Non-SaaS enterprise software business?

Question

I've been researching an idea I've had for a software product. I am still early in the process, but I would like to only offer an on-prem version. As I'm not really interested in running a SaaS business. Also a couple of target customers I have in mind would only want an on-prem solution.My idea for how to generate income would be by selling licenses. Recurring revenue would come via support contracts and consulting services.I do know that not having an SaaS product will likely limit the investment I could get. I am ok with this.Is a Non-SaaS software business still a viable model, or has the world moved on?

piterrro · Accepted Answer

There is no single viability model here, it entirely depends on what kind of software are you building, selling and who are your customers. SaaS vs on-prem has its pros and cons, you should always listen to your customer and carefully analyze which model fits best. Many models offer both SaaS and on-prem as well.

meiraleal · Answer

> Is a Non-SaaS software business still a viable model, or has the world moved on?Yes. SaaS is losing its advantage as the browser is becoming a better environment with better processing, soon it will not make sense to pay for many things hosted because of open source alternatives that are very easy to run nowadays - meanwhile saas/subscriptions fatigue is only growing.

ezekg · Answer

I offer an on-prem version of my SaaS product, both a community edition and an enterprise edition. It is absolutely a viable business model. I only know because that's what a large portion of my customers do. :)