Businesses are always looking for ways to outperform their competitors and ensure good customer service to benefit their overall bottom line. And in this fast-paced digital world, companies will have to rethink the tools they use to run their businesses.
True innovators know that whoever has the best software to operate in the digital economy is more likely to succeed. This brings into question using off-the-shelf software, which may not be able to accommodate your unique needs now or as you scale your business in this increasingly competitive world.
5 Arguments for Custom Software
Companies recognize that to promote competence and innovation; they will need to recruit software developers to create unique solutions. This blog article outlines five compelling reasons why bespoke software is preferable to off-the-shelf software.
Increasing Scalability
As your business expands, so do your requirements. As your company operations get more sophisticated, you may need to upgrade to more powerful technologies. Purchasing a pre-packaged software solution that isn’t scalable will become a problem if it can’t sustain your organization or becomes too costly to update.
Custom software, in theory, has better scalability. Businesses may hire developers from Austin, TX, bespoke software development businesses, or anywhere in the United States or globally. When your company grows, there will be little disturbance to your operations.
For small enterprises in the early stages of development, pre-packaged software solutions may be the best option. This is because their activities are still in flux, and the organization’s main goal should be to become operational and sustainable. On the other hand, software should not restrict the expansion potential of an expanding firm.
Custom software guarantees that your software scales to meet your business’s changing demands and expectations. This may help your company develop more quickly and remain competitive without being hampered by outdated software.
If your company can invest, it will be well worth it!
Better Adoption And Compatibility
A firm’s success is typically determined by how various divisions work together and communicate. For example, the methods used by your manufacturing team differ from those used by marketing and sales. To run successfully, every division or sector of a firm, including your HR and accounting teams, has its systems, rules, and procedures.
However, compatibility and cooperation are necessary since your teams work in isolation but communicate data as needed. For example, to determine employee compensation, your accounting and HR departments will need to collaborate. Budgeting for marketing and sales may need information from the finance department. Sound software systems are the key to smooth integration and data exchange. You may expedite corporate operations and gain an advantage over the competition as your teams become more integrated and linked.
Cost-effective and profitable
It will be more costly to use custom or purpose-built software than ready-made alternatives. You’ll have to pay a large upfront fee to complete the software development life cycle.
However, in the long run, customized software may prove to be more cost-effective than pre-packaged software since it requires fewer frequent upgrades.
Plus, rather than paying for a feature-rich solution that you don’t need, you may acquire the capabilities you need for your organization and scale up as your requirements change.
Better Cybersecurity
Software security is a big talking point, particularly in collecting and storing personal data.
A pre-packaged software solution is developed for wide, commercial use, and security-rich features may not be its top priority.
You don’t want damage to your business brand and reputation should cybercriminals get access to your customer data. Therefore adding more security layers to your tailored systems can be a selling point for your business.
Is the source program code of pre-packaged software more easily hacked than custom software? In fact, according to a 2018 report, 96% of the enterprise market uses open-source components. Thus, it poses a higher cybersecurity risk compared to custom software. Moreover, since it contains a more extensive user base, cybercriminals are more attracted to target such software as they can get more sensitive data and resources than in custom software.
Bespoke software can reduce the chance of intrusion since your development team uses its own tools to build software. Additionally, cybercriminals are less likely to attack custom software because of the low payoff potential.
Another consideration is the lack of control you have over the off-the-shelf software. You don’t own it, and your business is dependent on the company that does own it.
Support And Maintenance
Custom software allows your company to spend more on support services than pre-packaged alternatives.
In general, software development businesses provide ongoing support in their contracts. As a result, your software will be maintained and supported by a dedicated staff. This enables them to find and resolve any faults or vulnerabilities in your program. There’s also no need to worry about your present software supplier ceasing to deliver services or products that your company depends on.
You are in charge of the maintenance and support you will get, not the other way around.
