Custom Software Development

What is the difference between Custom Software and Off The Shelf Software?

Both of these technologies have a considerable gap in terms of functionalities, usability and performance. Each technology has its pros and cons and here is an outline of the same.

• Implementation
  Coding is becoming easier with each passing day. Earlier, programmers used to spend weeks on running lines of codes. Nowadays, students get trained in coding at the high school level and an increasing number of open-source code snippets are readily available for any functionality. Intuitive drag and drop interfaces provided by IDEs make it possible to develop highly advanced applications without even writing the code. Basic knowledge of coding can suffice to allow the needed customizations quickly.But, the ease of coding does not mean that software development is a cakewalk. Coding is only one aspect of the entire software development process. Requirement gathering, UI/UX design, testing, and upgrades are other crucial stages of the development process that require experienced and skilled resources.Developing custom software might seem like a manageable proposition despite the high skills required. Developmental tasks can be a distraction for enterprises from their core focus. Internal IT resources can be already involved in daily maintenance activities and development tasks could affect their efficiency.With custom software, enterprises might have to bear drawbacks until the issues are solved and that’s how the software finally grows. Using off-the-shelf software, enterprises can learn from others’ mistakes.Besides, the core focus of off-the-shelf software developers is just the software and they implement agile and other best practices for the development of software. They also stay updated with emerging technologies to be on the competitive edge. Therefore, before an off-the-shelf software is developed, it is tested broadly to ensure that glitches are ironed out.But, buying off-the-shelf software is not as easy as purchasing mangoes off a supermarket. An enterprise still needs to perform the requirement gathering exercise for finding the right product. Even off-the-shelf software solutions also need to be assessed for UX design, required infrastructure, compatibility with different devices and ease-of-use. Moreover, off-the-shelf software cannot scale as your business scales since you don’t own it.
• Integration
  In an era where data analytics is essential to stay on the competitive edge, organizations require seamless integration of the software with other enterprise-level systems. When it comes to integration possibilities, off-the-shelf software may not integrate seamlessly with other software systems.The extra investment and time in developing custom software can be worthwhile as it can be designed and developed to allow seamless integration. A software developer can consider the existing system when creating the blueprint for the software development project and ensure the new software works seamlessly within the current IT ecosystem.
• Scalability
  Scalability is one of the crucial factors when considering technology for your business. The software you require for your business should be scalable enough to accommodate current and future requirements.As your business expands, you might have to add new features and functionalities. Therefore, it is better to get software development in a scalable way. Off-the-shelf software cannot provide this facility.
• Upgrades
  There’s no doubt that off-the-shelf software provides you with flawless customer support. But sometimes, they do not get updated for a long time because you might have to work with an outdated product, leaving a negative impact on your business. Custom software allows you to make whatever changes you need and whenever you want. You are responsible for making decisions related to new upgrades and features when developing custom software. You don’t need to wait for new releases to add new functionalities to your software.

If you want specialized software to meet your specific business requirements, then custom software development is the ideal solution for you.