Key Takeaways

• DaaS provides a whole desktop experience to the users, allowing them to run services and applications, while SaaS delivers software applications through the Internet that can be utilized for various business applications.
• Both DaaS and SaaS follow the subscription model and ensure significant cost savings to the business.
• With both DaaS and SaaS, the DaaS or SaaS provider manages important tasks and upgrades.

Let’s face it: ‘cloud’ is the future of computing. Cloud services have seen tremendous growth over the recent past, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further driven the trend in terms of adoption, spending, infrastructure, and development.

Among the various cloud-based services, Desktop as a Service (DaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) are playing a huge role in revolutionizing the workplace in the digital era. Both these cloud services let businesses of all sizes and forms leverage most of their existing resources that only larger enterprises could earlier use – warding off the need for an on-prem desktop or IT and infrastructure expenses. Let’s explore DaaS and SaaS in detail, as well as the differences between these two.

DaaS

DaaS is a subscription service that offers businesses remote desktop sessions. The sessions themselves are hosted in Virtual Machines, or VMs, that run in the cloud. Using a Web browser or local application, authorized users can connect to these cloud-based desktop sessions to  access their files and applications from anywhere, and at any time. Virtually ny application you already use or are looking to use can be integrated into a DaaS model.

Also, you can decide if you want to transfer some or all of the applications you utilize to the cloud. DaaS offers you any degree of flexibility your business – no matter the size – requires while still letting you manage your desktop and data.

Best of all, DaaS lets you maintain all of the same functionality provided by the software without compromising control over any of your data. You no longer have to host the applications or maintain the complex IT infrastructure.

SaaS

SaaS is a cloud-driven version of a discrete element of software (or a software package) that is provided to end-users through the Internet. The end-user doesn’t own the application, and it is not stored in the end user’s computing device. Rather, the end-user accesses the application based on a subscription model and pays for licenses as per the number of users that have to utilize the application.

SaaS is easy to handle and use as long as you have smooth internet connectivity and a device with sufficient RAM to run the program. Moreover, you don’t need to worry about upgrading or updating your programs to the latest versions as the cloud hosting service provider takes care of the updates.

DaaS vs. SaaS: The Key Differences

Working
Managed DaaS provides users with virtual desktops that let them manage a bundle of applications and services, and the associated data produced by the applications. In this cloud model, the DaaS provider copies the user’s data to and from a virtual desktop to log in and log out.

SaaS provides software to anybody having a connected computing device, smooth internet access, and a web browser. The software is a web-based application whose backend operations and database are all done in the cloud.

Control
DaaS provides an entire desktop experience to the user over the internet. The cloud model offers users the option of storing all user information, application data, and others, within their own data center, providing them complete control. In general, a data center capable of sharing/isolating data is set up to let the users have certain control over the data.

On the other hand, SaaS only provides access to a single (or, in some cases, a few applications), which are shared across several clients following the “one-to-many” model. In addition, SaaS doesn’t deliver a complete desktop environment; it only provides applications.

Interoperability
With DaaS, the user’s entire desktop is virtualized and put together, enabling applications to integrate smoothly. SaaS applications can be integrated and leveraged along with each other, too; however, it’s often hard to do this because of their hosting location and how they are delivered to end-users.

Mobility
Although it’s usually possible to access DaaS sessions from a mobile device, DaaS is typically designed to be used in conjunction with a PC and a full-size screen.

In contrast, many SaaS applications are designed to work equally well regardless of whether users connect to them from a PC or from a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet. 

Ideal Use Cases: SaaS vs. DaaS
DaaS is ideal for businesses that are resource-limited, but still want to leverage cloud computing solutions.

SaaS is ideal for businesses with individual applications that users need to access from any device. This service level makes it pretty easy to access the web sans the need for any hardware updates or upgrades.

Final Words

Cloud data centers will process 94% of all workloads in 2021. It is apparent that cloud computing is rapidly becoming the new norm; indeed, some businesses are now totally phasing out their on-prem software and replacing them with cloud-based alternatives.

So, what’s your next move for your business – DaaS or SaaS? Well, it all boils down to your business’s core requirements, size, and complexity. Both the cloud services discussed above deliver the leading-edge features, flexibility, and choice to users that on-prem hosting models cannot.

Figuring out the right service for a required scope of work is essential, irrespective of your choice of tools. The better you decide between DaaS and SaaS, the better you choose and implement.

A final note: Keep in mind that DaaS and SaaS are not mutually exclusive. You could take advantages of DaaS to lower your desktop operating costs and simplify your desktop infrastructure, while also using SaaS applications. Indeed, SaaS apps could be accessed from within DaaS desktop sessions.