Problems and disadvantages of SaaS

Everyone is somewhat surprised at why the SaaS market is developing slowly. It surprises me why there are no obvious reasons. Various sources cite several reasons for the low development rate of SaaS:
- stringent requirements for the quality and continuity of the communication channel;
- limited functionality due to the features of browsers. Currently, it is still not possible to create a web service with functionality similar to offline applications;
- insufficient speed;
- conservatism and mistrust of users to the confidential information processed by “unknown where”.

This is all, of course, good and correct, BUT: the first three technical issues will be resolved over time, since progress cannot be stopped. In my opinion, however, this will not solve the development problem, since the problems lie not there. All these shortcomings are technical. It seems that the very principle of providing online functionality is more important than market realities.

Let's put ourselves in the place of a company, a potential customer. What will be really important? I will answer as a person who was responsible for corporate automation in several companies:

1. Patchwork . SaaS in its current form promotes disgusting and fraught with a huge number of problems patchwork automation. Here, get the software for your core business, here for workflow, bookkeeping, put it offline (1C), and here we offer you a great SaaS service. All this is not interconnected and does not allow in any way to reduce IT costs, but in addition creates costs for the organization of interaction and collaboration of all these pieces.
2. Rigidity of functionality . Any corporate software is tunable. Much. Under the features. Because those who sell corporate software know that every business considers itself unique. And the ability to maintain this uniqueness is a competitive advantage. Remember everything about the popularity of 1C and listen to its users. All of them repeat one thing as a mantra - anything can be done in it. The possibility of custom development, the possibility of customization and so on and so forth. SaaS developers almost completely ignore this need.
3. Security Issues . Understanding and knowing the fears of users, SaaS services ignore these fears and do not offer solutions. If you want to give people a sense of security, create an option to back up data for the customer. On his hard drive. In an open format. So that even if your entire company explodes tomorrow, the user will have data that he can download to another system. One manufacturer of banking software under the terms of a license gives companies-purchasers the right to receive the source code of the software, which is stored in special repositories abroad, and transfers the company in case something happens to the developer company.
4. Slurred marketing . I am generally surprised by this position: here is a wonderful SaaS service for personnel management. SO WHAT? What do companies do with this beautiful system? This company has many other tasks. Why is it considered a normal strategy to provide a small piece of what is needed as a SaaS service?
   SaaS manufacturers take the most common tasks that everyone seems to have and automate them. Everyone has task management! Great, we will do task management! Everyone has a CRM! Great, we will do CRM!And the fact that this task separately solved does NOTHING mean anything to the end consumer does not bother anyone. This is a classic approach of IT startups that completely ignore the consumer and talk about how great their task management system is. And who needs it then? In the current context and under the existing restrictions, almost no one. Only the so-called geeks or followers of the technological fashion.
   Just imagine that you need to cook borsch. You buy potatoes, carrots, meat and you have the OPPORTUNITY to cut and mix them. And now we present the SaaS offer: a unique potato! the most potato in the world! already brushed! in beautiful packaging! (but no one says that it cannot be used for cooking borscht, because it does not get out of the package) ...
   And now the question is: Why is nobody selling borscht ?

PS The purpose of this post is to draw the attention of respected developers to unhappy consumers, and not to detract from the success of excellent services. There are so many niches that need business automation. For example, in Russia there is no software for the automation of catering and Event agencies. No, not at all. But they have needs. Because the amount of information required for one event is huge. But no one writes a SaaS service for them. And task management systems, of which there are simply a huge number on the market, including opensource solutions, continue to multiply by budding.