Software once had to be installed on-site at significant cost. Now, though, it’s available on-demand via the “cloud” — public, private or hybrid. That’s SaaS (software-as-a-service) in a nutshell, and it frees up companies to focus on more important things. Not only that, it’s highly scalable, automatically updated and cost efficient — there’s no need for hardware or large on-site IT departments to handle maintenance.
Are there down sides? Sure. Relying on a third-party vendor for anything, including software, means opening the door to potentially poor customer service, security issues, service outages and other headaches. Nonetheless, countless companies have already embraced SaaS as a game-changer and many more will do so in the years ahead.
SaaS Cloud Computing
“If someone asks me what cloud computing is, I try not to get bogged down with definitions,” Marc Benioff, founder and head of SaaS leader Salesforce has said. “I tell them that, simply put, cloud computing is a better way to run your business.”
Here are SaaS in cloud computing providers worth checking out.
SaaS in Cloud Computing Companies to Know
Industry: IT, PaaS
Location: Santa Clara, California
What it does: ServiceNow offers cloud-based IT service management and process automation software that lets companies define, structure, manage and automate operational services.
Industry: File Sharing, Web Hosting, Productivity
Location: Redwood City, California
What it does: Box’s cloud platform facilitates content management and file sharing. It’s also easily integrated with other apps and systems, able to run management scripts and lets users collaborate with company colleagues or outside parties.
Industry: Software
Location: San Francisco, California
What it does: Render’s cloud platform makes it easy for developers to host anything online. The company provides a straightforward way to manage infrastructure without the typical cloud deployment complexities so that developers and businesses can focus on building their products instead of maintaining infrastructure.
Industry: Information Technology, Cybersecurity
Location: Chicago, Illinois
What it does: LogicGate offers a platform businesses across a variety of industries can use to oversee risk and compliance and boost operational resilience. The company’s SaaS solutions support a variety of use cases, such as enabling automated cyber risk assessments and helping organizations be transparent about the impact of environmental, social and governance, or ESG, programs.
Industry: Information technology, consulting
Location: Fully remote
What it does: Mission Cloud is an AWS-certified team leveraging its software and expertise to provide client businesses with comprehensive solutions for efficiently managing their AWS cloud environments. Its cloud services platform offers features for performance monitoring and optimization so businesses can identify and take advantage of opportunities to improve their cloud environments. Mission Cloud’s clients come from industries such as retail, life sciences, media and finance.
Industry: IoT + AI
Location: San Francisco, California
What it does: With a focus on safety, efficiency, and sustainability, Samsara’s Connected Operations Cloud collects data from sensors, vehicles and heavy machinery to optimize business operations. The company’s portfolio includes AI-powered dashboard cameras and equipment monitoring systems, serving clients across a wide range of industries to increase operator accountability and streamline overhead costs like fuel and labor.
Industry: Home services (HVAC, plumbing, electrical)
Location: Glendale, California
What it does: ServiceTitan makes mobile business management software for the cloud that’s used by professionals in a variety of industries: plumbing, electrical, HVAC and others. In addition, it’s integratable with accounting software like Quickbooks.
Industry: Legal Tech
Location: Hoffman Estates, Illinois
What it does: Fulcrum GT makes cloud-based software solutions meant to help law firms efficiently manage spending and simplify digital oversight of business operations. The company says its goal is to bring “leading-edge technology, tools and people together to create strategic, measurable results.”
Industry: Social Impact
Location: Austin, Texas
What it does: Findhelp aims to boost health equity and access to care through solutions that connect people with programs to meet their needs. Findhelp offers a platform that allows organizations such as health systems and nonprofit groups to manage referrals and take advantage of a vast network of services to support better health outcomes in their communities.
Industry: Big data, Healthtech, Database, Analytics
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
What it does: InterSystems’ cloud database management products tackle the challenge of storing, managing, analyzing and transferring huge quantities of sensitive data, such as health, financial and scientific data. For example, the company’s TrakCare product is a system for unifying patient records and other health information so that the data is privacy protected, yet accessible to the people who need it.
Industry: Retail, E-commerce
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
What it does: Shopify is an SaaS commerce platform through which users can get a birds-eye view of their businesses and customers across all channels. In addition, it facilitates product and inventory, order and payment processing and more.
Industry: AI + Software
Location: Bedford, Massachusetts
What it does: EnterpriseDB, or EDB, specializes in database management and artificial intelligence. Through its open-source data platform, EDB aims to help businesses reduce costs by providing localized insights and scaling PostgreSQL to handle enterprise workloads while also empowering data scientists to streamline database operations and analysis.
Industry: Marketing, Analytis
Location: San Mateo, California
What it does: SurveyMonkey is an online survey SaaS provider whose enterprise services include data analysis, consumer-focused marketing and brand management.
