Using an application someone else runs.
WHAT IT IS
A complete application, accessed over the internet, operated entirely by the provider.
EXAMPLES IN A SMALL BUSINESS
Email Accounting software Customer records File storage Design and productivity tools
WHAT YOU MANAGE
Your account and users Your data within it Your configuration and settings What you share and with whom
WHAT THE PROVIDER MANAGES
Everything else.
WHY IT SUITS SMALL BUSINESSES
No infrastructure, no maintenance, predictable per-user cost, immediate availability.
WHAT TO WATCH
Cost as users grow Whether you can export your data Whether it does what you need or what it decides you need
THE EXPORT QUESTION
Establish how to get your data out before you depend on the service.
WHAT TO AVOID
Accumulating subscriptions nobody reviews Storing data in tools with no export path
WHAT TO REVIEW ANNUALLY
Every subscription, and whether it is still used.
