In today’s marketplace, there is a vast selection of software designed to run businesses. Most commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) packages are designed to run small to medium-sized companies quite efficiently. But once you get outside that scope and into the medium to the large business category, the requirements change dramatically. Each business in this category has specific requirements and needs. These requirements can even vary from company to company in the same industry; custom software development services make the difference.
Here we provide insight on some of the most frequently asked questions regarding custom software development services.
What is custom software development or services?
According to IBM: custom software development is the process of designing, creating, deploying, and maintaining software for a specific set of users, functions, or organizations.
Commercial off-the-shelf software is an excellent choice for many, targeting a broad set of requirements that allow it to be marketed and more broadly distributed. Unlike COTS, custom software development targets specifically defined requirements, addressing specific customer needs.
Sonatafy, a nearshore software development company, specializes in custom software development services, providing unique products to larger organizations.
What is an example of customized software or custom software development?
Customized software is the engagement of custom software developers to design a software product tailored specifically for a single entity. Here are three examples:
McDonald’s
YouTube
Airbnb
Netflix
UBER
What is a custom developer or software developers?
Software development markedly different and dissimilar from any COTS existing packaged open-source software or other packaged software is considered custom development. It can either enhance the functionality of an existing application or create a newsoftware product tailored to a specific user, group of users, or entity—it is exclusive and not packaged for resale.
When a company has a specific software need that cannot be addressed with COTS, it commissions custom developers to create software that addresses their requirements—a unique solution for their business.
What are the types of custom software or custom software development?
Custom software or custom application development categories include:
Company-Facing / Customer-Facing Web Portals—Portals allow employees and customers to get/send information in a self-service manner. A company-facing portal is where only you and your staff members have access. A customer-facing Portal provides customers/clients/patients access to send/receive information. It could also be designed as a hybrid model of both.
Content Management System (CMS)—An effective business website organically brings in new leads and sales by providing updated content, such as videos, blog posts, special reports, white papers, etc. The key to this is the ability to add updated content without being a web developer by using a CMS; depending on your business’ needs and how you publish content, you may need a custom CMS.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System –A CRM tool can track customers, prospects, vendors, referrals, and others. Based on your business needs, a customized CRM system may work best.
Ecommerce / Online Store— Some businesses have an online presence and revenue stream; an online store is an addition to your website and can typically be integrated with the company’s existing website. While simple solutions are already available, a custom eCommerce platform may be necessary if your business has more complex requirements (i.e., multiple locations or complex rules for sales or returns). It can be developed from the ground up, or you can have a custom software developer customize an existing platform, saving you a considerable amount of money.
Membership Site—If you are knowledgeable about your industry and would like to capitalize on it, augmenting your site with an online membership website to allow people to learn your material at their own pace is an excellent extension to increase your revenue stream.
Paperless Office—If you have staff members manually entering information into separate tools, you exponentially increase your margin for error and waste time and money. A custom software developer can design a platform to automate the process, allowing your business to function more efficiently, save money, and free up your employees to focus on higher-level activities that will generate more revenue.
Most business verticals, for example, doctors, have specialized software they use to manage their practice. A custom software developer could design a tool to handle the processes to deploy marketing automation – automating lead generation, follow-ups, referrals, etc.
You will benefit from custom software development if:
You need a competitive advantage
You need compatibility with other systems
Flexibility to include any changes
Security with susceptible data is a concern
Increase efficiency by automating repetitive tasks
You have the time to devote to custom software development
Is customized software a type of system software?
Yes, customized software is specially developed for you, your group or your organization and is not intended for resale.
What are the advantages of customized software or custom software development?
Both COTS and custom software development require a considerable investment in time and cost; your decision will impact your company for many years, so making the right decision is essential. You need to understand the advantages of customized software and evaluate all pros and cons.
Custom software could be a viable solution if you chose the right team of custom software developers to provide highly customized flexible solutions that are easy to use and maintain. However, remember that custom software may go through several iterations before you get the desired results.
While a ready-built solution can save a lot of time and money, there are several factors to consider to help you choose wisely. The size of your organization, future growth, complexities of needs, and financial viability will all have a significant impact on your decision.
The list of disadvantages of custom software development is short:
High Investment
Time Involved
However, businesses sometimes require unique solutions to address specific technological needs. At Sonatafy, we analyze the complete set of processes followed within your organization to give you highly optimized automation solutions, thereby increasing productivity and making it financially more rewarding.
Check out our portfolio page for some customized solutions we’ve created for our customers
Here are some advantages of custom software:
Tailor-made Solution—COTS are not necessarily built around your business goals. Engaging a custom software developer to create a software solution specifically for your organization ensures that it is tailored to your needs. Additionally, when building your custom software, you may find several other opportunities to optimize processes that can lead to higher productivity for your organization.
Return on Investment–Custom software development is a high investment initially, but the costs become almost negligible in the long run; what you stand to gain, though, are higher returns.
