We live in an age where people have become accustomed to getting all of their digital needs met instantly with just the click of a button, resulting in a boom in the custom web application business in recent years. As a business owner this required instant gratification may seem unreasonable, but if you cannot give your clients what they want when they want it, it can reflect poorly on your competency and thereby your business. Because of this, more enterprises than not are turning to software applications to keep up in a modern world and keep their business relative in today’s technological age.
Regardless of the industry, you are in, a digital presence is a must for every business. It has become vital to choose the correct foundation to establish and maintain the online presence of your company in order to remain competitive in today’s digitally driven market. As a business owner, you have two basic choices when it comes to choosing the best line of business applications to improve and enhance efficiency and productivity. Those choices are purchasing commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions, or hiring a web application development company. How do you know which is the right choice for your business? Both have pros and cons, but for small to midsize businesses that don’t have the financial resources, a custom web application may not be the right choice.
Top Reasons Why You Should Not Invest in Custom Web Application Development
1. Time limitations, when you need something yesterday!
When you need software quickly, you may not have the time available to wait for a custom application that can take weeks or months to go live.
Commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions are a time saving alternative for developing a mobile or web application. They typically also require little to no coding, which is a great benefit if you are not as tech savvy. You should also take into consideration the amount of time you will need to invest guiding your team to build the software for you.
There are lots of ready to use app builders available on the market, and a quick Google search will give you plenty of options to choose from. Some commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions include the limited ability to custom code plugins to address your specific requirements. commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions also allow you to get your software to market faster thanks to shorter development time.
2. Available commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions meet your needs.
When shopping for an off the shelf software solution, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself:
Do I need a native or hybrid app? Native apps are platform specific, meaning they only operate on iOS, Android or Windows whereas a hybrid app can work across multiple platforms. With a web application development company, it is much easier to choose either option, but with commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions the choice becomes much more limited in terms of application development. If you only need native apps, this could be a good choice for you.
How responsive does it need to be? How a mobile application performs is dependent on the coding capabilities of the app developers. Solution architects choose the proper coding and technology stacks to best suit your business model or product type to ensure maximum performance output to keep your company up to date with current technology trends. Commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions typically offer a one size fits all approach to application building, so if you only want to use the app to build your brand and online presence and high responsiveness is not the top priority, this may be the better option for you.
What are my available resources? commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions are no doubt the most budget friendly option when it comes to building a mobile or web application. Costs range anywhere from free to monthly or yearly subscriptions. Some commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions charge fees based on your needs, like the amount of storage you require or the features that you want. Other app builders may require you to maintain a developer account in the app stores, or include a fee for developer support. It’s vital that you research all fees associated with the commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions you are interested in.
Custom mobile app development tends to be more cost intensive, and typically requires more time to market as well. While a good investment for companies with the available resources, the efficiency gained with custom software may not be worth the expense and time you will need to invest.
3. Customization opportunities with your legacy programs or off the shelf programs.
Commercial off-the-shelf packaged solutions that require little to no code for application development will offer you a range of templates, design themes and plugins to choose from and implement on your website or mobile applications. If you need a more customized application to better suit your business needs, there are still cost saving options available.
For instance, the software applications you are currently using may have the option be extended or customized. Applications like QuickBooks Desktop, Visual Manufacturing and Sage have integrated APIs that can be used to customize them to better suit your business requirements.
Another great option is to work with a web application development company, like Custom Software Lab, that has already built custom software specific to your industry that can be customized to fit the needs of your enterprise.
Custom Software Lab
The choice you make for software applications should be the one that works the best for your business. At the end of the day your specific business needs, requirements and resources will determine the best course of action to take when it comes to application development. If you are in need of maximizing operational efficiency through web or mobile applications, this is a great first step in ensuring your business stays relevant in today’s fast paced world. Custom Software Lab is always here to guide you through the process. Our development teams not only make custom software, they can customize off the shelf solutions and help you transition between softwares with data migration, training, plugin installation and more. Contact us today and let’s discuss the best course of action for your software application needs.
