Module 2: SaaS - What You're Actually Buying

What does a buyer of SaaS actually own, and what are they renting?

Software as a Service is the dominant model for enterprise software in 2026, but the contract you sign for SaaS has very different rights, risks, and operating consequences than the contract you sign for on-premise software. This module is the buyer's structural view of SaaS: what multi-tenancy means for security, what the subscription economics actually buy you, and where the cost surprises live.

What you'll learn in this module

• What multi-tenancy is, why every SaaS vendor implements it differently, and what each implementation means for data isolation
• The pricing models that work in SaaS (per-seat, per-usage, per-outcome) and the ways each can be abused by either party
• Where vendor lock-in actually lives in a SaaS contract: data portability, API stability, custom configuration, integration commitments
• The shared responsibility model for SaaS security and the controls a customer still has to operate
• How to read a SaaS contract for the terms that matter (auto-renewal, price escalation, exit clauses, sub-processors, audit rights)

The full module gives finance and operations leaders the structural map they need to negotiate and govern SaaS spend without being captured by vendor framing.