Rethinking the role of security in client satisfaction with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers

Despite the conceptual importance of security perceptions in contributing to client satisfaction, no study has yet provided empirical evidence of the link. We argue that because security perceptions are highly subjective and depend on the client's experiences, it is necessary to identify the perceived value of security in order to explain its effect on security. We adapt a recent model of SaaS satisfaction to include security and perceived value, and test the model on a sample of 135 SaaS clients. We find a significant positive relationship between security and satisfaction when mediated by perceived value. We also present an unmediated model in which security is not significant.