Custom software vs off the shelf development - which should I choose?

Custom software development involves the creation and deployment of software designed for a specific company, for a specific purpose.

Off the shelf development (or commercial software development) on the other hand, is software designed to complete a task, but in a more generic way, with the aim being to sell the software to the mass market.

In the early days of software development, commercial software did the job well enough.

We used to have people completing administrative tasks by manual means, using paper, pens and filing cabinets.

It was long, laborious and costly work - both in terms of time and money - so commercial software, that could make this work quicker and easier, was welcomed.

But no two businesses run exactly the same way. Even if they sell the same thing, or offer the same process.

We’ve also become much more reliant on software now to the point that almost every business function needs some kind of software to work.

So is commercial software (which isn’t built with a specific business in mind) still the answer?

Or are businesses better off looking to custom software development to help them work better and grow quicker?

The case for custom software development

As we’ve said already, the biggest case for custom software development is also the most obvious one.

Custom development offers you a piece of bespoke software which has had your business and your processes in mind from day one.

It is entirely built around you.

Custom software also doesn’t come with the limits that you can find when you really stretch and test the capability of commercial software.

Want the software to work a certain way or do a certain thing differently to suit you? You can get it.

There really is no limit to what you can get with bespoke software development.

From a simple piece of software that solves a particular problem, to an entire suite of tools for administration, task planning, generating reports and forecasts and managing production - you can get anything you want.

Commercial software doesn’t work like that.

The functionality is built on the premise of working for the largest number of people, it’s functions aren’t meant for a specific purpose, so it can have a tonne of features you don’t need (but are still paying for) and many haven’t been built without much depth, so are basic.

Bespoke software is more scalable

If you’re getting a piece of custom software developed for your business, isn’t going to cost you more?

Honestly, possibly.

But it depends on a few things (choosing the right custom software development partner for one) and the old adage that custom software will just cost you a fortune is an oversimplification - and just not true.

You also need to take the long view.

Any software you bring into your business isn’t a short-term investment.

As long as you have your business, your business will need software.

Over time, your business will scale, software will be updated, you’ll add more users, require more functionality, need to solve more complex problems.

The list goes on.

If you have custom software from day one, the job of scaling it as you grow is a lot easier, and cheaper, than trying to shoehorn commercial software into your business.

You own the software so don’t need to pay to add new users.

You aren’t paying a monthly subscription fee, so you have money to spend elsewhere.

Most commercial software also forces you to buy multiple bits of software for different tasks (for accounting, admin, HR etc), which were never built to be compatible with anything else, so might not fit together properly.

Bespoke software and security

Most software has security of some kind built into it.

But your security needs are likely to be different to the business in the office building down the road, and theirs to yours.

You might be dealing with more sensitive information - like commercial or personal details of clients and customers.

Can you trust the security of commercial software that was developed with just the basic levels of security in mind?

Or would you feel more comfortable (and would your customers feel more reassured) that your security requirements and risks had been factored in during the development of your bespoke software?

Consider now too the growing reliance we have on a remote workforce.

This makes the need for software even greater and the ability of employees to communicate securely from different places even more critical.

So what’s the catch when it comes to bespoke software development?

You would think, having read this, that the business world would be awash with custom software - but commercial software has its place.

For one, commercial software providers tend to have bigger brand recognition because they’re used by more people - that’s the whole point.

It is true that initially, commercial software may be cheaper. That’s one of the benefits commercial developers have because they’re building for as big a market as possible.

Although it’s not always the case that commercial software is cheaper in the short term.

And you can get started with commercial software straight away. You just buy it, install it and off you go.

But that’s about it.

After that you become boxed in by the functionality and capability of your commercial software.

And typically just as you’ve got to grips with it, the software is updated and you have to figure everything out again.

Remember too, these updates aren’t built with you in mind and it’s possible that functionality you found to be particularly useful could be axed because it didn’t fit the needs of enough people.

Whether you choose custom software development or an off the shelf product depends largely on a few things.

The initial investment, and taking the time to find a custom software developer that is qualified and will take the time to understand exactly what you need and work with you to build the most optimised version of it they can.

Want to know more about how we’ve helped businesses of all sizes, across all kinds of industries build their ideal custom software package? Click here

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