As a bespoke software development company, you’d expect us to champion the top benefits or choosing this approach instead of the off-the-shelf alternative.
The truth is there are plenty of scenarios where off-the-shelf software products make more sense than going bespoke. These include:
- When you need to get your hands on the software fast
- When you have a simple, generic requirement
- When you only have a small number of users
Compared to the bespoke software alternative, off-the-shelf benefits start to dry up as soon as scale increases and the requirements become more specific. Going bespoke means making a real investment, while embracing off-the-shelf is all about making compromises.
We wanted to set the record straight on the myths surrounding bespoke software development and offer a balanced appraisal of the conflicting opinions to lift the fog of confusion and equip decision makers with the facts they need. If you want to look at the potential of bespoke software in a new light, then learn the top five benefits of adopting this approach.
1. Only paying for what you need
Buying bespoke means spending nothing on functions and features that don’t serve the goal of transforming your business. You’ll cover all of the development costs for this software project, but you’ll get a 100% tailored solution for your business alone.
2. Sticking it to “the man”
How about satisfying your own business model, rather than an Independent Software Vendor’s (ISV’s)? Off-the-shelf software is the result of finding what is useful to the most people, rather than the most useful to you. On the other hand, a bespoke developer will utterly fail if it doesn’t bring about a transformative change in line with your specific business objectives.
3. Meeting your current and future business needs
What’s the point in buying software that stops delivering value as soon as something changes? Going bespoke is the start of a technology journey where innovation drives you to continual business improvement through your software. You don’t have to commit to the developer who created your software; if you’ve insisted on solid project documentation, there is nothing to prevent you evolving your software with other developers in the future. The alternative approach is to hope the development choices and financial stability of an off-the-shelf ISV provides the right roadmap of updated features. If off-the-shelf software is a serious consideration – ask yourself whether it’s good enough to match your business needs now and for the next 5 years.
4. Harnessing your processes and people
Developing the correct features and user interface, and getting the implementation working well with your business processes and user community, will determine the success of any software investment. This obstacle for off-the-shelf packages has given rise to a whole industry of third party integration specialists who’ll tell you: “if you’ve bought such-and-such a software product, then you need our consultancy to make it work in your organisation”.
5. Gaining maximum benefit from innovation
Your business has the opportunity to use disruptive, innovative technology to its advantage with market acceleration strategies. Applying this innovation to any kind of meaningful level cannot be achieved by adopting a software package that was made for someone –anyone – else. Bespoke software is your guarantee that software development brain cells and the latest technology can be applied to transform your business.
If you have any questions about software development or want to do some more research, you can request a free consultation or browse some of our software development services here.
