Custom software is a cheap way to innovate your business's operations, products, and services. Everyone wants custom software, but custom software can be expensive when compared to existing alternatives. So do you need custom software?

This question is not easy to answer the same for everyone. Whether or not you need custom software is a function of both cost and features. If there isn't any existing software that fulfils your need then your only option is custom software. However, for most people the question is much less black and white. Your needs might be partially fulfilled by existing software, or you might be able to customize the existing software, or even "weave" together a solution using different existing software solutions.

If you're in the grey area, you must consider the costs of each solution before making a decision. Not all costs are upfront or easily determined. For instance, many businesses run into the problem when they first purchase off-the-shelf software just like the rest of their competitors. It roughly does what they want, but it turns out to not offer the flexibility they need to deliver the truly innovative product or service they had envisioned. They may spend more time and money working with support staff and customizing the software, or they may simply start over with custom software. If you're planning to incorporate software in your product or service, research the available options and make sure ahead of time that you know the true costs and that the solution will provide the features you need.

If existing software fulfils nearly all of your needs, and you can accept what it doesn't, then the existing software is probably a good solution. Some times this is easier to see than others. Take your time to think through all of the ways you will want to use the software now, and into the future. You want your software decision to last as long as possible, often referred to as the software's lifespan. How often is the software updated with new, relevant features? If you're going to need features in the future that don't exist now, including those features now through some sort of customization could save money while providing you with those features now.

If there is existing software that is close, but just doesn't cut it, there could be the option of customizing the existing software. Whether or not you have this option depends upon the software owner. If they won't do the customization, or allow someone else to, there's no option. However, most software owner's would be glad to get more customers, and aren't as resistant to customization as you might think. Customizing an existing product is a quick way to provide the solution you need.

Sometimes you can combine different software using custom software to get the solution you need. Usually you won't need permission from any software owners to do this, and it can be a very simple task. Scripts are a perfect example of a simple solution that can combine different pieces of software together to create a new solution. There are many other ways that this can be done as well. In fact, most software today combines many other pieces of software.

All of these options include the cost of the existing software as well as the incorporated custom software. A complete custom solution may be the right solution for simple and complex needs. A good idea is to decide which options completely fulfil your needs, and then determine how much each costs. The solution that requires the least amount of time to implement is probably the cheapest and best option, because it will presumably be less complex. But that is not always the case. A full custom solution may be less complex and much cheaper to maintain, because it was developed from the start to satisfy your needs.

Custom software is software that is created to fill a need left by a gap in the features of existing software, customize existing software, or to combine existing software in order to accomplish a new task. With new devices and technologies coming out every day to take advantage of, there will certainly always be holes in the features of existing software. Custom software is written to fill these holes.

The main motivation for custom software is innovation. Businesses incorporate custom software in their operations, products, and services in order to stay competitive in their industry. Custom software is written to do something that software has not done before. So custom software is inherently a vehicle for innovation. Custom software also happens to be a relatively cheap way to innovate compared to the costs that go into creating or modifying a physical product.

Many businesses write custom software every day. One of the more common forms of custom software are scripts. Scripts are generally short and simple pieces of code that are written to execute a repetitive task. They are used to combine existing software so that manual tasks can be automated. Scripts are used in all aspects of a business, from operations to sales. Scripts are simple to write and have the potential to offer great value. So they are a very cost-effective form of custom software.

Businesses also create more complex custom software for their operations. For instance, most large corporations use custom Oracle, SAP, or other similar software to handle things from ordering and inventory to sales and market tracking. Businesses may have custom software that runs part or all of their production or manages workflows. Custom software is often used to run company intranets which provide an accessible way for you and your employees to share information.

Many products and services incorporate custom software. Nearly every new electronic product incorporates custom software for the simple fact that no software was already written since no such device has existed before. Yet many products are enhanced by incorporating custom software. You wouldn't necessarily think that software runs on firetrucks, at least not beyond the engine. However, custom software controls and enhances many of the tasks a firetruck carries out such as providing more information and control to the firefighter running the pump.

More and more services are incorporating software, and adding custom software to your service gives you an edge over your competitors. Whether you run a restaurant that delivers pizzas or a fitness club, custom software can add value to your service. For example, many restaurants offer online ordering, utilizing custom software to process the orders from the web and send them to the kitchen. This is a great way to provide an accessible and "at your own pace" way for your customers to place orders. They can take the time to browse your menu and decide what they want, then quickly place their order, and you didn't have to provide any staff to take the order. Plus, you can update your menu without the cost of printing.

Custom software is written to do something new or different, but its intent is not necessarily to be sold as packaged software. It's used to enhance a business's operations and create innovative products and services. Custom software doesn't need to be complex or take months to develop, it can be as simple as a script written in less than an hour. So any business can use custom software.

Read more to find out how to determine if your business needs custom software.