SaaS Evaluation Checklist: How to Choose the Right Provider

Businesses now rely more than ever on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products to deliver critical technologies. In fact, the SaaS market is expected to reach 232 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Choosing the best provider is critical to your operations, which is why you need a SaaS evaluation checklist.

While that growth and maturity depends on the industry, Saas is undoubtedly a large part of business operations. For instance, healthcare excels in SaaS applications, but other industries like construction or design-build need to catch up.

SaaS product maturity varies by department. Some focus on specific issues, while others are companywide platforms. The best ones show maturity in operations and development.

Over the past 25 years, Ciracom Cloud has supported SMB customers in various ways, including on-premises, application service providers (ASP), co-located data centers, and SaaS. We’ve learned valuable lessons about what makes a great SaaS product. Before you settle on a vendor, you should have a SaaS vendor questionnaire. These are some key factors to have on your SaaS evaluation checklist.

Which Business Customers are the Best Fit for the SaaS Platform?

Are the business customers small to medium-sized? Do they have over 300 employees, making them an enterprise, not an SMB?

These are important questions to ask SaaS vendors. Alignment depends on the SaaS product and price fit. SaaS companies must continuously develop their products to succeed in their industry. You should be working with a technology partner committed to constant evolution and meeting industry requirements.

Many enterprise SaaS products aren’t suitable for SMBs, which is why this should be a priority on your SaaS checklist. They’re designed for larger businesses and include features you won’t need. Eventually, this leads to expensive realignments for your business later on.

How Well-funded Is the SaaS Product?

No vendor evaluation criteria checklist would be complete without concerns about the funding for a SaaS product. A McKinsey & Company report shows that 90% of SaaS products fail, making this an important question to ask SaaS vendors.

Developing and maintaining a SaaS platform is expensive. Crunchbase is an excellent free tool that gives financials, employee numbers, and SaaS competitors. It’s a great resource to see who’s leading in the SaaS industry.

This should matter to you because migrations can be painful and expensive. You should look to partner with a well-funded SaaS industry specialist with a solid customer base and experienced leadership. Companies are improving the product and adding more products to boost efficiency in your business or department.

What Integrations Do They Offer?

Getting caught in the excitement of working with a shiny new SaaS platform is easy. However, we’ve witnessed this going awry when reality sets in. Your expectations need to be rooted in reality.

Before meeting with SaaS companies, meet with your trusted managed services provider. This item on your SaaS evaluation checklist needs you to check with your managed service provider first.

Ask for a thorough description of your tech stack and their roadmap for your current situation and future plans. This allows you to see what vital software you currently use and how to improve your existing system with new software. A one-hour meeting can save you money by ensuring alignment with the platform.

With full cloud evolution, the Internet becomes your operating system. You should aim to connect SaaS products securely for seamless collaboration and building efficiencies in your business. Many leading SaaS companies have standard integrations such as:

• Microsoft 365
• DropBox

Potential vendors may also have a public roadmap to share with you so you can see how they intend to grow their operations. Your managed services provider should lead the way for seamless device deployment, increased security, and accelerated adoption by understanding how the app is used and integrating with Microsoft Intune device management.

What Training Channels Are Available?

Your software vendor assessment checklist should always include questions about the training channels. Now more than ever, it’s crucial because SaaS products offer faster feature updates than on-premises applications. SaaS companies make decisions based on user analytics and have developed learning management systems powered by AI.

SaaS platforms form helpful communities that solve business issues. Suppose a company keeps an open channel for feedback. In that case, they actively learn from their users to improve the software. A strong community of like users enhances your SaaS experience, maximizing the benefits of your subscriptions.

What Support Channels Are Available?

It’s important to know your vendor has your back which is why this should be on your SaaS evaluation checklist. The threat landscape has expanded as businesses transition from a traditional server room setup to using the Internet. The heightened risk is often unnoticed by users who continue their daily online activities, browse websites, and frequently log in to different platforms.

The potential for security breaches is significantly amplified due to this increased online activity. Dedicated secure support channels that offer real-time issue resolution are crucial for your success with SaaS platforms.

Work with the Best to Be the Best

Ciracom Cloud has years of experience working with SMBs and helping them find the best vendors for their software. This simple SaaS evaluation checklist will point you in the right direction for your growing business. We make cloud business solutions simple, affordable and secure.