Nowadays, most companies are introducing new technologies to help them manage their business processes. For simple applications, it is often recommended to choose off-the-shelf software, as it is cheaper and easy to use. However, if you need personalized solutions for exclusive use, better security, independence, scalability, and flexibility it is worth considering custom software development. Working with a dedicated software development team that guides you through the entire process, will allow you to build custom software that meets even the most sophisticated requirements.
What is custom software development?
Custom software development, aka bespoke software development, is a process of designing a unique application that meets a specific set of requirements of an individual client or a company. The custom software is delivered by a software development company for the exclusive use of the client.
Custom software development process consists of research, analysis, design, development, testing, deployment, implementation, maintenance, and support. It is either performed by an in-house team, or outsourced.
Most commonly, custom software development companies have an expertise in specific projects, technologies, and industries. For this reason, when choosing the right software development company, it is worth checking on their portfolio, review, tech stack, methodology as well as communication and security practices.
In this way, you will find a perfect IT partner to develop custom software solutions tailored to your business needs.
Benefits of custom software development
Nowadays, in times of rushing digital transformation, almost every business requires a dedicated custom software solution.
Not everyone can afford such a large investment, of course. If the application you want to build is not too complex, you might want to look at the low-code/no-code solution. It is much cheaper than custom software development, however it is definitely more limited. Low-code/no code or off-the-shelf software (i.e.: ready-made software) are good options only for applications that are not intended for further personalization or expansion.
Below, we have listed the advantages and benefits of custom software development.
1. High-performance
Time means money. This also applies to the software you use for business processes.
Fast data processing is one of the biggest advantages of custom software. If your application has to, for example, process vast data in a very short period, a custom software solution provides an engine that improves overall performance, thus saving your precious time.
According to IT specialists, the most popular programming language used for modern software applications is Java:
Java is a great support for advanced applications. This programming language enables to build high-performance software that is scalable, efficient, and secure. Such systems developed in Java are capable of processing a million queries per second. For this and many other reasons, Java remains a world-class leader when it comes to building back-end applications.
Says an expert in Java, Arkadiusz Drysch Stratoflow CTO
Using high-performance software, you will always be one second ahead of your competition.
2. Efficiency
Building any type of software solutions requires a lot of resources. One of the key benefits of customized software development is that you can choose the most efficient way to build and maintain software. On the other hand, when selecting off-the-shelf solutions, you have no control over how efficient the software will be.
In terms of software development, “efficiency” is defined as the ratio of the quantity of software generated or required to the total number of resources consumed, such as time, effort, and energy.
It is worth knowing that the use of energy and time in the custom software development process depends on the technology used. The fastest and most environment friendly programming languages that will make your custom software efficient are C++, Java or Go.
3. Scalability and flexibility
As your company is growing, your goals, needs, and environment are changing too. This is the natural course of any business. As a result, the software your business uses must always be adapted to meet these new specific requirements. Simply put – it must be flexible and scalable.
For this reason, building custom applications with a dedicated team accompanying you in the whole process gives you full control over the software development life cycle. Whatever happens, your software will always be in good hands and will be quickly adapted to your emerging business needs.
4. Security
Off-the-shelf software is easier to hack, since the system behind it is shared by multiple users. Because of the open-source model, there might appear some security concerns.
In turn, any custom solution offer much higher level of security. Each company has its own security best practices, which will vary depending on the size or industry. For this reason, it is reasonable to collaborate with a custom software development specialists that have a high-level of expertise in cybersecurity. They will be not only good security advisors, but also they will build custom software solutions that are fully protected, and tailored to the security demands of your business.
5. Personalization and exclusiveness
Collaboration with a custom software development company always equals an opportunity to introduce unique and personalized software solutions that no one else has. With a bespoke software solution created specifically for your company, you will be assured that the software contains all the features and functions your company requires to simplify business operations and gain a competitive advantage.
Off-the-shelf software, on the other hand, offers a specific set of features that might be not compatible with your existing systems and business processes.
Targeted solutions built by a custom software development company provide you with a unique solution and exclusive ownership that give you a full control over the final product.
7. Seamless integration
Companies use many systems for different tasks. When a company grows, the demand for new solutions grows as well. To increase productivity and efficiency, it is very important that any new system can be integrated with existing software.
One of the key benefits of custom software development is that it lets businesses integrate with any programs.
8. Support and maintenance
Any custom application has to be monitored constantly. The more complex your software is, the more maintenance it needs. For this reason, it is essential to choose a custom software development company that will maintain and support your existing systems.
The initial investment is relatively high, but it is worth remembering that once you create a good collaboration with your IT partner, you can count on continuous support. In the long run, it will quickly pay you back.
Benefits of custom software development – final thoughts
Custom software development offers many benefits to companies in many sectors. We've listed the most significant ones and compared them to off-the-shelf software solutions. Selecting a dedicated development team allows you to create custom software that solves your company's specific challenges, automates workflows and streamlines processes, among other things.
