Choosing the Best SaaS Fit for Your SMB

To start your Vendor Risk Assessment for a potential Software as a Service solution, determine the capabilities, features and benefits you seek and then hunt for the best fit among the many SaaS vendors out there.

Obviously, if a provider's software doesn’t match your needs, you can drop that vendor from further consideration in the rest of the VRA.

During your evaluation, be sure someone from each department that will use the new software either demos or trials it, take note of any questions they have, and answer this subset of questions that need to be answered:

• Will the SaaS app help you accomplish your business objectives?
• Does the software match your workflow?
  • If not, can it be modified to match your workflow?
  • If not, would it be worth it to adjust your business to the software?
• Will you really gain a competitive advantage if your competitors use the same software?
• Will you actually save money using the software?
  • Are you SURE you will save money after comparing upfront costs, ongoing fees, and reviewing the fine print?
• Can you measure the ROI of the new software?
• Can you use a trial version to stress-test it for your operations rather than just a short demo from a salesperson?
• Will the SaaS app seamlessly integrate with your applications?
• Was Support’s response time during the trial acceptable?

At EDM Info Pro, we use a longer version of this list and the trial version as a starting point to narrow the choices to three finalists we then move into the Risk phases of the VRA.

For more information about performing a VRA on SaaS vendors, grab your FREE copy of our e-Book, "Find Your Cloud 9's", which offers a mini-guide to the VRA process. 

To set up a Reference Interview on the questions you have about investing in new technology for your business, contact me at 302-537-4198, ericm@edminfopro.com or on our Contact form.