Industry: Marketing
Location: Denver, Colorado
What it does: Contentful’s composable content platform integrates AI solutions, allowing both technical and non-technical users to create personalized digital experiences across multiple channels. With a focus on enhancing marketing strategies for global brands, Contentful empowers businesses to accelerate publishing, expand market reach and enhance customer engagement through its intuitive workspace. Contentful caters to industries across retail, automotive, construction, transportation and healthcare, to facilitate productivity enhancements and optimize digital experiences for clients’ audiences.
Industry: Customer Service, Analytics
Location: Palo Alto, California
What it does: Medallia’s software helps numerous major brands collect, analyze and act on customer feedback. Tools that facilitate those processes include Medallia Ask Now, Medallia Insights Suite and Admin Suite.
Industry: Software
Location: Chicago, Illinois
What it does: VelocityEHS provides businesses with software solutions to help them achieve their environmental, social and governance goals faster. Its platform allows customers to collect data and manage risks, enabling them to focus on both ESG and environmental, health and safety responsibilities. VelocityEHS works to ensure its offerings are more affordable and faster to implement than competing software tools while providing a high-quality user experience.
Industry: Analytics, Hardware, IT
Location: Armonk, New York
What it does: IBM’s quickly deployed SaaS applications offer users cognitive analytics, innovative business processes and improved customer experiences across the board — from HR and marketing to finance and IT. They’re also designed with security and scalability in mind.
Industry: Big Data, Analytics
Location: Seattle, Washington
What it does: Tableau’s cloud-hosted analytics platform lets users publish dashboards, share insights, deploy interactive visualizations to uncover new opportunities and more. Additionally, its natural language-based Ask Data tool answers questions in the form of a viz — or worksheet/dashboard.
Industry: Construction, IT, Project Management
Location: Carpinteria, California
What it does: Procore’s cloud-based management software for commercial, industrial and residential construction that lets users manage, review, edit and share crucial project data. Products include the document management platform Procore Drive and the drawing management application CurrentSet.
Industry: Cloud Software
Location: Hingham, Massachusetts
What it does: Retailers use OneView Commerce’s cloud architecture to build point-of-sale, commerce and digital experiences. Its modern software stack allows in-store sales teams to access in-the-moment data and leverage real-time insights to engage shoppers, optimize inventory, synchronize fulfillment and align promotions.
Industry: Productivity, Video Conferencing
Location: Goleta, California
What it does: GoToMeeting is a cloud-based software tool for online meetings that lets users — sales professionals, IT managers, business owners — engage in face-to-face conversations, share screens, video conference in high-def and more. It’s available via desktop or mobile.
Industry: Productivity, Messaging
Location: San Francisco, California
What it does: Slack offers cloud-based communication services and tools that lets users create teams and communicate them internally or externally. The can also attach files to conversations, have video chats, share screens and communicate via mobile app.
Industry: IT, Analytics, Cloud Data Services
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
What it does: Blackbaud offers software and services that facilitate online fundraising, marketing, communications, relationship management and other aspects of business operations for non-profit organizations like the American Red Cross and the Special Olympics. Its many products include Financial Edge NXT for accounting and the content management system onMessage.
Industry: Artificial Intelligence, Fintech
Location: Schaumburg, Illinois
What it does: Over 2,000 businesses, including Michelin, Sysco, US Foods and Hearst, use Bectran’s cloud-based platform to resource their credit, collections and accounts receivable departments. The SaaS platform speeds up transaction processing through digitization and automation of data, tasks and processes, and operates for credit departments in the same way that CRM software does for sales teams.
Industry: Software
Location: Chicago, Illinois
What it does: Fusion Risk Management’s cloud-based software solutions enable businesses to build proactive continuity risk management. Its enterprise software helps to identify points of friction, single points of failure and naming the actions necessary to mitigate impact. Companies use Fusion for IT disaster recovery and crisis management in addition to proactive risk-management.
Industry: Cloud Software
Location: New York, New York
What it does: Datadog is a cloud computing company that claims it was “designed by engineers, for engineers.” It is committed to sharing tech libraries across the industry and keeps client code and instrumentation libraries open source. The company employs specialty engineers to work on building and testing solutions for services like cybersecurity, infrastructure monitoring and serverless computing.
Industry: Publishing, Web Development
Location: San Francisco, California
What it does: WordPress is adaptable and scalable SaaS publishing software that lets users create website or blogs free of charge. Users can also process payments, build marketing plans and design online portfolios to showcase their work.
Industry: IT, Analytics
Location: San Francisco, California
What it does: Splunk’s SaaS products help companies and organizations obtain real-time operational intelligence. Its Splunk Cloud lets users automate the collection and indexing of machine data to improve operations and performance; employ smart algorithms to gain better insights; apply AI and machine learning to datasets; and keep data secure via Splunk’s encrypted cloud or another storage location.
