Software as a Service—a software distribution and licensing model where applications are hosted in the cloud and accessed by customers via web browser for a recurring subscription fee.

The classic business acronym that transformed buying software on a floppy disk into renting cloud software forever on monthly recurring subscription plans.

• Recurring Rent Model: Using "SaaS" to justify charging recurring monthly subscription fees forever for basic software tools.
• Universal Industry Label: Slapping "SaaS" onto every basic web application to raise venture capital valuations.
• House-Cleaning Reality: Like paying a monthly subscription for a vacuum cleaner and calling it "Sanitation as a Service."

The Social Network (2010s) scene where startup founders sit around whiteboard tables calculating monthly user growth and recurring subscription revenue numbers.

Software hosted online that users access via web browser for a recurring subscription fee.

“Our cloud-based SaaS platform provides secure document management for global business teams.”

“We switched from desktop software to an online workspace tool billed as a monthly subscription per user.”