Key Benefits of Custom Software Development
Key Takeaways:
- Majority of computer users opt for generic specific software solutions readily available in the market due to their widespread accessibility.
- These solutions typically offer a wide range of features that cater to common user requirements effectively.
But for larger organizations, have some special needs that cannot be satisfied with this software and this is when the need for custom build software arises. Custom software development always has been in the market since the beginning of software generation.
As the number of users starts increasing the need for commercial off the shelf software increases simultaneously to meet the requirements of the masses. When seeking top-notch solutions tailored to your unique needs, partnering with the best software agency becomes paramount.
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What is Custom Software Development?
Custom software solutions is also known to be bespoke software or tailor-made software. This software is developed for a particular organization or user on demand. This software is different from the commercial off the shelf software available in the market. Some of them require the purchase of a licensed product and also available for free.
Custom software application is built for a specific group of users, so it can accommodate all their preferences and expectations. It is easy to make modifications to the requirements at any stage of development. All the hidden risks and issues encountered can be addressed iteratively until the solution is built as desired.
The development of custom software requires the involvement of various departments like marketing, engineering, research, development and then management. The need for custom software development project for large organizations is in inventory management, content management, customer management, human resource management, etc.
Even sometimes, such software is integrated into the existing system to improve the process and remove the existing weaknesses. Considering the typical challenges and typical solutions developing such software is considered to be costlier than purchasing a generic product.
But sometimes, COTS software requires more financial investment to customize them as per the organization’s workflow. Upgrading a COTS is also more expensive than custom software. An organization is responsible for owning the source code and keeping it secure for future modifications.
Advantages of Custom Software Development
Below are the advantages of custom software development:
1. Custom software is developed according to the exact needs and specifications of an organization.
2. It is easy to scale custom software.
3. Initially the cost of custom software may seem higher than generic software but in the long run, it costs less.
4. A custom software completely belongs to an organization and no one else has any right over it.
5. Custom software does not need to wait for the entire market to make the update and can be maintained anytime as per the changing organization’s needs.
6. Since, this software is not in the public domain and anybody outside the organization do not have any access to understand the functioning of the software, so it is hard for hackers to find loopholes and attempt unauthorized access.
7. Custom software is easier to integrate into the workflow of an organization.
Difference Between Generic Software and Custom Software
Below is the difference between Generic software and Custom Software:
| Generic Software | Custom Software |
| Generic software is developed for the general audience. | Custom software is developed to satisfy the specific requirements of a particular client. |
| Since such software is built to satisfy the needs of a large number of users so it is tough to come up with the right design and marketing strategy. | Since such software needs to meet only a particular client’s requirements, it’s easy to build them and also does not require any marketing. |
| Even, this software is cheap to purchase. | Custom software development is more expensive than a generic one. |
| It is not possible that all the needs of every customer are satisfied. | This software gives all that a client wants from the product. |
| The updates of this software are developed as per the changes in the market needs. | Custom software can be updated according to the time, budget and needs of the organization. |
| The development agency has overall control over the software and has the right to add or remove some features useful to the users. | It only depends upon the client’s wish to add or remove a feature. |
| Text editor software like MS Word is an example of Generic software. | The inventory control and management system software of any organization is an example of custom software development. |
Factors to Consider While Choosing Custom Software Over Generic Software
Here are the factors to consider while choosing custom software over generic software:
1. Finances
The finances of a custom software depend upon both the cost and benefits an organization will have with the availability of custom software. It is very necessary to go through a complete cost-benefit analysis of the business case needed before paying the upfront licence fee of a commercial off the shelf software.
It is a general view that custom software development services fail to satisfy the scope, time/cost and quality constant. So it is possible to have some uncertainties in the cost and benefits caused by the software, even disregarding the uncertainty around the benefits of a successfully implemented feature caused to the business.
2. Supplier
It is hard to predict how long a supplier of generic software will remain in business and continue providing services. It should also be considered that a supplier should provide customer support and customization facilities.
Along with that, it should also be known that ‘whether it is possible to access customer support and customization facilities from a third party. The development of custom software can be done by outsourcing it or can be done inside the organization. While outsourcing software, it is necessary to check the reputation of the supplier and its reliability.
3. Time to market
Generic software generally takes less time to be available in the market.
4. Size of implementation
Commercial off-the-shelf software is developed to meet the standard needs for business processes and reporting. If possible, integrating generic software with less customization, in the process of a large organization can be a very cost-saving, efficient and productive decision. But generally, it’s not practiced by large organizations.
Conclusion
Custom software development is for the organizations and the users that require extra features that are not available in the generic software and do not fit in the organization’s workflow. Installing generic software is easy but it might cost in the future if it fails to satisfy your requirements. The benefits of custom software development give an organization an upper edge over its competitors.
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