Previous Year Question
With reference to ‘Software as a Service (SaaS)’, consider the following statements.
SaaS buyers can customise the user interface and can change data fields.
SaaS users can access their data through their mobile devices.
Outlook, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail are forms of SaaS.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
1 and 2
2 and 3
1 and 3
1, 2 and 3
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is correct. Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-based software delivery model in which the application is centrally hosted and managed by the service provider. Users generally access the software through the internet and a web browser or application and usually pay on a subscription basis.
SaaS buyers can alter the appearance of the User Interface and configure data fields, dashboards, reports and workflows according to their requirements within the available configuration settings. However, this customisation remains within the limits provided by the provider; users generally do not control the application’s original source code or underlying infrastructure.
Statement 2 is correct. A SaaS application and its data are hosted on cloud infrastructure. Therefore, authorised users can access their data through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets with an internet connection and a suitable application or browser.
Statement 3 is correct. Outlook.com, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail are web-based email services. In these services, the application and the user’s email data are hosted and managed on the service provider’s servers, while the user receives the service through the internet. Therefore, they are common examples of SaaS.
In SaaS, the provider manages the application, updates, security patches and underlying infrastructure, while the user primarily uses the application and its available configurations. Therefore, all three statements are correct.