If you're looking for the definition of SaaS (Software as a Service) or what it means in relation to your own business, this article will help clear up any confusion surrounding its meaning. It'll also give some insight into how SaaS works and why it's so popular among businesses today.
The term "software" has been around since the late 70s when computer scientist Ivan Sutherland presented his proposal that would have computers take over many menial tasks previously performed by human beings. However, the first commercialized use of the word was IBM's System/360 Model 70 mainframe computer system which debuted in 1964. Today, we can see the widespread adoption of SaaS due to the rise of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
In essence, SaaS is simply a type of cloud computing where users access their applications via the internet instead of downloading them onto a device. This allows customers to be able to work from anywhere on any platform they choose. Some benefits include less cost per user, faster deployment times, better security, and no need to purchase additional equipment. In addition to these perks, there are several other reasons why SaaS is gaining popularity throughout various industries including accounting, financial services, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, etc. The list goes on and on!
But before I get started discussing the ins and outs of SaaS, let me explain what exactly a SaaS reseller agreement is all about. A SaaS reseller agreement is a document used between two parties to establish a relationship. These agreements typically outline who the customer is, what products and services he wants to receive, and how much money he should pay. They serve as contracts between both parties and often contain terms regarding pricing and payment methods. If you want to learn more about SaaS reseller agreements and what makes one different than another, read on below!
Before deciding whether or not to become a SaaS reseller, you must determine if your organization qualifies under the umbrella of being a SaaS provider. There are three primary ways in which a company can qualify as a SaaS provider:
1.) Owning the intellectual property rights to their SaaS application(s). This includes anything related to the creation of the service itself such as website development, graphic design, marketing materials, logos, etc.;
2.) Being a reseller of a third party’s SaaS application(s); or
3.) Using a SaaS application provided through a public cloud service.
Now that you know what constitutes a SaaS reseller, let's discuss some potential pitfalls associated with becoming one.
Netflix isn't technically a SaaS app because it doesn't offer subscription plans directly to consumers. Instead, it offers streaming video content through DVD rentals. While this may seem similar to SaaS at first glance, Netflix actually falls into the category of OTT (Over-the-top), rather than SaaS. With OTT apps, the consumer does not directly interact with the SaaS vendor but instead uses a separate online service to do so. For example, Hulu provides TV shows and movies while Netflix provides DVDs. Both services allow subscribers to watch videos without having to download them themselves. In fact, Netflix claims that 90% of its members stream using broadband connections. So although Netflix is still classified as an OTT app, it functions very similarly to SaaS.
While there's no perfect example of SaaS out there, here are some good ones worth mentioning.
Monday.com - Monday.com bills itself as the world's largest office productivity suite. Users are given access to thousands of templates, forms, presentations, spreadsheets, and databases within minutes. Monday.com even lets clients create custom documents on the fly. As a result, it helps small businesses save time and money every day. And unlike traditional versions of Microsoft Office, Monday.com is completely browser based and accessible from almost any device.
DocuSign - Similar to Monday.com, DocuSign is a powerful signatory management tool. Unlike most signature capture tools, DocuSign enables users to send digital signatures quickly and securely regardless of location. This technology helps reduce costs and increase efficiency while allowing employees to focus on higher level tasks like planning projects and managing client relationships.
Salesforce.com - Salesforce.com gives organizations real-time visibility across sales processes, pipelines, opportunities, deals, leads, contacts, accounts, and revenue. Through the integration of CRM solutions and data sources, Salesforce.com helps improve overall performance and increases employee collaboration.
These are just a few examples of successful SaaS providers. But don't forget about smaller companies like Zendesk, Trello, Freshbooks, SimpleTask, HubSpot, and Wrike, too. Each of these companies provide simple yet effective solutions for individuals and businesses alike. Many of them boast success stories and impressive growth rates. And the truth is, you probably already benefit from their existence.
As mentioned above, SaaS refers to a specific class of cloud computing technologies. One way to think of it is that it involves selling software licenses through the web instead of physical items. Another way to look at it is that it gives people instant access to certain types of information whenever needed. Regardless of how you view it, there's plenty of great examples of SaaS available right now. Here are a couple of my personal favorites:
Zoho Creator - Zoho Creator is a complete solution that combines everything you could possibly need to manage your entire workflow. From project management to reporting, Zoho Creator contains features designed specifically for each industry vertical. It also comes packed with numerous add-ons and integrations that make working with Zoho Creator easier than ever.
