Why Custom Software?

  • tyler
  • April 2, 2014

Comparing custom software to off the shelf, and why WDD Software does custom solutions right.

In today’s technology rich world, you might imagine that everything worth doing may have already been done.  Why pay to re-invent the wheel?  Surely there is a company out there that has already done what you’re wanting to do, right?

Well, maybe.  There are some things that software already does very well.  I would not advise you to write your own version of Quickbooks, for instance.   If you really are doing the exact same process as hundreds of other companies, then most likely you do not need custom software.  And, in fact, we strongly encourage our clients, and help them in some cases, to find an off the shelf solution that they may prefer.  It’s not going to make a client very happy if we spend lots of money and end up with something they could have gotten off-the-shelf for much cheaper.

Many companies, however, not only have their own unique differences, but in fact strive to be different than other companies – it’s part of what sets them apart.  And this is where one starts to see the benefit of having a custom software solution tailored just for you or your company.

The Benefits of Custom Software Development

Custom software is much more flexible, and is designed to meet your needs exactly.  It’s branded how you want, looks how you want it, and lets you customize not only its appearance but its exact features and exactly how they work.  If you already have your own data as a company (see: Data is the new Oil), why not use it?  An off the shelf solution likely isn’t going to just read your data easily (or at all), but a custom piece of software can know exactly how to read and interpret your data.  If you want, the software can simply be built to read your existing data and work with other systems you may already have using or creating your data.

Our Case for Agile Software Development

With our agile process, you are able to see what you will get ahead of time, and only pay for exactly what you need.  Many off-the-shelf solutions need to have so many included features built in to try to work for the largest possible audience.  If they allow customization, it’s often very difficult and requires a technical person to customize it – maybe even a software developer!  Why pay for what you don’t need, for features that over-complicate things or get in the way.  You don’t want to have to go through 6 screens and click the right buttons to do a process you need to do all the time.  It should be easy, and with custom software, we can make sure your everyday tasks are as simple to use as possible.

Time is money.  Software that is customized to do exactly what you need it to can save time, reduce errors, lower frustration, and increase the morale of those using it.  And all of these can save your company money.

With Custom Software, You’re in Complete Control

Our custom software also ends up in your hands – completely.  You are not licensing the software from us, you own it.  If your company grows from 20 people to 200, there are no concerns over licensing seats or per-user-limits, letting the software grow with you.  You are even free to re-sell it!  Customize the software to work for you, and it can do exactly what you want it to.  With the professionals at WDD Software, the technology is the “easy” part.  Knowing exactly what you want and how you want it to work is the hard part.