SaaS software can save you a lot of hassle, especially with how much of a presence computers now have in our business and personal lives. For a long time, we were all at the mercy of traditional software models, which required constant purchases of licenses and upgrades. As technology became obsolete, more purchases were demanded of us, and this just made the computer revolution a money sponge that left a bitter taste in all our mouths. We resented it after a time.
For a long time, SaaS wasn’t a viable solution, and then, when it was, it was prohibitively expensive. This meant SMBs were out of luck still. Once more, SaaS software has changed its status in this aspect, and is no longer out of reach for SMBs to access.
With that in mind, let’s look at three SaaS solutions ideal for SMBs looking to improve performance, save money and reach out to greater markets. These are different solutions for different problems, so their order ranks them in no significant way.
Gliffy
Gliffy is an interesting solution for businesses with high use of diagraming. A competitor to Visio, it’s not as full-featured, but offers all of the necessary functionality. It can create diagrams, flow charts, floor plans and Venn diagrams as well as much more.
Its online functionality means that any device can easily use it, and simultaneous access to live charts and diagrams is very easy to set up with this program. It’s very affordable, averaging about six dollars a month, where Visio costs a fortune to license.
Gliffy’s a good choice for chart-heavy work, which many SMBs find themselves encountering earlier in their lifespan now.
Adobe Connect
Web conferencing and communication is becoming increasingly necessary even for micro businesses. As a result, Adobe offers this flexible web-powered conferencing system. It’s a little pricier than alternatives, but offers a lot of complex setups for engaging participants, including file transfers, media streaming, texting systems and much more.
It also has very strong mobile support, meaning that the conference can reach people who aren’t at their PCs if need be as well. This is a great tool to solve the communications bottleneck most businesses face with the IP paradigm of present times.
Mindomo
Mindomo is a brainstorming application, which is a fairly new concept but shockingly useful. This creates a shared desktop space with limited editing functionality, which users mobile and PC can coordinate. Through basic import/export, they can add, note and modify basic resources like graphics, text and documents.
This is immensely useful when people in SMBs need to brainstorm through a problem, or to work out a new idea in working detail. This is one of those programs you miss once you’re aware of it, and wonder how you worked without it before.
There are boundless other examples of excellent SaaS software out there. Pretty much any niche has at least three SaaS services filling it, so there are choices galore if you’re willing to put in the time to research them. It’s worth your time, because SaaS is the way of the future.