CrowdStrike - CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity firm founded back in 2002. Since then, it has grown into one of the biggest players in the field thanks to its advanced threat detection capabilities. Its CloudProtect™ Threat Management Platform detects threats and protects against malicious code attacks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Additionally, it integrates seamlessly with existing IT infrastructure, making it easy to deploy and maintain.
One thing I'd love to mention briefly is that SaaS typically comes with a monthly fee attached. You might wonder how this fits into our discussion of SaaS resellers. Well, consider this scenario: A large corporation decides to switch from using desktop computers to laptops running Windows 10. After doing some research, they discover that a popular laptop brand sells refurbished models for $200-$300. Furthermore, after signing up for a year long plan, they find out that the price drops down to only $50 per month. Although this sounds appealing, it won't be possible unless they buy multiple units and sign up for multiple years. In reality, however, this kind of arrangement wouldn't be feasible for most corporations. Why? Because it requires the ability to track inventory levels and monitor usage patterns. That said, it's important to note that SaaS vendors usually charge a flat rate for yearly subscriptions to ensure stability.
Hopefully, this article helped shed light on what SaaS really entails. Now that you understand it better, hopefully you've gained enough knowledge to decide whether or not joining a SaaS reseller program is right for your business. If you did decide to go ahead with it, remember that the process is fairly straightforward. All you need to do is fill out an online form and wait for someone to review it. Then, once approved, you'll start receiving payments automatically through PayPal or Stripe.
Have something to say about this story? Share it in the comments section below.
A white label solution provider (WLSP) or a value added reseller (VAR), also known as a software reseller, can be anyone who provides businesses with access to IT solutions through their own infrastructure of servers and storage devices. They may offer any number of services, including cloud computing, managed hosting, virtualization, website design, software development, security consulting, desktop support, and much more. These types of businesses often have a variety of offerings that they sell on an ongoing basis in order to build up client relationships and provide them with recurring revenue streams.
But what if you're not a WLSP? What if your company doesn't need all those services but still needs some way to get paid for providing others with technology resources? You might consider becoming a SaaS reseller instead. Let's take a closer look at this new business model, how it differs from other forms of selling tech products, and why it has become so popular over the past few years.
The definition of SaaS is "Software as a Service". This means that you don't have to buy any physical goods like computers and monitors anymore, because everything you need to run your business comes directly from a third party server. The term SaaS was first used by Marc Andreessen when he cofounded Netscape Communications Corporation back in 1994, which later became America Online Incorporated (AOL).
This type of business model is particularly useful for small businesses looking to save money without having to invest in expensive hardware equipment. Instead, most SaaS providers allow users to pay monthly fees for use of their hosted apps and online tools.
There are two primary ways that people earn income using SaaS: subscription fees and one time licensing fees. Here's a quick overview of each method:
Subscription fee - The majority of SaaS vendors charge customers annual subscriptions. As long as there's no interruption between payments, these clients will receive access to various applications and websites indefinitely until they cancel their accounts. Examples include Microsoft Office 365, Google Apps, Dropbox, Evernote Premium, Slack, and many more.
One time license fee - Some SaaS vendors require upfront payment before allowing users to install their software onto their own machines. Once installed, however, these programs remain available for purchase whenever necessary. An example would be Adobe Creative Cloud, where artists must pay $19.99 per month after initial installation costs around $750.00. In addition to paying monthly fees, artists can also opt for one time licenses, which start at $49.95 and go up depending on the amount of work required.
Most SaaS providers let their customers sign up for a service plan (sometimes called a contract) that allows them to access certain web applications and data files remotely via the internet. Customers typically purchase these plans either annually or on a monthly basis, making sure that they continue receiving updates and upgrades to whatever features were originally included within the package.
In general, SaaS businesses serve three main purposes:
Provide a platform for building custom applications - Many SaaS platforms come preloaded with several readymade templates that enable developers to launch fully functional projects very quickly. Others make it easy for nontechnical individuals to create custom designs for specific goals such as creating blog posts, managing social media profiles, writing articles, and developing interactive presentations.
Offer additional functionality beyond standard office software - Because SaaS applications usually operate completely offline, they give business owners greater flexibility than ever before when it comes to working remotely. For instance, employees who previously struggled with limited internet speeds while traveling overseas now have instant access to high speed Wi-Fi hotspots wherever they happen to be located.
