What is custom software development?
When we talk about custom software, we generally refer to software that is built around your business where you can organise your data for easy access, processing, operations, etc. But custom software can be a lot broader than that. For example, most software packages that come out of the box are generally limited to certain functionality and don’t always cover the customers needs. This does not mean that there are no great generic applications on the market with high levels of customisation, what we are saying is when we are talking about large organisations, more often than not, out of the box software can only ever cater to a certain portion of the business requirements, thus making a custom solution a better option for a larger organisation. A custom solution is also almost always financially justifiable for a larger organisation because the return on investment is usually much higher. Custom software allows the entire structure of the solution to be developed exactly around your business, thus giving the business a competitive advantage.
How much does it cost?
Developing custom software is a journey that both the software provider and the customer take together to achieve a particular outcome usually related to increasing efficiency, centralising business operations, increase revenue and/or decrease overheads in the process. Custom software is complex and requires specialists who have a lot of commercial experience and a proven track record of executing successful projects. When it comes to pricing custom software there is no straightforward answer and generally requires time to grasp the entire project through discovery activities between client and software provider.
The verdict
Choosing a good software provider is key for long term success. Custom software should only be considered if you have done your research and the return on investment is justifiable for your organisation.