Five years ago, a Kerala manufacturing company's IT infrastructure consisted of: a desktop ERP server (Tally or custom), a shared network drive, email hosted on a local server, and a handful of USB-backup HDDs. In 2025, that same company more likely runs on Zoho Books for accounting, Freshdesk for support tickets, Slack for team communication, and a cloud ERP accessible from any device.
Why Indian SMEs Are Moving to SaaS
No Upfront Hardware Cost
Traditional desktop software required server hardware purchasing (₹2–5 lakhs), IT staff to maintain it, and periodic hardware refresh cycles. SaaS eliminates all of this — you pay monthly based on usage.
Automatic Updates
SaaS platforms update automatically. Your team always has the latest features without IT downtime or migration projects.
Work From Anywhere
Post-COVID, Kerala businesses with distributed teams or Gulf-based NRI co-founders need software accessible anywhere. SaaS delivers this inherently.
Integration Ecosystem
Modern SaaS tools connect via APIs, enabling small Indian businesses to build sophisticated automated workflows (e.g., WhatsApp order → Zoho CRM → Google Sheets → email confirmation) without custom development.
Popular SaaS Choices for Kerala Businesses
- Accounting: Zoho Books, Tally Prime Online
- CRM: Zoho CRM, HubSpot CRM Free
- HRMS: Keka, Darwinbox, Zoho People
- Project Management: Notion, ClickUp, Zoho Projects
- Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams
- E-commerce: Shopify India, Instamojo, WooCommerce
When Custom Software Is Better Than SaaS
SaaS doesn't fit every need. Businesses with highly specialised workflows — custom manufacturing scheduling, industry-specific compliance requirements, complex multi-currency trading operations — often find that generic SaaS tools force workarounds that cost more time than they save. For these cases, DBes Techno builds custom software solutions tailored to the client's exact process.
