Bespoke, off-the-shelf or integrated software
In a recent blog, ‘What’s the best software solution for your organisation?’, we looked at the different types of software available to businesses and the benefits each option can bring to the table.
It’s not a straight decision between bespoke and package solutions anymore. An additional option which is often overlooked, or not considered by many is integrated or hybrid software. It’s a solution that can add great value and be more cost-effective because, it’s often not as simple as ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to choosing the right software.
No matter the size of your business, companies often need a variety of different software to address the specific business needs of different departments. You may have already considered off-the-shelf solutions and not found the right fit or, found a solution which more or less fits your requirements, but has some areas that need a bit of tweaking to make them just right for you. If you’re not quite ready for bespoke, the ideal solution would be a hybrid of the two, so you might want to consider integrated software.
What is Integrated Software?
Integrated software allows you to pick and mix features from off-the-shelf solutions and either tailor them to your business need or, integrate them centrally, with existing systems.
Integrated software has many positives and can undoubtedly add value where it’s the right fit for a business. Positives include:
- Less risk and lower costs when compared to a fully bespoke solution, as you already have the developed (and tested) off-the-shelf aspects.
- Improvements in performance due to the fine tuning of additional and improved customised features that fit your business requirements.
- A higher quality solution as a result of refining an existing solution to suit your needs, and consequently, an enhanced finalised product is produced.
In addition to the positives of an integrated solution, there are other considerations you need to be aware of. In some cases, integrated systems can be more complex to maintain and it can be difficult to get the variety of systems, which are all talking different languages, to integrate seamlessly. Working with the right partner who understands bespoke development is critical to help avoid any potential pitfalls.
Discover more about the pros and cons of integrated software and whether it is the best solution for your organisation, by downloading our whitepaper, ‘Bespoke, off-the-shelf or integrated software: which is best?’ or, why not talk to us today about your software requirements.