Industry: Fintech, Healthtech, Software
Location: Chicago, Illinois
What it does: Healthcare companies, higher education organizations and financial institutions, including Bon Secours Health, Byline Bank and Emory University, all use Strata Decision Technology’s cloud-based solutions for financial planning, decision support and performance analytics. The company’s StrataJazz platform simplifies planning, budgeting, forecasting and managing operational and capital spending.
Industry: Customer Service
Location: San Francisco, California
What it does: Zendesk is a customer service platform that offers an array of SaaS products, including Zendesk Support, Zendesk Chat, Zendesk Talk, Zendesk Guide, Zendesk Message and Zendesk Explore on a platform that’s designed to grow and scale.
Industry: Big Data
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
What it does: Nasuni’s hybrid cloud storage solution helps businesses grow with scalability, built-in security and fast edge performance. Its File Data Platform consolidates NAS and backup, which eliminates data silos and makes management easy and flexible. Nasuni’s platform is used by organizations around the world, in industries from construction to consumer goods in addition to the public sector.
Industry: Information Technology
Location: Austin, Texas
What it does: AlertMedia helps organizations protect their people and resources during emergencies. The company offers threat intelligence, emergency communication and travel risk management solutions that help businesses protect their workforce. Its cloud-based software platform and team of in-house meteorologists and intelligence analysts deliver mass notifications, employee safety monitoring and business travel risk management.
Industry: IT, Telecom
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
What it does: Microsoft’s Cloudscale365 offers a suite of always accessible cloud computing software, including apps like Excel, PowerPoint and Word (live-streamed or on desktop). It also allows users to access and share (documents, contacts, calendars, etc) from a computer or smartphone as well as communicate via Skype.
Industry: Information Technology
Location: Fully Remote
What it does: More and more businesses have come to depend on cloud technology to maintain operations, so DoiT International is providing extra support through consultation and design services. Equipped with a team of experts, DoiT International is in a prime position to help companies find more efficient ways to navigate the cloud and save valuable resources in the process.
Industry: Software, Travel Tech
Location: New York, NY
What it does: Spotnana offers a Travel-as-a-Service that reduces costs and increases efficiency for business travel. The company’s single global instance allows travelers and agents to access the same information simultaneously — including negotiated rates, profiles and trips. The platform also allows users to manage bookings from anywhere in the world.
Industry: Data Storage, IT
Location: Sunnyvale, California
What it does: NetApp’s SaaS offerings include backup for Microsoft Office 365, cloud backup solutions and private cloud storage as well as infrastructure tools like FlexPod and NetApp Advisor. Software maintenance and training are also available.
Industry: Web Development
Location: San Diego, California
What it does: Altium offers electronic design and development SaaS solutions to solve the challenges that businesses face throughout the processes. Its cloud-based platform aims to help client companies decrease their cost and time to market. The company says it alleviates issues for its users’ supply chain intelligence and component selection.
Industry: Information Technology
Location: Fully remote
What it does: Consensus Cloud Solutions helps its customers embrace digital transformation with a suite of cloud-based tools for handling activities like faxing, messaging and collecting e-signatures. While many of its solutions are designed to serve companies in the healthcare space, Consensus Cloud Solutions’ products also have applications for the finance, legal, insurance, manufacturing and real estate industries.
Industry: Restaurants
Location: Fully remote
What it does: Restaurant365 makes cloud-based software products restaurants use to streamline oversight of their back-office operations. R365 Accounting enables automations for accounts payable processes, for example, while R365 Intelligence provides real-time insights that can help businesses build a data-driven strategy to support their growth.
Industry: CRM, Analytics, AI
Location: San Francisco, California
What it does: Salesforce’s subscription-based business software provides on-demand CRM solutions. The company’s portfolio of products include Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Marketing Cloud, Community Cloud and Analytics Cloud.
Industry: Information Services, IT
Location: San Francisco, California
What it does: Oracle’s suite of cloud applications gives users and complete and unified view of their business by merging such functions as finance, human resources and supply chain to optimize end-to-end experiences. It’s also scalable and “future proof” via the use of AI, blockchain and IoT technology.
Industry: Finance, HR
Location: San Francisco, California
What it does: Workday provides a variety of SaaS solutions for human resources, payroll and financial management. It also offers professional services automation capabilities and analytics capabilities that help users glean and distribute insights from finance and HR data.
Industry: Government, Finance
Location: Ames, Iowa
What it does: Workiva offers cloud-based software for spreadsheets, word processing and presentations, as well as applications for reporting, linking, collecting and analyzing business data.
