Benefits of Customized Software
Whether it’s hiring a new teammate, buying a car or a purchasing a software solution, we have all been guilty of trying to “force a square peg in a round hole.”
Merriam Webster defines this idiom as something that CAN work, but with great difficulty.
When it comes to deciding on upgrading antiquated software to either a fully customized or a COTS (Customized Off The Shelf) solution, there are many elements that must be taken into consideration: up-front development cost, business continuity, implementation risk and long-term ownership risk.
| CONSIDERATION | Fully Customized Solution | COTS |
| Up Front Development Costs | Higher | Lower |
| Business Continuity | Lower Risk | Higher Risk |
| Implementation Risk | Lower Risk | Higher Risk |
| Long-term Ownership Risk | Lower Risk, Lower Cost | Higher Risk, Higher Cost |
When working with the right development team, the higher initial development costs far outweigh the risks to the business in the long-term. These initial costs provide ROI by ensuring that business continuity is maintained (less downtime), the learning curve of a new solution is decreased (less downtime), and you aren’t being regularly charged for upgrades and subscriptions for the lifetime of that COTS solution.
If it makes sense for your company to invest up-front on designing a round peg instead of struggling with adapting to a square one, Theoris can help.
Read about how we helped a large healthcare company migrate their data from an antiquated system to a new fully customized enterprise system to manage both their personnel and client data resulting in a system that gave them EXACTLY what they needed…and wanted.
