We evaluate SaaS vendors for their market position. Is the company a game-changer or industry titan? Game changers can be worth making a bet on if the benefit outweighs the risk of the company’s newness to the market. Industry titans are usually safe bets, in that the company likely will continue to invest in their product.
What capabilities does the vendor/package have? Do they integrate with 3rd parties easily? Do they support common standards such as SAML, open data formats, and common APIs.
Is the company well funded and cashflow positive? Is the company at risk of failure due to lack of revenue?
Does the company offer premium, telephone based support or is support performed through chat and email only? What hours are support personnel ready.
How does the company protect your data? What is the organization's data protection strategy? Do they provide appropriate safeguards for ensuring PII is not released or compromised? What is the organization's high-availability strategy?
What’s the user training process? Are materials readily available from the company? What formats are available? Web or video? Is there a user community?
Does the company’s standard MSA or EULA comply with common rules regarding liability and indemnity? Are there remedies for failing to meet an SLA?
Is the migration or implementation of the service simple to perform? Can the organization migrate in phases or all at once?
Does the company release updates in a scheduled, communicated fashion, or are updates released ad-hoc? Are updates optional or backwards compatible?
