Introduction
According to Matt Davies Stockton, custom software development is the process of developing application software designed for your unique needs and goals. It isn’t an off-the-shelf mass-produced solution used by the general public. Let’s check out the advantages of custom software development.
The Advantages
- Cost-effective in the long run – Off-the-shelf software is quite cheap and affordable upfront. However, those applications come with a recurring fee since all of them are based on subscription models or licensing fees. In the long run, that subscription fee adds up to a ginormous amount. Moreover, even ready-made software requires tweaking and a bit of customization to support your business operations. That further pushes up the price. Moreover, you may also find out about hidden costs as you scale up your project.
Compared to that, custom software development doesn’t come with any licensing or subscription fee. While the upfront cost is quite high, if you have decent cash flow and the software is designed for the long term, custom software development makes a lot of sense. Moreover, if your software is useful for other businesses in the industry, you can earn back the development cost by licensing it.
- Personalization – The most obvious benefit of custom software development is personalization. While ready-made software offers a wide variety of functionalities and features, it is designed to serve a wide variety of companies. When you’re using the same tools as your competitors, you don’t have any edge in the market. Custom software development helps you to achieve an edge over your competitors with tailored solutions that would address your specific needs and would allow you to leverage your advantages.
- Reliability and security – Custom software is usually more reliable than ready-made software and comes with the highest standards of security. That’s why a lot of big healthcare, fintech, and insurance companies usually invest in custom software development. That way their system stays secure, and they can be in full compliance with the regulations to protect sensitive and highly personal user data. During custom software development, developers thoroughly analyze your needs, apply the best practices, and try to eliminate hidden issues and vulnerabilities that may stand in the way.
- Support and maintenance – With custom software development, you can always count on support and maintenance. Your dedicated team of developers will always provide you with quick and reliable technical support when you run into problems. They will know your application inside and out and hence would be able to diagnose the problem very quickly and make necessary changes to patch or update the software if necessary.
That’s not possible with off-the-shelf software. You’re entirely at the mercy of the software provider and their customer support. Moreover, crucial renewals and added features for your company may come at an extra cost when you’re dependent on a third party.
Introduction
Matt Davies Stockton suggests that you carefully consider the advantages of custom software development before making a decision. While it has many advantages, it is also very expensive since you need to hire highly qualified developers dedicated solely to your project.
