When searching for a software development solution, businesses will be faced with the choice of whether to go for an off-the-shelf commercial solution or choose a bespoke software application.

Every business is different, and will have varying objectives and requirements, but to succeed they will all need to continuously develop and adapt their processes in order to stay ahead of the competition.

Bespoke software is a tailor-made solution which is custom-built to meet the individual needs of a company. On the other hand, commercial software is made for the mass market and is usually sold by a third party vendor to millions of businesses. But which one should you invest in?

The advantages of bespoke software

• Bespoke software helps to build something a bit different, giving you a competitive edge.
• It can help connect a workforce together as you define your integration points. This allows different teams within a business to be interlinked, as well as streamlining processes, which will improve the way employees work and communicate with each other.
• Bespoke software will be built accordingly, in line with business needs and will have the flexibility to change as your goals do.
• Bespoke software development services allow for greater flexibility, and therefore businesses are more easily able to adapt their products and services to what their target audience require.
• This type of software can be altered to fit in with your corporate branding to provide a better user experience.
• A bespoke software development service provides a seamless integration with existing apps and continuous system maintenance will be provided.
• A company will be able to have greater control over the project and ultimately own the intellectual property rights on the software.
• With the software being aligned to already existing business processes, less staff training will be needed.

The disadvantages of bespoke software

• Due to the bespoke functionality created, this service usually requires a larger initial investment than a packaged off the shelf piece of software. Therefore it is worthwhile looking at the lifetime costs, for example 5-10 years of what the expected costs might be.
• The development of a bespoke piece of software will take longer to implement.
• Additional costs may be involved for further changes to be made.
• If the wrong developer is chosen at the start of the project, a business may be left with a piece of faulty or incomplete software.

The advantages of commercial software

• A cloud based service can come with a limited up-front cost, whereby a user pays a small fee on a month-by-month basis. With the same off-the-shelf software being used by thousands of users, costs can be cheaper.
• Vendors offering commercial software can generate a large amount of revenue, giving them the resources to improve their offering and offer ongoing development.
• With so many users using commercial software, if a problem is found, an answer to that issue is likely to be available. There is usually access to free support and various forums might be set up whereby multiple users will experience the same problems.
• No time will need to be spent on development or testing. You can be up and running very quickly.

The disadvantages of commercial software

• With commercial software catering for the masses, there may be overly complex areas of functionality which may never be used. As well as this, the software is unlikely to provide everything you need and further customisation may not be possible.
• With commercial software, it is designed for a wide range of users, each with different requirements. Therefore compromises will have to be made and it is unlikely the software you choose will be totally specific to your business requirements.
• By having commercial software which does not totally fit your business process, staff will have to be trained to use it, and the way you work may have to be altered.
• Individual requests for new features and upgrades are unlikely to be dealt with by the software vendor.

The verdict

It is clear that there are a range of good and bad points to both bespoke and commercial software. For many businesses they will want something which works best for their workforce, so that business activities can continue without delay. It will be important for them to not waste the valuable time of their employees.

While commercial software has its place serving the mass market, offering a quick and easy off-the-shelf solution, it will not fit the objectives and requirements of every business as they would like. This does not make it suitable for a corporate environment whereby brand identity and individuality is crucial to a business and provides a company with a competitive edge.

Here at 97 Technologies we offer a bespoke software service and will tailor a software solution to help your business succeed and your business only. We will ensure that we are fully versed on:

• The markets which you wish to enter into or consolidate
• The activities of your competitors
• The developments in your industry sector.

If you are looking for an experienced bespoke software development company we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact us now to find out what we can do for you.