Allow organizations to outsource tasks - By outsourcing administrative duties to third parties, managers gain valuable time to focus on higher level activities like product research. Most SaaS packages contain built-in email management tools and document sharing capabilities that allow business leaders to communicate with colleagues across the globe simultaneously.
While there are hundreds of SaaS vendors operating today, here are just a handful of well-known brands that you'll find listed on almost every major shopping app store:
Microsoft Office 365 ($8/month): Offers Word processing, spreadsheet creation, PowerPoint presentation creation, OneNote notebook usage, Skype video calling, OneDrive file storage space, Outlook calendar scheduling, and more.
Google Drive ($10/month): Provides similar functionality to Microsoft Office 365, except it offers only 15GB of free storage space rather than 100GB.
Dropbox ($9.99/month): Allows users to upload large amounts of photos, videos, documents, and even entire computer hard drives to remote locations via the internet.
Slack ($6/per user/per team/per year): A collaboration tool designed specifically for teams, Slack enables members to chat freely about anything relevant to the project. All communication happens inside of private channels, meaning messages aren't visible to everyone else involved in the conversation.
Ingram Micro: This global leader in professional digital content distribution sells its cloud-based eDiscovery platform to law firms, government entities, financial institutions, and healthcare providers throughout North America and Europe.
These are just a few samples of successful SaaS businesses that exist right now. There are undoubtedly dozens more that I haven't mentioned above, though. And thanks to the popularity of SaaS, entrepreneurs everywhere are increasingly taking advantage of this opportunity to generate extra cash flow on top of their regular incomes.
If you'd like to learn more about starting a simple SaaS business yourself, check out our comprehensive article outlining exactly how to set up your own SaaS startup. Or better yet, reach out to me personally and we can discuss your unique situation in detail!
The basics
In this article we will take you through the basics of what it means to be a SaaS Reseller.
What are some of the different ways that a WLSP/ VAR can earn money from its clients?
1. What are some of the different ways that a WLSP/ VAR can earn money from its clients?
There are several methods by which a WLSP/ VAR earns income from its customers. One example would be offering discounted, time limited promotions such as “buy one month free” or “two months no charge”. Another common method used by most SaaS resellers is to allow their clients to purchase add-ons directly within their billing system. This allows them to collect additional fees without having to contact each individual client about their purchases.
2. How do I create my first account with a new customer?
If you want to start your own SaaS reselling business, there are a few things you should know before diving in headfirst. The best way to begin is by creating at least two accounts – one for yourself and another for the company you wish to represent. You must make sure that both names match exactly so that when people search online for information regarding your product and service they find only results pertaining to the company name that you registered under. If you use a different email address than the one associated with your business then potential clients might not see all of the relevant details about your company.
If you're in IT or tech sales, you've probably encountered one of these terms before -- "value added reseller." You might even know what they mean, but did you realize that you could be considered a "wholesale" partner with them as well? What's this all about? Let us explain!
First off, let me start by saying that I'm not an expert on any of this stuff (at least not yet), so if you see something incorrect here, please feel free to correct it! If anything I say sounds wrong or incomplete, leave a comment below and we'll get back to you ASAP.
So without further ado...what exactly IS a wholesale reseller, anyway? And why should you care? To answer those questions, we need to take a look at some definitions first.
Nowadays there are two main ways to sell cloud services like Office 365, Salesforce, Dropbox, etc. The most popular way is via the traditional on-premise solution, using either servers located locally or hosted remotely. This type of service allows customers to use their own hardware to run the software themselves, which can come with its benefits and drawbacks depending on your needs. It also means that you have full control over how the customer uses the product as part of their subscription package. For example, you may decide to limit certain features on the server side, such as disk space limits, bandwidth usage, CPU utilization, etc.
The other common method is selling subscriptions directly through a third party platform. These types of solutions typically allow you to connect to a variety of platforms, including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zendesk, and many others. Some will offer additional integrations with various apps, allowing you to provide custom functionality to your clients. A good example is Monday.com, which provides a suite of applications designed to help small businesses manage their day-to-day operations effectively. It includes everything from CRM tools to time tracking systems to project management templates. In short, it offers a lot of value for small business owners who don't want to spend too much money upfront, but still want access to powerful productivity tools.
