As a business owner or employee in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest acronyms and industry terms. By understanding these terms, you’ll be able to communicate more effectively with colleagues and clients and make informed decisions about your SaaS business. What is SaaS?
The list of SaaS acronyms includes financial terms like ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) and MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) and technology acronyms like API (Application Programming Interface) and SDK (Software Development Kit). These acronyms make communication more efficient and precise.
This article will cover eight key areas in the SaaS industry and list some commonly used acronyms. Read on to deepen your understanding of SaaS terminology and enhance your industry knowledge.
1. The Basic SaaS Acronyms
- SaaS – Software as a Service
- SaaP – Software as a Product
- MaaS – Management as a Service
- DaaS – Desktop as a Service
- CaaS – Communications as a Service
- STaaS – Storage as a Service
- NaaS – Network as a Service
- IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service
- BaaS – Backup as a Service
- DBaaS – Database as a Service
- DRaaS – Disaster Recovery as a Service
- IoTaaS – Internet of Things as a Service
- MBaaS – Mobile Backend as a Service
- WCaaS – Web Conferencing as a Service
- PaaS – Platform as a Service
- RR – Retention Rate
- CR – Churn Rate
- CCR – Customer Churn Rate
- RCR – Revenue Churn Rate
- NRCR – Net Revenue Churn Rate
2. Finance acronyms used in the SaaS Industry
- ARPU – Average Revenue Per User
- MRR – Monthly Recurring Revenue
- ARR – Annual Recurring Revenue
- CAC – Customer Acquisition Cost
- LTV – Lifetime Value
- COCA – Cost of Customer Acquisition
- CCM – Cloud Cost Management
- ROI – Return on Investment
- TCO – Total Cost of Ownership
- OPEX – Operating Expenditure
- CAPEX – Capital Expenditure
- AROI – Average Return on Investment
- IRR – Internal Rate of Return
- NPV – Net Present Value
- ROE – Return on Equity
3. Technology acronyms in SaaS
- API – Application Programming Interface
- CDN – Content Delivery Network
- GUI – Graphical User Interface
- IoT – Internet of Things
- CRM – Customer Relationship Management
- ML – Machine Learning
- DevOps – The combination of software development and operations
- PKI – Public Key Infrastructure
- SSL – Secure Sockets Layer
- VPN – Virtual Private Network
- XML – Extensible Markup Language
- HTML – Hypertext Markup Language
- CSS – Cascading Style Sheets
- ATI – Automated Threat Intelligence
- ATS – Applicant Tracking System
4. Customer relationship management acronyms in SaaS
- CRM – Customer Relationship Management
- CMS – Customer Management System
- NPS – Net Promoter Score
- CSAT – Customer Satisfaction Score
- CX – Customer Experience
- CTA – Call to Action
- CLTV – Customer Lifetime Value
- KPI – Key Performance Indicator
- UAT – User Acceptance Testing
- CDP – Customer Data Platform
- CRO – Conversion Rate Optimization
- A/B Testing – Comparing two versions of a campaign to determine which performs better
- CLV – Customer Lifetime Value
5. Enterprise resource planning acronyms in SaaS
- ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning
- CRM – Customer Relationship Management
- SCM – Supply Chain Management
- PLM – Product Lifecycle Management
- SRM – Supplier Relationship Management
- HRMS – Human Resource Management System
- BI – Business Intelligence
- EAM – Enterprise Asset Management
- HCM – Human Capital Management
- WMS – Warehouse Management System
- PPM – Project Portfolio Management
- FMS – Facilities Management System
- GRC – Governance, Risk, and Compliance
- SCOR – Supply Chain Operations Reference
6. Human resources acronyms in the SaaS Industry
- HR – Human Resources
- EEO – Equal Employment Opportunity
- FMLA – Family and Medical Leave Act
- FLSA – Fair Labor Standards Act
- PTO – Paid Time Off
- ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act
- COBRA – Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 401(k)
- SE –Sales Engineer
- EAP – Employee Assistance Program
- WOTC – Work Opportunity Tax Credit
- I-9 – Employment Eligibility Verification
- HCM SaaS – Human Capital Management Software as a Service
- HRIS – Human Resources Information System
7. Project management acronyms used in SaaS
- PM – Project Management
- PERT – Program Evaluation and Review Technique
- WBS – Work Breakdown Structure
- GANTT – Gantt Chart
- JAD – Joint Application Development
- CPM – Critical Path Method
- PMBOK – Project Management Body of Knowledge
- MOE – Measure of Effectiveness
- SOW – Statement of Work
- EVMS – Earned Value Management System
- EVM – Earned Value Management
- CMMI – Capability Maturity Model Integration
8. Marketing Automation Acronyms in SaaS
- MA – Marketing Automation
- CPL – Cost Per Lead
- ABM – Account-Based Marketing
- CPC – Cost Per Click
- CTR – Click-Through Rate
- CPA – Cost Per Acquisition
- SEO – Search Engine Optimization
- PPC – Pay Per Click
- ICP – Ideal Customer Profile
- CPM – Cost Per Thousand (impressions)
Wrap up
There you have it! As you can see, the world of SaaS is filled with many acronyms and technical terms. By familiarizing yourself with these acronyms, you can not only enhance your understanding of SaaS but also better communicate with colleagues in the industry.