The Complete Guide to Software as a Service 5th Ed.

Robert Michon

Publisher: Amazon Fulfillment, 2022, 271 pages

ISBN: 978-1-54630-849-2

Keywords: Information Systems

Last modified: Nov. 10, 2022, 9:47 a.m.

Synopsis

A complete guide to understanding Software as a Service.

For SaaS entrepreneurs, this book explains both the business and the technical challenges to creating a successful SaaS business.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
    1. What is the Cloud?
    2. The Cloud Model
    3. IaaS
    4. PaaS
    5. SaaS
    6. Deployment models
    7. In Summary
  2. A History of SaaS
    1. Mainframes and packaged software
    2. The personal computer and client/server computing
    3. The end of software
    4. SaaS goes Mainstream
    5. Conclusion
  3. The Business Challenge of SaaS
    1. The on-premise software business model
    2. The annuity business model
    3. Key SaaS business metrics
      1. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
      2. Annualized Run Rate (ARR)
      3. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
      4. Average Revenue per Account (ARPA)
      5. Churn Rate
      6. Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
      7. Average Sale Price
      8. Renewal Rate
    4. Why SaaS companies fail
      1. Leaky buckets, why churn is important
      2. Customer Acquisition Cost
      3. Analyzing churn
      4. Upselling
    5. Forward indicators of change
    6. Six ways to fail
  4. The Technical Challenges of SaaS
    1. Tenancy options
    2. Scalability
    3. High Availability
    4. Hosting Options
    5. Connectivity Options
    6. API-First
    7. Other technical challenges
    8. Upgrades
    9. Performance & penetration testing
    10. Monitoring
    11. Technical debt
  5. Sales, Go-To-Market, and Funding
    1. Do I have the "next great idea"?
      1. Importance of TAM
    2. How fast should I be growing?
    3. How much cash should I burn?
    4. How do I scale?
    5. Customer Acquisition Strategies
    6. Valuations and getting funded
  6. Anatomy of a SaaS Provider
    1. Major functions of a software provider
      1. Product Management
      2. Product Development
      3. Sales & Marketing
      4. Training
      5. Services
      6. Support
      7. Customer Success
      8. Back Office functions
    2. SaaS specific functions
      1. Changes to existing functions
      2. IT Operations
      3. DevOps
      4. Security & Compliance
      5. Metrics
    3. Hybrid models
  7. SaaS Service Delivery
    1. The ITIL model
    2. ITIL Service Design
    3. ITIL Service Transition
    4. ITIL Service Operation
    5. Implementation
    6. Key SaaS transparency metrics
  8. Security
    1. Introduction
    2. Three Pillars of SaaS GRC
      1. Governance
      2. Risk Management
      3. Compliance
    3. SSAE 18 Certification
    4. Security Compliance
    5. Availability
      1. Backups
      2. Disaster Recovery
    6. Data residency and data sovereignty
      1. Patriot Act
      2. Safe Harbor
  9. Your SaaS Contract
    1. Service Agreements
    2. Shrink-wrap/Browse-wrap/Click-wrap
    3. Master Services Agreement
      1. Service Definitions
      2. Fees and Payment
      3. Data Management and Privacy
      4. Support
      5. Disclaimer, Indemnification, Limitations
      6. Termination and renewals
      7. Service Agreement Governance
      8. "Force majeure" and other exclusions
      9. Escrow rights
      10. Disaster Recovery
    4. Acceptable Use Policy
    5. Service Level Agreement
  10. Conclusions
    1. The Ten Laws of SaaS
    2. What's next?
    3. Lots of Dry Powder