Security Concerns—One of the most significant benefits of custom software development is the level of security that can be built into the software. Hackers love COTS; they find it easier to punch through vulnerable portions of your software. With custom software, the chances of intrusion are significantly reduced.
Flexibility—Custom software development can include scalability, ensuring that the software addresses your organization’s changing needs. With a custom software team on hand, they can take up all your requests at any time and enhance the features for you–an agile and flexible team. Be sure to incorporate maintenance into your contracts.
Compatibility—Your organization may be using several other tools that may need interfaces built, making it easier to transfer data. This type of integration may be challenging to achieve in a COTS environment.
Ease of Operation—most custom-developed software is easy to operate. By automating repetitive tasks, the ease of use increases productivity, thereby reducing costs.
Long-term Risks—Often, COTS products release newer versions of their software and stop supporting older versions. COTS companies may go bankrupt. These scenarios are eliminated with custom software development. Custom software developers are always available, and your software can be updated as many times as needed.
Improved Software Support—Custom software development teams deliver better support and availability. Most of the time, a dedicated support team is assigned to your account to provide you with the maintenance of your software. Response and resolution times are much faster, especially if you build a service level agreement (SLA) into your contract.
Competitive Advantage—Custom software is designed exclusively for your business. Building unique features into your system provides a more significant advantage over your competition, helping you focus on your target audience. The result will be greater customer satisfaction and more referral business for you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About customized software development services
What is system software in simple words?
System software is all the files and programs that make up your computer’s operating system that is designed to run in the background, maintain a computer’s hardware and application programs, and enable users to run higher-level application software. Several programs are part of the system software, including file management tools, compilers, assemblers, debuggers, and system utilities.
What are the examples of package software?
One of the best examples of package software is Microsoft Office. MS—Microsoft Suite has several tools that are grouped. i.e., Office, Word, Access, Skype, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint, and Developer tools.
Other good examples include Google G-suite, WordPress, Open Office, Corel, etc. Audio and video editing software may also be available as packaged software, as they may be used together to edit music and video files used in a movie.
What is custom coding?
Custom coding is often used to connect two systems; this is also known as point-to-point integration. P2P integration requires developers to build custom code between numerous systems, data, applications, and devices within the enterprise.
Custom coded point-to-point integration does not scale and is not future-proof. These one-to-one data connections lead to “spaghetti architecture,” creating fragile, tangled, and difficult to maintain systems.
As business requirements change, this spaghetti architecture makes any modification very time-consuming and arduous. Although custom coding may be a quick-fix, standalone integration tool, it can create complications later. This impacts business agility and leads to scalability issues.
Enterprises should consider a different integration approach based on purpose-built APIs, otherwise known as API-led connectivity. API-led connectivity makes changes more manageable. By connecting systems, assets, or data, if something needs to be changed, added, or subtracted, assets can be unplugged or plugged in easily.
How can I make custom software?
Custom software development is your only choice if you plan to develop a marketplace solution or create one for profit (i.e., an app or a game). Unless you excel in code and systems, you will need to partner with a custom software developer.
For corporate solutions, you may want to consider a COTS product; they are far more cost-efficient and faster than custom development, especially if you need a solution ASAP. If your business doesn’t need anything unique, COTS may be the best solution for you. Although limited in scope, some programming changes can be made to COTS, thus “customizing” it to your needs. Here too, you may need to partner with a custom software developer.
There are some disadvantages, however:
If you have an ecosystem of corporate solutions in place, fully integrating an off-the-shelf product can be a challenge, even impossible in some cases.
Not all COTS solutions are scalable enough to help years down the road, causing you to migrate to yet again to another solution in the future.
Off-the-shelf solutions will not provide cutting-edge technologies –you must wait for upgrades to come out, and there’s no guarantee they will meet your needs.
Unnecessary features that you pay for but don’t use
How can I create my own software?
There are many products now available that provide the flexibility to build the business with no coding required; you can start from scratch, from a template, or even a spreadsheet. For maximum productivity, you can download and import add-ons into your domain and add them to your apps. The drag and drop interface and highly intuitive field configuration, setting up filters, views, and custom icons are all easy to use.
What are the types of software?
The software can be a single line of code or millions, such as Microsoft’s Windows operating system.
Here we provide a comprehensive list of the different types of software with some examples.
Application Software: a program or group of programs for end-users.
Communication Software: Google Meet, Zoom, Skype
Email Software: Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail
Spreadsheet Software: Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and Microsoft Excel
Word Processing Software: Microsoft Word, Google Docs, WordPad
Application Suites: OpenOffice Apache Microsoft Office365, Oracle E-Business Suite, G-Suite,
System Software: operates in the background and includes the programs for managing the computer, providing a platform for additional software, i.e., file management utilities, the computer’s operating system, and disk operating system (or DOS). System software is essential, creating a platform for apps.
