss this at the beginning of planning.
A reasonable SaaS maintenance budget should be approximately 25% of your development budget.
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Conclusion
SaaS goods are highly sought. You must develop your own SaaS product to guarantee that it is pertinent to your audience.
The information above can assist you in creating SaaS apps or in finding SaaS developers to work on your project. However, it is insufficient. You will still need to research and maintain the product after launch to ensure its marketability and optimize the solution.
