What is Bespoke Software Development & Why Should You Choose it?
Bespoke software development is the process of creating software that’s tailored to the needs of a specific business or individual. It’s different from off-the-shelf software, which is designed for general use. For example, consider Salesforce CRM, HubSpot, and Zoho are readymade customer relationship management (CRM) software.
However, when running an enterprise, you might look for a greater level of personalization and data security. Under such a scenario, bespoke software development is what you need. They are well-designed applications and easily adapt to business processes.
The global software market is projected to grow by 5.01% (2024-2029) and reach a volume of US$896.20bn in 2029. Custom software plays a pivotal role in the growth of business organizations and helps to create out-of-the-box unique solutions.
What is Bespoke Software Development?
Bespoke software is also called custom software, personalized software, and tailored software, and they are built for a specific business organization or a person. As the name suggests they are designed for fulfilling specific needs of individuals and can easily fit into on-going business operations.
You are the owner of the software code and this allows greater flexibility in meeting futuristic needs. For example, with the growing business needs, you can make necessary code modifications, add APIs, and more.
Bespoke software is built with an agile method or follows the adaptive software development process.
What is Off The Shelf Software?
Off the shelf software refers to commercial applications that can cater to a wide range of audiences. As pre-packaged solutions they are designed to help different business industries with various in-built features.
For example, a wide range of industry verticals trust Quickbooks, Oracle NetSuite, and other similar applications for handling accounts.
Compared to bespoke software, they are cost-effective options but often lack unique features and are packed with various features that your business does not require.
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Bespoke Software vs Off The Shelf Software
| Feature | Bespoke Software | Off the Shelf Software |
| Built for | Tailored exclusively for your business | Tailored for a wide range of business industries. |
| Price | It is a costly undertaking | Cost-effective you need to pay a rental fee and there are also free-to-use, open-source software options. |
| Time | It takes anywhere between 3 to 6 months for building custom software. | You can instantly download, install, or set them up for use. |
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What are the advantages of bespoke software development?
There are various advantages of building bespoke solutions like high adaptability, greater business efficiency and more.
1. Fulfill your unique business needs
Building bespoke software development project can help businesses address specific problems and streamline their processes. It is built from scratch to serve all of your organisation’s goals effectively. So, you are equipped with a reliable IT infrastructure that helps your business grow and prosper.
2. Adjust to the latest scalability demands
Custom software solutions are designed to scale up with the growing user-base. A software development agency can also integrate Cloud storage to tackle greater demands. This helps to ensure a seamless software performance.
3. Value for money
Although custom software requires a high upfront cost, it provides a greater return on investment. For example, organisation employees find it easier to use it, boosting productivity and greater adoption.
4. Sole ownership
Building tailored software solutions from scratch empowers you with the ownership of the source code. Thus means, you have an edge in the market and you can also commercialize your solutions as a SaaS product.
5. Offers robust security
One of the biggest drawbacks of off-the-shelf software is that hackers target it. Hackers view such software as a potential system to gain data on a large number of businesses. On the other hand, custom software is exclusively designed, which helps to avoid attention from malicious activities.
Disadvantages of Bespoke Software
1. High initial investment
Bespoke software development services require a big budget, and even building simple applications could take several thousand pounds. This makes building a bespoke software solution unsuitable for small business setups.
2. Takes significant time
Bespoke software development process involves several stages. It begins with research, planning, design, coding, testing, and launch. The last phase is maintenance, which is ongoing. The process takes 3 to 6 months and sometimes even more.
When should you build bespoke software ?
A software development agency can help you build bespoke software solutions. It is advisable to choose bespoke business software when:
- You have unique business requirements that cannot be met with off the shelf software
- Following an innovative business model
- Your business handles sensitive data
- For compliance with industry standards and data privacy regulation
- Managing a growing business
- Integration with legacy systems
Conclusion
While bespoke software has advantages and disadvantages, it proves ideal in various situations. Your business may have several unique needs that cannot be fulfilled with readymade software.
At Coding Sprint, a bespoke software development company, we can help you build user-friendly solutions that drive ROI. Our consultants can analyze your business needs and create a well-defined project roadmap.
