Use Wufoo integrations and get your data to your favorite apps.

Category: bespoke

There is just one post published under bespoke.

Bespoke or Off-The-Shelf Software?

When deciding what kind of software is the most suited for running your company, think about what’s the best for its operational needs: Is there something on the market that can do the job, or would you be better off having a custom software?

 

Certainly, there are different off-the-shelf software programs available, for practically any application, but because companies have different requirements, anything from accountancy to payroll, to engineering monitoring systems and many more, such mass-market programs may not always be the best fit.

 

Having a software program tailor-made for your company’s operations will ensure it’s more efficient and runs smoother. Starting with initial consultations with a software development firm, explaining all about your company, how it works, and how you want it to work better, software designers and engineers can create programs that perfectly fit your processes.

 

Such bespoke software may be especially necessary in cases when a company has grown out of the automated systems that help to keep it running over the years. There may be more staff and more requirements in the accounting department, for instance, or the company’s IT-based internal communication system may be outdated and inefficient, holding the company back.

 

However, in considering which is best for your company, bespoke or off-the-shelf software, a critical factor is the cost. Mass-market software is relatively inexpensive, while corporate software can be a lot more. By comparison, having software tailored for your company is a lot more expensive, but that’s in the short-term.

 

In the long-term, which is what any company really thinks about, custom software can work out to be more cost-effective, and there’s the enormous advantage of having programs specifically designed for your company’s operations As the company evolves, and expands, bringing rise to different sets of requirements, bespoke software can be tweaked to accommodate those needs.

 

In addition, in terms of costs, off-the-shelf software is often limited to one installation only, meaning that if there are a lot of terminals, a lot of copies will have to be purchased. Then there may be configuration issues that raise havoc with systems and there’s practically no one to help.

 

By comparison, a software company that writes programs for an organization will install them wherever they’re required to, thus bringing down the per-unit cost of installation, and  providing seamless, and trouble-free experience carried out by experts. This critical support from the software designers goes a long way to reassure a firm, because when issues arise, and they do, there’s help at the other end of a phone line.

 

When a software firm has finished writing a program for a company, they will test it to make sure it’s compatible with their client’s hardware and other software systems. Any problems that arise during this stage will be fixed before the software is installed, thus eliminating any potential disasters, something that may occur with off-the-shelf programs.

2447