Customized software, also called bespoke software, maybe the solution you need to meet many of your business’s needs. Software development encompasses everything from websites, mobile apps, API development, cloud computing, back-end development, and more.
You can purchase some of the software your company needs, but frequently custom software is required. You may think that having software developed for your small but growing company isn’t cost-effective, but here are seven reasons you should consider it.
- Custom Software Tailored to Your Company and Brand
The fact that developers specifically build custom software to fit your business’s needs is its most significant advantage. Store-bought software is fine for many applications, such as word processing. But you might need custom manufacturing or management software designed just for your business.
Custom software can include everything you need to run your business efficiently. In addition to internal business software, custom development can include interactive websites and mobile apps.
- Bespoke Software That is Easily Integrated and Scaled
You can integrate the software developed for your specific business with what you already have. That’s not necessarily true of off-the-shelf software. It can also be scaled and expanded as your company grows.
This trend applies to nearly every business that already has essential software in place. Redoing an entire system is very costly, but custom-built software can bridge the gap.
- Custom Software That Lowers Costs
Off-the-shelf software can be less expensive at first. However, ready-made software often has yearly, or even monthly, user fees. These fees can add up over time, and if you do not pay them, your software will stop working. Moreover, store-bought software may not integrate with existing systems and may not be scalable.
While customized software has a higher upfront cost, there are no recurring fees. Also, the developer can always go back in and modify it as your business grows and changes. Ultimately, bespoke software can pay for itself.
- Custom Software That is Solely for Your Company
While ready-made software can be a good solution, you never actually own it. Instead, you register it usually with an access key, and you may have to pay a user’s or subscription fee every year. Moreover, your software is subject to unexpected updates that sometimes actually reduce its functionality.
However, when you invest in custom software, you’ll have something you own. Moreover, there will not be any unexpected software updates or changes to the user agreement. If something does need to be updated, you’re in charge. Your developer can adjust it to your specifications.
- Customized Software You Can Use Forever
Off-the-shelf, licensed software eventually goes out of date, is discontinued, and begins to fail. Often, there comes a day when the software becomes unusable. On the other hand, customized software that you own can be infinitely updated, maintained, and used. It never goes out of date since all you need to do is ask the developer to update it.
If your business can not afford downtime, bespoke software is the answer. You’ll never be at the mercy of a software company’s whims.
- Bespoke Software That Defeats External Security Threats
One problem with off-the-shelf software is that thousands, or even millions, of other people, use it. That includes hackers. One way that hackers breach security is by back-engineering common software, looking for weaknesses. A security breach can cost a business hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
On the other hand, one-of-a-kind custom software is resistant to hacking since cybercriminals can’t get their hands on a copy. Of course, hackers will try, but hacking into your system will be far more difficult.
Most of the updates for readily available software concern security, which should tell you something. Security updates can take care of the threat for a while, but hackers are knowledgeable and resourceful; security breaches are a continual concern with off-the-shelf software. But, with bespoke software, there is a decreased chance of hackers penetrating your defenses.
- Custom Software That Integrates Your Team
The software can bring the various departments of your company together. When everyone is on the same page, communication is smoother and more productive.
For example, your production department could be isolated from your marketing department. Tying the two together could be beneficial. The marketing department could launch a sale if there is an overproduction of a certain product.
The key to this type of integration involves a collaborative data exchange, the complex functionality that bespoke software can accomplish.
Three Types of Custom Software
We can divide custom software development into three categories. Each type performs its designated function, and we build each differently.
- Fully Customized or Legacy Software: This custom software is created 100% from scratch. The developer will write the code by hand, according to the client’s specifications and requirements.
- Modern Interface Applications: This involves building a piece of custom software using libraries of prewritten code. Code libraries are full of robust, versatile bits of code that we can arrange and patch together to create an application.
- System of Custom Software: Sometimes, we use an extensive code library to build an application. Thus, we use nearly an entire system or library to create the software.
Naturally, fully customized software is more costly since we create it entirely from scratch. The type of custom software will depend on the client’s budget, needs, and what the developer feels is appropriate.
Website Platforms
Web developers use a web platform when building customized software, and several platforms exist for developing software or building a website. Magento is an open-source e-commerce platform used by over 250,000 retail sites. It is designed to be flexible and scalable, enabling multi-channel commerce on a single platform. This article from Digital Authority Partners gives more information on the benefits of Custom Magento Development.
Is Custom Software Development for My Company?
Every multi-million-dollar Fortune 500 company uses custom software. Both mega-corporations and small, local businesses can benefit from using bespoke software to streamline production, increase security, and improve customer interface. The fact is custom software development is not just for massive, global corporations; it’s available and scalable for any size business.
Trends are quickly moving away from ready-made software towards bespoke software. It’s much more hack-resistant; there are no reoccurring fees, unwanted updates, or changes to user agreements. No company can discontinue the software, and it can be easily scaled and modified by your software developer.
If your current software is falling short, consider bespoke software rather than licensing commercially available software. It may cost more upfront but will prove to be an excellent investment in the long run.
