SaaS is the abbreviation for “software as a service”. You may know this under another name, for example subscription agreement, software on demand, software subscription agreement, cloud computing or ASP services (application service provider). These names all refer to the same thing – software being made available via the Internet to users.
Continue readingTag: software licence
SaaS Agreements – FAQs – What is SaaS?
SaaS is the abbreviation for “software as a service”. You may know this under another name, for example ASP services (application service provider), software on demand or software subscription. These names all refer to the same thing – software being made available via the Internet to users.
What is a SaaS Agreement?
A SaaS agreement is simply the name used for the agreement between a SaaS supplier and a SaaS customer which sets out the terms under which SaaS software may be accessed. This will usually include a service level agreement (SLA).
Continue readingCloud Computing and the Legal Cloud
What is Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is a new and rapidly expanding delivery model, often used to supply IT services to customers via the Internet. Cloud computing involves the sharing of resources, software and information on the Internet for users to use on their computers and other devices, on-demand.
Continue readingSaaS, ASP Agreements – Transfer of Personal Data outside of the EEA
There are no restrictions on transferring personal data within the EEA. However, due to the global nature of SaaS or ASP agreements personal data often needs to be transferred outside of the EEA, for example to an IT outsourcing provider in India, a subsidiary of your company in China or a data centre or software development centre in Vietnam.
Continue readingSaaS, ASP Agreements – FAQs – Disaster Recovery
What disaster recovery provisions need to be included in a SaaS agreement?
Continue readingSaaS, ASP Agreements – FAQs – Confidential Information
What confidentiality provisions need to be included in a SaaS agreement?Define Confidential Information.
Parties will obtain and have access to the business critical information of each other as a result of entering into a SaaS Agreement. For example, they may have access to customer lists, banking information, IPR, source code and object code or business secrets and processes. Confidential information should be defined in the SaaS agreement to make clear what is, and what is not, confidential. Do not simply refer to documents which are “marked as confidential” or “which should be treated as confidential”. Not all confidential information exists in a physical format, particularly in a SaaS scenario – so do not restrict your definition to just documents.
SaaS, ASP Agreements – FAQs – Security
What data security provisions need to be included in a SaaS agreement? Customer’s Security Obligations – These should be set out in the software licence. Access to the software and services should not be permitted to third parties without prior authorisation from the supplier. The customer should provide the following warranties:
– existence of adequate security measure to ensure access to the software and services does not breach the terms of the SaaS agreement
SaaS, ASP Agreements – FAQs – Software Licence
The software licence to be included in a SaaS agreement is very different from the standard software licence found in non-SaaS agreements for the following reasons. Access to the software is provided together with support and maintenance services. Without support and maintenance there can be no licence and vice versa. This is because the customer has no copy (physical or intangible) of the source code or object code. The software is installed on the supplier’s server and accessed by the customer via the Internet.
Continue readingSaaS Agreements – Essential Elements
The following legal issues should be included in any ASP or SaaS agreement, whether you are a SaaS supplier or a SaaS customer.
Continue readingSaaS Agreements – SLAs – Essential Elements
Customers thinking of purchasing software delivered via the Internet (SAAS) are often unaware of what terms should be included. Jargon in the SLA can seem like a foreign language. Customers often tend to simply accept the SLA provided by the supplier, rather than struggle to understand it.
Continue reading