Open source and SaaS, how to choose software?

With the development and popularization of Cloud Computing , Using software on the cloud has become the mainstream , In order to help users understand , I'm here to do a simple analysis of the three main forms of cloud software and how to make choices .

• Open source free software Most open source software is free , Part of the starting point for free is for noble reasons . for example ： We all know it Linux, The original intention is to challenge Windows and IBM Monopoly on the operating system , Not afraid of power , Unite the world's best programmers , To create a “ The great world of software ”, today Linux It's already the most popular operating system on Cloud Computing . And there are a number of open source software free of charge, which is in the consideration of business model . Two features of software determine the value of this business model . First of all , Software needs iteration , Need to absorb user's opinions widely , Otherwise, it's not a good software . second , There's no cost in copying software , Once the software is free , The speed with which software spreads on the Internet is amazing .
• SaaS Software The so-called software as a service model , Generally speaking, it is free of installation 、 Server free maintenance mode , Everyone uses software on one platform . The operating system on which the application software depends 、 Databases don't have to be managed by customers . In terms of ease of use , Greatly reduce the threshold of use , Reduce the burden of maintenance . From the function of software , All customers use the same system , In theory, software companies will try to maintain this unique version as perfectly as possible . The function , Software companies will try their best to . But in terms of business profitability , The customer will divide the version according to the function , Customers who pay too little or free , The function we get is limited 、 Computing resources are also limited .
• Independent installation of commercial software This software is the same as open source software , All need to be installed on the server . The difference is that using the software costs a lot of copyright （ In technical terms, it's a licensing fee ）+ The source code of the software is private or limited . obviously , Only the more affluent enterprises can use it .

10 Years ago , The above three forms are incompatible with water and fire , It's all about attacking each other , Curse each other and die soon . But today we find a lot of products from software vendors , They all contain the above forms . For example, the software giants in the world Oracle. There are free and open source databases Mysql, Also have SaaS Version of Oracle DB, There are also very expensive ones with a price of more than 100000 yuan Oracle Installation package and commercial license .

Why did this change happen ？ It's all business decisions . In terms of customers' consumption power , It can be very clearly divided into ： Small and Micro customers 、 SME customers , Large enterprise customers .

• The consumption power of small and Micro customers is limited , It has to be free or near free , To be supported by them . But under the Internet , If the consumption power and communication ability of this small and micro customer are accumulated to a certain extent , Great power 、 The scale of influence is amazing . Unite them completely or strategically , At present, many software companies attach great importance to .
• Medium sized enterprise customers have certain consumption power , This kind of customer has a certain budget , The business has certain unique requirements , And some of the customers are worried that free maintenance will come 、 Installation trouble . therefore , In full swing SaaS The subscription mode makes them feel that it is a more appropriate choice .
• Large enterprise customers are complex business driven software purchases , Because the selection before purchase is very complicated , Post purchase implementation and maintenance . This kind of cooperation is pre-sale 、 After sales both parties need to provide two teams to negotiate repeatedly 、 Find out 、 To strive for benefits , In the end . This kind of customer will choose the independent installation version or can be customized SaaS edition .

Software companies to unite which customer group , Will work on the user experience of this group .

The following is a table of my open source software and SaaS A comparative analysis of software ：

		Open source software	SaaS Software
sales	Promotion mode	Spread freely	Telephone 、 Soft text and visit Promotion
Selling cost	near 0	Thousands of yuan / A customer
Selling price	free	A few hundred - Thousands of / Accounts
Deployment way	Deploy to your own cloud server	No deployment required , Buy it and use it
Use	Learning threshold	secondary	Very easy to
Learning materials	Some open source software is very complete , Some of them do very poorly	Generally, it can meet the requirements of customers
Open function	All open	Depending on the amount of payment
ecology	Some open source software has a good ecology , Such as Linux、Wordpress etc. , A lot of extensions are provided by developers in the ecosystem ;	Closed ecological model
maintain	Function extension	Excellent developers in Ecology （ merchant ） maintain	SaaS Manufacturer maintenance
database	You have complete control of	Send it to the manufacturer
Code	Control yourself	Send it to the manufacturer
Development and expansion	No limits	Many restrictions
Existing docking with third-party platforms	Generally, it is poor	More targeted
Maintenance requirements	There are technical requirements	No maintenance required

What software to choose , It all depends on your own needs 、 Consumption power and recognition . The initiative is in your own hands .