(1) (
Staking-
As-
A-
Service) For crypto staking services, see
staking provider.
(2) (
Software-
As-
A-
Service) Software that is rented rather than purchased. Instead of buying applications and paying for periodic upgrades, SaaS is subscription based, and upgrades are automatic during the subscription period. When that expires, the software is no longer valid; for example, see
Microsoft 365.
The Backbone of Cloud Computing
Although SaaS can be implemented with locally installed applications that expire after a certain time, SaaS caused cloud computing to explode after the turn of the century. SaaS apps run in any desktop or mobile device, no matter the OS. The applications are maintained in the provider's datacenter, and every time users launch their browsers and log on to the service, they get the latest version. In addition, user data is often stored in the cloud. See
SaaS licensing.
Are Local Applications Going to Be History?
Not so fast, and although many believe that locally installed applications will be a thing of the past down the road, that is unlikely. Legacy architectures tend to last longer than expected, and people still download programs into their computers. Mobile users install millions of apps on their phones every day. See
SaaS sprawl,
cloud computing,
XaaS,
Web application and
ASP.