We’ve seen it happen across industries and markets: Consumption patterns are shifting away from traditional ownership models and toward subscription “anything-as-a-service” models. The success of companies such as Netflix, Dollar Shave Club, Uber and Lyft indicates that consumers are increasingly viewing ownership as a burden.
Ride-sharing companies focus on an outcome (get where you’re going), not ownership (no car title required). Their customers may not want to own a car; maybe the price is prohibitive, they don’t want to deal with parking or maintenance, or they don’t drive very much and want a solution that scales.
As it turns out, those same considerations — cost, storage, maintenance, scalability — apply to choosing cybersecurity software as well. Do you want to own, or do you just want an outcome? This analogy is helpful for understanding the differences between security-as-a-service (SECaaS) and traditional, on-premises security software.
How a Security SaaS Solution Can Save You Money
If you’re buying a car, that typically means shelling out a large amount of money now. If you use a ride-share, you pay as you go. Similarly, purchasing a traditional software license often comes with a big, upfront price tag, whereas security software-as-a-service (SaaS) is usually paid over time as a subscription model.
With ownership, there are hidden expenses to uncover. For a car, think parking, maintenance, gas, insurance. For cybersecurity, think real estate for data centers, power for heating and cooling, security personnel. A security SaaS solution means the vendor is responsible for those costs, not you — you’re free to decommission your hardware infrastructure.
Furthermore, a SECaaS vendor can spread those costs over many customers. That means economies of scale, which is one reason a SECaaS solution could lower your bypass ownership security service secaas
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