Skip to content

SaaS Platforms Business Model

This document describes the business model for ConnectSoft's ready-made SaaS platforms. It is written for product managers, sales, and anyone defining pricing and licensing for ConnectSoft's expanding portfolio of 100+ platforms.

ConnectSoft's SaaS platforms are productized services built by the Factory and operated by ConnectSoft. They provide production-ready capabilities (identity & access, audit trails, configuration management, AI bots, and 96+ more) that customers can deploy immediately without building from scratch.

Current Status: 4 platforms live, expanding to 100+ platforms across 12 categories.

Tip

Start with simple subscription tiers (Starter, Growth, Enterprise) based on usage metrics (tenants, users, events). Add self-host options for enterprise customers who need data residency or compliance control.

What the Platforms Are

ConnectSoft's SaaS platforms are ready-made, production-ready services:

  • Identity & Access Platform - OpenID Connect server and identity backend for multi-tenant SaaS
  • Audit Trail Platform - Centralized, tamper-evident audit logging for compliance-driven systems
  • External Configuration Server - Central source of truth for application configuration and feature flags
  • AI Bot Platform - Enterprise AI chatbot backend with identity, conversation history, and observability

These platforms started as Factory-generated services, then were refined, hardened, and packaged as standalone products. They demonstrate what the Factory can produce and serve as building blocks for customer systems.

Delivery & Hosting Model

Default: Hosted SaaS on .io

Model: ConnectSoft hosts platforms on connectsoft.io subdomains (e.g., identity.connectsoft.io, audit.connectsoft.io)

Customer Experience:

  • Access via APIs and web UI
  • Multi-tenant by default
  • ConnectSoft handles operations, scaling, and maintenance
  • Typical B2B SaaS model

Benefits:

  • Fastest time-to-value (deploy in days)
  • No infrastructure management
  • Automatic updates and improvements
  • Scalable and reliable

Optional: Self-Host License for Enterprise

Model: Customer runs platform in their own Azure subscription

What They Get:

  • Compiled package or private repository via license
  • Full control over data residency and compliance
  • Custom configurations and integrations

What They Pay:

  • Annual license fee (per platform, per region/cluster)
  • Support & maintenance contract (SLA-based)
  • Optional professional services (onboarding, customization)

When It Makes Sense:

  • Regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government)
  • Data residency requirements
  • High-scale deployments
  • Custom compliance needs

Licensing & Pricing Concepts

Per-Tenant Subscription

  • Base price per tenant managed by the platform
  • Volume discounts for multiple tenants
  • Example: "$X per tenant/month, 10+ tenants get Y% discount"

Per-User Subscription

  • Price based on active users / monthly active users (MAUs)
  • Tiered pricing (e.g., first 100 users included, then $Y per user)
  • Example: "$X/month for up to 100 users, $Y per additional user"

Per-Event/Usage Subscription

  • Price based on event volume (audit logs, config changes, conversations)
  • Tiered pricing with included baseline
  • Example: "Includes 1M events/month, $X per additional 100K events"

Per-Environment Subscription

  • Additional cost for extra environments (dev, staging, prod)
  • Example: "Base includes dev+prod, staging environment = +$X/month"

Combination Model

  • Base subscription includes baseline of all metrics
  • Overage charges for exceeding baselines
  • Example: "Includes 10 tenants, 1000 users, 1M events — overages charged separately"

Platform Bundles

Category Bundles:

  • Multiple platforms from the same category (e.g., "Security Bundle", "Communication Bundle")
  • Volume discounts for bundle purchases
  • Example: "Security Bundle: Secrets Management + Encryption Service + Certificate Management"

Industry Bundles:

  • Platforms tailored to specific industries (e.g., "Healthcare Bundle", "Finance Bundle")
  • Industry-specific pricing and support
  • Example: "Healthcare Bundle: EHR + Telemedicine + Patient Portal + Medical Billing"

Starter Bundles:

  • Essential platforms for new SaaS products
  • Includes Identity, Audit, Config, and other foundational platforms
  • Example: "SaaS Starter Bundle: Identity + Audit + Config + API Gateway"

Subscription Tiers

Tier Target Includes Pricing
Starter Pilots and small teams Single environment, limited tenants/users/events, email support Monthly/annual subscription
Growth SaaS products in active use Multiple environments, higher volumes, priority support, SLA guarantees Higher monthly/annual subscription
Enterprise Regulated or high-scale Self-host option, custom SLAs, SSO, compliance reviews, dedicated support Premium annual subscription + support contract

Self-Hosted vs Hosted

Pros:

  • Fastest time-to-value
  • No infrastructure management
  • Automatic updates
  • Scalable and reliable

Cons:

  • Less control over data location
  • Limited customization options
  • Dependent on ConnectSoft operations

When to Recommend: Most customers, especially those starting with platforms

Self-Hosted (Enterprise Option)

Pros:

  • Full control over data residency
  • Custom compliance configurations
  • Infrastructure control
  • No data leaves customer infrastructure

Cons:

  • Customer manages infrastructure
  • Slower updates (customer controls when to upgrade)
  • Higher operational overhead
  • Requires technical expertise

When to Recommend: Regulated industries, enterprises with strict data residency or compliance requirements

Tip

Start with hosted SaaS for faster adoption. Offer self-host as an enterprise option for customers who need data residency or compliance control. Many customers start hosted and move to self-host as they scale.

Relationship to the Factory

Platforms serve multiple roles in relation to the Factory:

Proof of Factory Capabilities

Platforms demonstrate what the Factory can produce. They're examples of Factory-generated services that have been refined and productized.

Customer Options

Customers can:

  • Use platforms directly - Deploy ready-made Identity, Audit, Config, or Bot platforms
  • Build custom versions via Factory - Use the Factory to generate custom implementations
  • Extend platforms - Use Factory-generated microservices alongside platforms

Factory Learning

Platforms feed the Factory's knowledge system. Patterns and solutions from platform development improve Factory templates and agent capabilities.

Example Usage Scenarios

Scenario 1: Customer Adopts Audit + Config Platforms

Situation: Customer needs audit logging and configuration management for their SaaS product

Solution: Subscribe to Audit Platform and Config Platform

Outcome:

  • Deploy both platforms in days
  • Integrate via APIs
  • Focus engineering team on core product features

Value: Avoids 6–12 months of building and maintaining these capabilities

Scenario 2: Identity Platform as Central IAM

Situation: Customer has multiple microservices and needs centralized identity & access management

Solution: Deploy Identity Platform as central IAM, integrate all microservices

Outcome:

  • Single source of truth for users and access
  • Consistent authentication across all services
  • Reduced complexity and maintenance

Value: Standardized IAM without building from scratch

Scenario 3: Hybrid Approach

Situation: Customer uses platforms for common capabilities, Factory for custom microservices

Solution:

  • Identity Platform for IAM
  • Audit Platform for compliance
  • Factory for domain-specific microservices

Outcome:

  • Best of both worlds: ready-made platforms + custom services
  • Consistent architecture across all services
  • Faster time-to-market