Custom software development is the need of the modern organizations

Posted by SharonEvans on January 5th, 2014

There are millions of software applications that one can buy and use. The hardware components of a device together create the device but the software applications make the devices work. Without the combination of the two all the technology that we use today would be rendered useless. However, off the shelf software applications are not always useful and one has to opt for custom software development at times. To get custom software developed one can use the expertise of some of the finest software companies in the world.

Software development started long time ago although most of the work was never published. If you consider software as we see it today then the earliest period would be somewhere in 1946. During this period software used to be loaded into computers and any error would mean that the loading would be required to start from scratch. Today we have advanced a lot and most of the things that happen around us are due to software applications. There is one point to note however - the earliest software applications were custom software applications; they were custom written for some of the clients. The scenario remains the same even now.

Custom software development can be of many types. When you connect with a software company they may offer you an existing application that can be fine tuned for your purpose. There could be another scenario where your requirement is completely different from what is available off the shelf. In such cases custom software can be developed for you only. Now it’s debatable which the better option is. When only tweaking needs to be done to an existing application you save a lot of time on deployment. You also know that the solution is proven so there is no worry about the application not working. Creating a software application from scratch is much more time consuming but this is where the true expertise of the developer comes into the fore.

There is one more point about custom software development that you as a client need to keep in mind – it will be more expensive than an off the shelf application. But when your requirement is specific you have to bear this extra expense keeping the future in mind. If the development is done properly it can add value to your business. A well created software application can make life easier for your customers and they are going to love the experience. For example, you can have an application that makes shopping online easier or you can have an application that can fetch products basis a customer’s previous shopping record. Such custom software can be developed and the application will add to your profits.

The secret to great custom software development is in hiring the right partner. Someone with experience in developing custom software for web and mobiles should do well. Look for software development companies with experience in your domain and experience in handling development for all company sizes. And of course, you need to keep the cost in perspective.

Even the earliest software developments were custom software development. Today most businesses ask for custom software applications because everyone wants something special.