When a business first starts, it’s likely you can get away with basic off-the-shelf software programs. When money is tight, you probably just use free or cheap software and do things the long way. But what happens when your company starts to grow? You can’t do everything manually forever, and there comes a time to look at software options. It’s also the time to discover why custom software development is better than generic options.
Here’s a few reason why you should consider custom software development over packaged solutions.
Custom Software Fits Your Business
When you buy a software program off the shelf, it hasn’t been developed with your specific business in mind. Sure, it will have functions you can use, but it also probably comes with a bunch of features you’ll never use. These features usually just complicate the use of the program, when you’re looking for something to make life easy.
Many generic products also won’t integrate well with other software you may use. This is where custom software development gives your business an edge. A system can be tailored for everything you need and nothing that you don’t.
Looking to the Future
Scalability is a big word when it comes to software development, and it’s probably the biggest area where custom software development takes the cake. Scalability means the capacity for software to be added to, upgraded or improved when your business needs change. Off-the-shelf software solutions are very much geared towards solving a customer’s problem right now. That’s great, but you know that your business will change and your software needs to keep pace.
Custom software can be developed in such a way that expansions, additions and improvements can be done with a minimum of fuss – and tailored to your need.
Generic Software Updates Don’t Suit Your Needs
When you buy generic software, it’s likely you’ll be notified of upgrades you can use as improvements are made. But what drives those updates to be made? Does the huge software company contact you and ask what you need? No. Generic updates are built with good intentions, but good intentions don’t make your business life easier.
On the other hand, custom software allows you (and only you) to drive the system’s improvements and upgrades. Need a new business function included? No problem – the developers work with you directly to make it happen.
Custom Software Provides Ongoing Support
When you purchase custom software, you can be assured of getting effective tech support when you need it. Furthermore, the people giving you that support are the people who built it. They know the software better than anybody.
Software issues can derail a business quickly. For all the wonders of technology, we do end up relying on it heavily. This means major inefficiencies and disruption of your services. If you have serious software issues, you need them fixed urgently in order to get your operations back to normal, and that’s not always possible with off-the-shelf software.
Long Term Cost Efficiency
Don’t be fooled by the attractive upfront price of a generic software program. One key problem that many businesses encounter with packaged software are the licensing requirements. Many programs require you to pay annual fees for every computer the software is installed on. If you have rapid business growth, this will mean more staff and more licenses. These are often ongoing costs that you’ll pay every year.
Custom software development may cost a little more, but there’s no licenses required. Once you’ve got it, you own it. You can also have the system updates as your business needs changed, for a fraction of the price compared to investing in a whole new packaged product.
Better Software Protection
As long as you’re dealing with a software development company who knows what they’re doing, you should be getting the very latest in software protection technology. These protections should be built in, and easily updated along the way.
Plus, unless hackers want to specifically target your business, they won’t even know what your software is, let alone know how to attack it. Generic software programs are often targeted by those with malicious intent because their efforts can be far reaching.
At MRU Consulting, our custom software solutions work for businesses in any industry. We provide advice you can trust, and a truly passionate team to deliver custom software that works for you. There’s many reasons why custom software development is better than generic. So, if you want to take control of your daily operations, contact us for a risk-free quote today.