Off-the-shelf software vs custom software engineering
This post is a quick overview of an Abto Software blog article.
Let’s compare custom and ready-to-implement applications, their characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and more.
Can custom software development really change something about business operations handled day-to-day? Has off-the-shelf software implementation truly that many deficiencies?
What’s custom software engineering?
Custom or bespoke software is designed and deployed to cater to specific business objectives and operations. While naturally coming with several challenges, in particular the rather large investment and time-to-market, customized solutions can offer on-demand functionality, flexibility, scalability, and even better security.
Custom software can benefit strategic organizations across domains — healthcare, retail, finance, construction. In particular, they empower mature companies that handle complex processes.
Key advantages:
- Long-term efficiency
- Specified timeline
- Exclusively tailored to specific business needs
- Seamless integration with already existing systems
- Designed scalable
- Custom measures to meet business needs
- Dedicated support with highly personalized experience
- Full control over software
On the other hand, what’s commercial software integration?
Off-the-shelf or commercial software is purchased and integrated almost instantly and caters general needs. While requiring lower investment and providing shorter time-to-market — a quite attractive characteristic — generic software falls behind other capabilities.
Pre-packaged software is the go-to alternative for organizations that lack thought-out strategy and resources. These comprise standard functionality, typically mission-critical, but are typically deficient talking about advanced capabilities.
Key advantages:
- Lower investment
- Available immediately
- Basic features available instantly
- Pre-defined integrations, mostly with popular tools
- Partially scalable
- Standard measures
- Regular updates and patches
- No responsibility on the client’s side
Custom vs off-the-shelf software: diving deeper
Upfront investment
Custom development will require noticeably larger upfront investment — a problem for those lacking resources. But across everyday workflows, inventory management, supply chain, customer support, analytics, reporting, and other business processes, an organization can save great money by choosing bespoke applications.
Off-the-shelf software, as it is mass-produced, will require smaller investment — a quite attractive alternative. Despite this, pre-packaged applications might require additional expenses for customization and adjustment, as well as potential coding workarounds to eliminate the limitations.
Average time-to-market
Custom development covers every project stage from initial business consulting and documentation to launch. That involves market research, project planning, engineering, testing, quality assurance, and, in most scenarios, ongoing support and maintenance of the bespoke application.
Off-the-shelf software is purchased and incorporated into everyday business workflows almost immediately. That goes much faster, without doubt, but remember — pre-packaged applications don’t always perfectly align with individual business needs.
What about available functionality?
Let’s talk about functionality — the most important part of every business application.
In brief, custom-designed solutions are clearly the winner.
Bespoke software is designed to satisfy business-specific requirements by providing thought-out functionality. This means, the organization can obtain unique features to optimize existing workflows across departments, and, accordingly, meet their core goals.
Commercial software is implemented to provide mission-critical functionality, found within most applications. Of course, the company can integrate various plugins and extensions, but, typically, comprehensive alignment isn’t achieved that way.
Handling integration
Going with custom-built software, business leaders will most likely face several challenges during integration. These concern data migration, employee adoption and training, compatibility issues, security vulnerabilities, and even vendor lock-ins.
But with general-purpose software, business leaders often leverage seamless integration without disruption. Standardized APIs, user community and forums, comprehensive documentation, regular updates and patches — these ensure unobstructed integration.
Future scalability
Bespoke software is designed to adjust to changing business objectives, no matter the industry and operations. Load balancing, database optimization, modular and microservices architecture, tailored infrastructure — custom applications can provide multiple benefits.
Commercial software is capable of scaling, but has unchangeable limitations and requires special subscriptions. Systems crashes and downtime, insufficient performance, data bottlenecks, resource-utilization challenges — generic applications come with unexpected problems.
Robust security
What’s more, custom-built software is not that vulnerable, which decreases reputational and financial damage. Data encryption, role-based access, data masking, threat modeling, real-time monitoring, intrusion detection — by using custom applications, you leverage modern mechanisms.
But most general-purpose software comes with standard measures including firewall and antivirus, and others. That means increased probability of viruses or worms, malware, phishing, insider threats, password attacks — generic applications are dangerous.
So, what is the right choice?
If you can meet the conditions listed below, you can go for custom software:
- Clear objectives (vision and mission statements, strategic goals, market analysis, customer needs)
- Detailed requirements (business processes, data requirement, functionality, expectations)
- Strong management
- Legal and compliance considerations
If not, you should consider rethinking your strategy and integrating instantly available off-the-shelf software.
Summing up
Abto Software, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, is your strategic partner to deliver enterprise-level products. Business consulting, requirement documentation, design, engineering, quality assurance, and deployment — our engineers will cover every stage, so you don’t have to worry about anything.
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