The Importance of Custom Software to Small Businesses
Custom software for small businesses is becoming more common. Software development is different for small businesses than it is for large and well-established multi-nationals.
Smaller businesses typically have more limited budgets and resources than larger enterprises. However, this doesn’t mean that custom software solutions aren’t suitable for small businesses.
Discussed in this blog is the importance of custom software and some of the benefits it can have on small businesses.
Integration
Many small businesses rely on the systems they’ve become familiar with and have stuck with over the years. A custom solution can integrate and work alongside these current systems.
As the solution is tailored with your business needs and goals in mind, it is appropriately integrated. Usage should come naturally to the employees that will be using the software daily as they’re already familiar with the old systems.
Custom software bridges the gaps and inefficiencies in small businesses where hiring large teams isn’t an option. Great software should eliminate inefficiencies and increase productivity.
Not only will this integration improve employee productivity, it’ll also improve business security. Custom software solutions are built with business security in mind. Unlike bespoke solutions, off-the-shelf solutions are often more susceptible to hacks and exploits due to how commonly they’re used.
A custom integrated solution can keep small business owners’ minds at ease when it comes to business and data security.
Scalability
As discussed in previous blog posts, scalability is one of the most prominent benefits of custom software development. This is especially important for small businesses, regardless of the business age.
As custom software developers tend to work on a long-term basis with clients, scalability is always an option. Many off-the-shelf solutions are created with large organisations in mind, meaning licenses are costly and the solution isn’t suitable for a smaller enterprise.
The custom software approach allows your software to grow alongside your business, meaning your software is neither ahead nor behind your business growth.
Costs
In comparison to purchasing an off-the-shelf solution, custom software development is often more costly initially. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t long term savings to be made from investing in a custom software solution.
As a custom software solution is tailored specifically for your business, your current limited hardware will be considered when development begins.
When software is developed with your resources specifically in mind there is less dependency on expensive hardware providers, ultimately lowering your costs in the long run.
Many bespoke software providers take the business size and needs into account and tailor the solution based on your budget, ensuring you get the best out of the solution.
Support
Small businesses aren’t always a priority when it comes to support from off-the-shelf software solutions.
Your custom software development supplier on the other hand understand the systems and processes your business has in place and takes this into consideration when providing support.
Less time is spent answering repetitive questions from off-the-shelf technical support teams, meaning employees can focus their efforts in other areas of the business while a team of developers look after your support queries. This is especially important in smaller businesses where abundant resources might not always be available.
Whatever your small business goals are, a custom software solution can help you do that. Integrating applications into one custom software and deploying it across the enterprise is a great way to build your business operations on a scalable foundation.
If your organisation has a challenging software development project and can’t decide where to start, be sure to get in contact with us today on +353 1 8041298!
