@William Farrel
I can see why a monthly fee might seem somewhat arbitrary, but that model is not used universally.
Many SaaS systems use pay-for-service models, i.e. charging a set fee / percentage for each transaction rather than a monthly or annual fee for unrestricted use of the system. (For example, I work at a company that provides a Transportation Management System via SaaS apps under this model.)
Technology under this pricing model is scalable. This gives SMBs access to technologies that they would not otherwise be able to afford. In this sense, yes, cloud pricing can have a big effect on business.
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