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Bespoke software vs off the shelf, which is best for your business?

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Tolu Folayan

April 07, 2022

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Bespoke software or custom software means an application developed to fit a client's product specifications. Off the shelf or commercial applications are the opposite of bespoke software applications, they are built to solve a wide range of problems, this means they are not tailor-made and for a wide range of user specifications and at the same time not meet a client's specifications.

 

Having goals and ideas is excellent, but the tricky part is figuring out how to achieve your goals and the best possible way to do it. Building a responsive website or an application is no small feat. It takes time, effort, and most especially, skills. Programming skills take years to learn and take more years to perfect (perfect enough to build something decent). Building your software means you'll need full stack developer skills, designing, and testing skills.

 

You asked yourself, " Should I hire a software development team or do it myself? " And you've realised you can't. At least not right now

So now you're thinking, "should I hire a development team or get an already made product?" That is, you're asking whether to save money by purchasing a ready-made software solution for your company or design a more expensive but customised solution for your project. Keep reading to find out.

 


The goal of any software is that it satisfies your business requirements and meets the demands of your users.

 

 

What is bespoke software?


Bespoke software, also known as tailor-made software or customized software, does exactly what you need it to do. It is created specifically for you and, therefore, your users. This software meets all your requirements, which is what makes it unique. Bespoke software is used to solve the specific needs of a set of users by meeting your client's product requirements?


 

Customized software is developed with an agile approach, we go through a thorough consultancy process to discuss and outline your product requirements, objectives, scope, competition, and constraints. So we understand your business and work practices, and we give independent and objective advice. This stage of software development completely characterises your product; this data helps draw up a detailed plan for your product development. This is the ideal consultancy process.

 

 

What's off the shelf software?


Off the shelf software, also known as ready-made software, is a type of product developed for the majority. It is expected to respond to the needs of as many users as possible. This offers a wide range of functions and features than bespoke software. This is helpful, it gives you a chance to expand your functionalities, but you run a risk of compromise based on already pre-existing functions of the software.

 


When purchasing ready-made software, it is important to note where and how you want to use the software. It means you have defined your requirements.

Ready-made toolkits are equipped with unified functions you buy regardless of your need for them. You end up getting software with too many or too little/ few functions and features. Chances are it may not fit your work process.

 

 

TIME AND COST

 

 For customized software, you pay in time and money for a product created from scratch with unique features. Primarily because you have a dedicated team that works on your project. And during the consultation, you get a defined project scope and the time it takes to deliver. In essence, you pay for what you use. Software development is expensive for objective reasons because professionals create a unique product.



An advantage of a commercial off the shelf (COTS) product is cheaper at the initial stage/ upfront. The product is created for mass- markets, so the cost is spread across a wide range of users. For commercial software, you pay for the use of the product, licensing and additional cost of users for as long as the product is in use.

All things considered, you may have the opportunity to save money by investing in a bespoke software solution.

 

 

MAINTENANCE AND UPDATES


For bespoke software, the release of your product is not the end; you will need further assistance. In the event of a change, updates, upgrades, and business reorientation, you have a dedicated team that knows how to do their job efficiently, so this process is flexible and seamless but comes with additional cost.

 

 

Unfortunately, you cannot make changes to ready-made software. Updates are usually included, so that's great, but the chances that the updates are what you need are slim. As your business evolves, upgrades and software reorientation are necessary, and when it comes to off the products, change can be inflexible or impossible.


Not every commercial software comes with support, due to the wide range of users. forums may be available for help and support but run the risk of not being straightforward.

 

 

IN CONCLUSION


It isn't easy to highlight all the advantages of bespoke software since it is made for you. However, we highlighted some specifics.

The reality is that implementing new software systems in a company is stressful, time-consuming, and costly. Therefore, regardless of your option, the journey will be challenging.


However, remember that what is worth doing is worth doing well.


Wazobia Technologies specialises in bespoke software development, from ideation to delivery, we use software development best practices to ensure your application is developed the best possible. Contact us for more information.

 

 

 

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