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The most important decision facing any company when trying to buy new computer software is whether to acquire an off the shelf or custom designed software system. In making this judgement many points need to be considered. This document will assist your business make the correct decision by concentrating on the advantages and disadvantages of each option.
Reasons for selecting custom designed software applications
Get exactly what you require: With bespoke applications you specify what your computer system needs to do so it is completely tailored to your specification. Often with packaged applications it will do the majority of what you want but not everything. This could mean you end up changing your way of working to fit the software application when it should be the other way around.
Shorter learning curve: Because your custom built software will not have any of the extra functions that you don’t need you will learn to operate the new software in much shorter time. It is also likely that your staff will have a developer available to resolve any problems they may have.
Flexible: One of the most advantageous things about custom designed software is that it is easy to get it updated. This is crucial because it is inevitable that your needs will alter over the course of time. Off the shelf software might seem to do everything you need at the beginning but if your working practices change then you might have to start the process of software selection all over again.
Competitive advantage: By getting software custom designed for you can gain an edge on your competitors, this is something that will not happen if you are all using the same off the shelf software.
Support: Usually when you call the supplier of your custom designed software solution for technical support you will be able to speak directly to the programmer, this is the one person who knows most about your system. This will rarely happen with packaged software where your users can be treated to call systems and expensive call centre support.
Reasons to select an off the shelf software package
Price: Because packaged software can be resold to tens of thousands of consumers it means that the price per unit is significantly smaller. Microsoft has 70+ staff developing its Power Point software suite yet the item price is comparatively low. To order a software application of this type custom made for your business would be prohibitively expensive.
Stability: If you purchase off the shelf application that has been around for a reasonable amount of time then the chances are that it has been tested extensively by the thousands of people that use it every day. This means that its very unlikely your users will find any problems. Alternatively if you buy a custom made application then your users are more likely to encounter errors missed amid the testing phase.
More functionality: Your off the shelf software application will have more features because the developers are attempting to satisfy all users. However most of these functions won’t be useful to your business.
File transfer capability: Off the shelf applications have a large user community and therefore it is more likely that other software packages vendors will allow you to transfer data.
Quicker: When acquiring off the shelf applications the only time you need to invest is in locating the correct package and ensuring it has all the features that you require. Custom built software projects require you to give up hours of time specifying and reviewing the application on an ongoing basis.
Transparent: With packaged software applications you know what you are going to get, you may have used a demo version or videos on the web before you commit to buy. Buying custom made software solutions is a lot like buying a new house, you may have seen the plans but you can’t be completely sure what you will get until it is complete.
Support network: If you have a question about your off the shelf software you can usually search online for answers to commonplace queries and use dedicated user groups to ask other people to help.
Summary
When choosing between custom built and off the shelf software the most crucial question is ‘Does the packaged software do everything that you require it to?’. If the answer is ‘yes’ then it will most likely to be your best option as it will save you money and time. However if you think you are not prepared to compromise and you are can invest the extra money and time then a custom software application created by an experienced software development house will provide the best foundation for your company in the medium to long.