SaaS is currently surely the most desired development model for digital products. Only between 2015 and 2017, the average number of SaaS apps used by organisations grown twice, from 8 to 16. According to an August 2020 report by MarketsandMarkets, the annual growth of the SaaS market is currently set at around 18%. As cloud computing becomes more and more common and mobile devices more prevalent even among businesses, the trend will be further driven towards using SaaS as much as possible.
How to leverage this potential and grow your company the SaaS way? Read our guide below to learn how to harness SaaS and hire SaaS developers who will deliver truly ground-breaking results.
What is a SaaS app?
There are two main features of an app that make it an SaaS product:
- Subscription-based payment model — customers (either individuals or customers) don’t buy the product once but pay for access to it on a regular basis, usually monthly or yearly.
- Cloud-based approach — SaaS developers build the app in the cloud so it can be accessed from anywhere, anytime.
What are some of the benefits of choosing the SaaS model for your product?
- Better accessibility of your product — it can be accessed from anywhere in the world using virtually any internet browser, including those on mobile devices. No installs needed!
- Regular stream of funds — you receive money from continuous subscriptions which can help you optimize your budget better.
- Amazing scalability — as your product grows, you can simply buy more cloud space to meet the needs of more customers.
- Faster delivery of new improvements — the cloud is the go-to solution for teams working with the DevOps model implemented and focusing on continuous delivery and integration of new features and bug fixes.
- Guaranteed top performance — top cloud solutions guarantee your web product an amazing performance 24/7, virtually anywhere in the world.
Who chooses SaaS?
SaaS model is chosen by companies both big and small. They hire SaaS developers because the model makes it much easier and more cost-effective to start up a new project, even one with a limited budget. SaaS apps can start as an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and then their features can be expanded as the number of regular customers grows and the needs of these customers get clarified.
According to 2020 data, Microsoft is the current leader of the SaaS Market, closely followed by Salesforce and Adobe. But this success is partly based on the purchases that such enterprises make — they buy smaller SaaS companies who got successful enough to become an interest of a huge IT giant. Examples include the 2018 purchases of GitHub by Microsoft and Magento by Adobe.
The amazing thing about the SaaS model is also the fact that it can be applied to virtually any type of product — although mostly to the B2B rather than B2C ones. Some amazing examples showcasing the variety of SaaS industry are:
- Slack, a communication tool for teams
- Hubspot, a CRM software
- BambooHR, an HR software
- Dropbox, cloud storage for files
- Crazy Egg, a heat map analysis tool
The most important technologies for SaaS development
Ready to invest in SaaS and hire SaaS developers? Before you start the hiring process, remember to clarify which technologies you will use — depending on your choice, you might need a bit different set of SaaS developers. What technologies should you especially consider?
- Programming languages
Every SaaS app consists of the front-end and the back-end — most often these two are developed by two separate teams, working closely together to make sure that both ends are aligned with each other.
The frontend is everything that the user sees — it’s most often built using the mix of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
The back-end covers all the processes taking place on the server-side of an app, including data transfers between the user and the software. There is a bit more choice when it comes to picking the programming language to be used on the back-end. The most popular options are Java, PHP, JavaScript (with Node.js), Python, and Ruby.
- Frameworks and libraries
These tools significantly speed up the development process of a SaaS app by providing ready-to-use solutions for common feature requests. All popular front-end frameworks support HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; when it comes to the back-end, frameworks are usually bound to specific programming languages. For example, Express is a framework built for Node.js, Spring for Java, Django for Python, and Laravel for PHP.
- Cloud platforms
The most popular cloud platforms are Amazon Web Services (usually called just AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. However, there are also more than a few smaller cloud platforms, often tailored to specific use cases, such as Heroku.
- APIs
With APIs, you can make your SaaS app support other software solutions popular among businesses. This will surely make your product a more viable solution for companies worldwide — so when you hire SaaS developers, make sure your candidates have experience with API implementation and development.
- Data management
Most popular cloud platforms support both SQL and NoSQL databases. Depending on which option you choose for your app, hire SaaS developers with experience in the relevant database technology.
Of course, your tech stack might also include other tools unique to your project. To make sure your requirements are fully clarified and that you hire SaaS developers who truly meet your needs, we recommend you to discuss these requirements with a professional software consultant or an IT project manager before starting the hiring process.
What soft skills should a SaaS developer possess?
While having the right technical skills and knowledge is surely a must for a SaaS developer, you should also consider the importance of soft skills — an individual with a specific set of these can significantly impact how well your team cooperates and how innovative your solutions are.
When you want to hire SaaS developers, look especially for people with the following soft skills:
- Attention to detail
To deliver truly reliable SaaS solutions.
- Reliable time management
To truly thrive in the continuous delivery-driven environment.
- User empathy
To always consider the type of customer the app is for and design the software with such a customer’s needs in mind.
Leverage the power of the company fit
When you hire SaaS developers, you need to look for more than just a set of specific hard and soft skills — how well these devs match your business is likewise important. The three most important areas of company fit are:
- Product fit
Think of the features that will be the fundamentals of your app — then review portfolios of your candidates and hire SaaS developers with previous experience in developing similar solutions. Such devs will be able to deliver results much faster than less experienced ones.
- Industry fit
Understanding the target user is critical to designing and building a great SaaS app. Achieve top results by hiring SaaS developers who have experienced working in your specific business vertical.
- Company culture fit
The most innovative products are the effect of collaborative work of like-minded individuals who can easily brainstorm for the better of your business. To achieve healthy cooperation, hire people who share the same values as your business. Consider things like the preferred style of management, focus on diverse teams, or remote work options.
Who will you need in your SaaS development team?
When you want to invest in SaaS development, there are a number of different experts that you should onboard for your team. Front-end developers, back-end developers, data scientists, web designers, a Product Owner, and a Scrum Master — this is only the base to start with. Later on, you might also want to add specialists such as AI experts, UX/UI designers, or business strategists.
Whoever you are currently looking for, Ideamotive can deliver. We connect businesses with IT talents perfectly matched to their needs. We can help you hire SaaS developers or even assemble for you a whole team of best-in-class SaaS specialists.
Get in touch with our consultants today and let us know about your exact needs — we’ll find you the right people in no time.