GNU/Linux
macOS (for apple devices)
Microsoft Windows
Firmware: software that resides on your computer’s motherboard; when you flip on your computer or laptop, the BIOS (Basic Input Output System)wakes everything up, checking the drive for errors. It then confirms the presence of an operating system and relegates control.
Programming Software—a.k.a. software development tools, a program that software developers use to create, debug, and maintain applications and programs. Examples of programming software include assemblers, compilers, interpreters, and debuggers. IDEs (Integrated development environments ) are a combination of this software.
Driver Software—software that communicates with control devices, hardware, and peripherals of a computer. It collects information from the operating system and sends instructions to the hardware to perform a task or action.
All hardware devices require drivers, i.e.,
Graphic cards
Keyboard and Mouse
Network cards
USB flash drive
Freeware—This type of software does not share or expose its source code; there is no charge for its use Freeware licenses vary; businesses need to be written permission or a paid license—be sure to read the fine print. Check out this year’s best freeware.
Shareware–WinZip is one of the most reputable shareware apps. Shareware, and all its features, are free to use and share with others, but only for a limited period before having to commit to buying.
Open Source Software—you can delve into the actual app code; the spirit of open-source is to inspire development. Developers can download the source code and edit it as needed. Linux OS is one of the most highly regarded examples of open-source software.
Closed Source Software—does not unmask the original code and requires payment for its use. Licenses are stringent, and no unauthorized copying is permitted.
Utility Software—designed to analyze and optimize a device; tracks performance and alerts the system if there’s a problem. Windows Task Manager is one of the best examples of utility software. Other utilities include backup apps and anti-virus software.
What are the four major types of application software?
There are four categories of application software:
Personal
Productivity
Specialized
Utility
Microsoft Office includes word processing, spreadsheet, Database, and Presentation graphics and is probably the best-known productivity application.
What is general-purpose software?
Software that can be used for a variety of tasks is considered general-purpose software. Database, word processors, desktop publishing packages, spreadsheets, and graphics packages are all examples of general-purpose software. Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint are all examples of general-purpose software.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of software?
Other benefits of software systems are their accuracy and speed. Information is retrieved more quickly and with greater confidence in its accuracy. This can improve the productivity of employees. It may also enhance the movement of goods and the supply of goods to customers.
Advantages include:
Better Security
Individually Crafted Solution
Return On Investment (ROI)
Scalability
Time-Saving
Disadvantages include:
Initial Costs
Wait Time
What are the advantages and disadvantages of integrated software?
Integrated software is a program that contains “modules” for many popular business applications; the user can switch to different types of applications without exiting the program.
The advantages of integrated software are:
Consistent interface from one module to another
Ideal for personal use or small business
Low cost
Only one program to install and learn
The ability to share information between modules
The disadvantages are:
Each module is restricted to basic functions
The software may not be compatible with other popular business software
Not suited for large companies or professional use
What is the essence of custom software?
The essence of custom software allows you to imagine a digital tool and lets developers turn it into reality.
According to IBM’s definition, it is “the process of designing, creating, deploying and maintaining software for a specific set of users, functions, or organizations.”
What are the stages of software development?
The software development process is typically lengthy and tedious. However, PMs and SAs can now leverage software development life cycles with greater regularity, efficiency, and quality.
There are seven phases of the SDLC:
Analysis
Planning
Design
Development
Implementation
Testing
Maintenance
What is the cost of building custom software?
Numerous aspects contribute to the costs of custom software development. Depending on the demographics and where the project is located, prices can vary substantially. Projects can range from 6-digit figures to over $100 million. Depending on the developer’s experience level and the project’s location, hourly rates may run between $250 to $850 per hour.
How long does it take to develop software?
No two projects are alike or take the same amount of time to build. However, on average, software projects take between 4-9 months to design and develop—the size, complexity, and number of changes impact the project’s overall duration.
Affordable Nearshore Custom Software & App Developers Ready to Step In
Sonatafy’s Nearshore talent for software development is indistinct of the location of the person writing the code–we offer quality and the ability to respond to change. Hiring a professional Nearshore company for software development is simple, legal, and financially viable. Our developers are rigorously trained in several languages: PHP, Python, Node JS, Java, & .NET. We provide a wide pool of expert software developers in many technologies and industries. To learn more on how Sonatafy can help meet your business’ technology needs,
Affordable Nearshore Custom Software & App Developers Ready to Step In
Sonatafy’s Nearshore talent for software development is indistinct of the location of the person writing the code–we offer quality and the ability to respond to change. Hiring a professional Nearshore company for software development is simple, legal, and financially viable. Our developers are rigorously trained in several languages: PHP, Python, Node JS, Java, & .NET. We provide a wide pool of expert software developers in many technologies and industries. To learn more on how Sonatafy can help meet your business’ technology needs,
