Custom Software Development Services

The main potential problems with off-the-shelf solutions are obvious. First, although obtaining and starting to use such software is quicker than waiting for a custom suite to be finalized, you will either have to tailor an off-the-shelf product to your business processes or adapt the processes to the product. Both ways are time-consuming and costly, which nullifies the advantages of off-the-shelf software. Second, by investing resources in custom software, you assume full ownership of it. With off-the-shelf suites, license payments, subscription fees, and other extra expenditures are inevitable. Finally, if you opt for custom software, there won't be serious limits in terms of scaling it and integrating it with other digital products, both already existing and future ones. In the case of off-the-shelf software, restrictions imposed by its vendor will always remain in place.

With an off-the-shelf solution, you can get things rolling faster. With custom-built options, it will take more time. Additionally, the longer you use this solution, the more benefits will be generated, and the more resources will be saved. From a strategic point of view, custom-built software should be preferred almost universally. Simply consider such factors as cost reductions and projected extra revenue in contrast with making recurring payments.

The main advantage of custom software is that, unlike with off-the-shelf solutions, it is possible to immediately provide for potential future scaling and integration with external products and services. In order to make use of this advantage, however, one needs to give special consideration to the planning stage. Once the project plan is approved, altering it gets more difficult. Therefore, we recommend prioritizing such aspects as easily extendable functionalities, database infrastructures, load balancing, end-to-end documentation, and potential failures.

Andersen treats each IT project as an end-to-end business partnership. That is why we are always in the right position to assume full responsibility for all future aspects. However, total knowledge transfer, including full software documentation, is also available in case you decide to continue augmenting the product on your own or work with another company.