But wait...there's another option! Many of today's largest organizations choose to outsource their entire IT infrastructure to third parties instead of building it internally. Instead of running their own server farms, these businesses rely on an external company to handle their data storage, networking equipment, security, backup capabilities, etc., while providing support staff to assist users when needed. When you think about it, this essentially puts businesses into the same position as smaller startups do, where they lack the resources to build their own products. However, because large companies already have existing relationships with vendors, they often prefer to pay less per month than they would if they were doing it themselves. They just hope that the vendor doesn't screw up, because if they do, they lose thousands of dollars every year.
In addition to the above options, there are hybrid solutions available as well, which combine both on-premises and cloud components together. One of my favorite examples is Box, which combines several different file sharing and collaboration tools into a single interface that works across desktop computers, mobile devices, and web browsers. This allows employees to share documents anywhere, anytime, regardless of device, operating system, or browser. As long as everyone involved has a Box account set up, they can easily collaborate on projects no matter where they happen to be. Another great example is Workplace by Facebook, which integrates seamlessly into multiple social media accounts to create a unified workspace experience.
All of these different methods result in similar outcomes -- better performance, lower costs, increased ROI, greater flexibility, etc. But how does this affect your relationship with your client? Well, keep reading to find out more about what makes a wholesale reseller and value-added resellers special!
There are three primary models used for selling SaaS solutions: direct sale, indirect sale, and white label licensing. Each one serves slightly different purposes, and each requires slightly different approaches. Here's a quick breakdown of the differences between them:
Direct Sale - Direct purchase of services. Similar to purchasing a car from Toyota rather than Ford. Your customer purchases a license to use the software directly from the provider, meaning that you retain nothing of the revenue generated by them. This isn't ideal for many reasons, since you won't receive any ongoing payments for your work, and you only make money once. Plus, if your customer experiences issues or problems with the application, they must contact the developer directly, making things very difficult for you.
Indirect Sale - Indirect purchase of services. This model is almost identical to direct sale except that you earn a percentage of the profits made by your customer instead of receiving none. This means that you'll always be paid for whatever the customer pays you -- whether that's $1 or $1000. However, it comes with risks, since if your customer goes bankrupt or stops paying you, then you're left holding the bag completely.
White Label Licensing - White label licensing involves taking someone else's code base and modifying it to fit your specific requirements. Once this process is complete, you rebrand the app under your name, and begin charging monthly fees. There are pros and cons to white labeling, but generally speaking, it's a pretty safe bet. This ensures that you maintain 100% ownership of your brand, and gives you complete control over your pricing structure. On top of that, you'll gain the ability to customize the product based on your unique needs.
As you can tell, there are lots of variables and situations surrounding these models, and they vary greatly from organization to organization. So now that we understand the basics behind them, let's talk about how to best approach each one.
Once again, there are seven basic models you can employ when working with SaaS providers:
Reseller - Resellers act as middlemen between the end user and the provider. They buy licenses from the provider and then transfer them to the end user, usually after negotiating a discount. Resellers are able to charge higher prices due to their larger volumes and/or bulk discounts. Because they don't actually hold the rights to the product itself, resells can sometimes end up having trouble getting new versions released.
VAR / VSP - Value Added Resellers are basically the same thing as resellers, except that they also perform installation and configuration tasks. While resellers focus primarily on transferring licenses, VARS deal with troubleshooting and managing technical issues. Since they're technically the ones responsible for the installation and maintenance, they tend to cost more than resellers.
SoftwareONE - SoftwareOne acts somewhat similarly to VARs in the sense that they install and configure the product as well. Unlike VARs however, they don't necessarily specialize in particular areas (like network administration). Their role is mostly limited to simply installing and configuring the product.
Partner - Partnerships involve the creation of a formal partnership between both parties. Typically, they require that the provider sign a contract specifying the exact nature of their involvement, along with payment structures and compensation plans.
Subscription Marketplace - Subscriptions marketplaces are online storefronts that allow companies to list and sell software subscriptions to consumers. Companies like Apple, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, and Steam all operate in this manner. Although users can download the apps directly from the websites, they're sold by the developers through the store.
Whole Sale Repackaging - Whole sale repackagers are resellers who buy the product outright and then sell it to end users, removing themselves entirely from the transaction. This is a risky strategy, since you risk losing all future income if your customer decides to stop buying from you. Additionally, you'll likely encounter legal troubles with authorities if you fail to properly report earnings or taxes associated with the transactions.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.