People interested in IT have heard phrases like “software services and technology consulting” and “custom software development”. But what does it mean exactly, and how to choose the best for your company and projects? Let’s break it down and help you determine the factors that will make this decision easier.
What are software development services?
The simplest definition of software development services would inv designing, developing, maintaining, supporting, testing, implementing and documenting software created on demand for own purposes or the client’s request. Depending on the agreement, it may include further services that expert software developers and engineers may need to provide, like enhancements, improvements, upgrades, and post-development process maintenance.
What is software as a service (SaaS)?
Another branch of software services is software as a service, also known as SaaS. It’s a used software product development services distribution model that makes the cloud service provider responsible for hosting applications and making them available to the end users over the Internet. Software development vendors can either employ a third-party cloud space provider or have their cloud services, as is usually the case with larger companies.
How does SaaS work?
As briefly explained, SaaS software services are based on the cloud delivery model. The software development services company hosts its services, databases, computing and other resources or employs a third-party cloud service provider. Once in the cloud, mobile app development (or web development) can be accessed by its end users as long as they are connected to the network.
SaaS eliminates the need for software developers to set up and maintain the software. Software becomes a complete solution that can be accessed via subscription, depending on the end-user agreement.
What are the advantages of using SaaS in custom software development
By eliminating the need to operate and run the application on the organisation’s computers and data centres, it helps to save money and other resources on hardware acquisition, maintenance, provisioning, maintenance and support. Some of the other advantages of using software as a service include the following:
Flexible payments
SaaS services are often subscription-based; instead of installing or using extra hardware to support them. Recurring operating expenses in place of costs can help with more effective budgeting. It also allows the users to terminate and renew the payments at any time to reduce the price they can’t afford at a given moment.
Scalability
Cloud services allow for vertical scalability. Also known as scale-up, it allows adding additional resources to the servers to increase capacity. It will enable the implementation of new features as required and allow the users and customers to control their access to specific components.
Automatic updates for the customers
The software development lifecycle process in SaaS makes it easier for the in-house software developers by relying on the provider to implement automatic updates and patch management. It helps reduce the strain on the software engineers and puts some responsibility on the SaaS provider.
Accessibility
Since SaaS software services are cloud-based, users can access the application from any Internet-enabled device. This vast accessibility allows the service or application to thrive, making it easier and more pleasant.
Easy customisation and integration
Software development services built in the SaaS model can be easily customised and integrated with and across other software development services firm components and business applications.
What is custom software development?
Custom software development solutions and services aim at designing, building, deploying and maintaining software for a specific set of users, functions or organisations. They are centred around a narrowly and precisely defined set of requirements.
Its purpose is to cover the unique needs and requirements of the client. This software development outsourcing service usually focuses on designing features and other components from scratch. The software development company needs to establish specific requirements with the clients.
It means these components are made specifically for this one business and won’t apply to others. The application will be adjusted to accommodate the business processes and software solutions, including specific branding and other elements to adapt to the required business challenges.
Depending on the business objectives established during the strategy consulting, the software company can then plan out the software project, management and how the broad range of solutions best fits the business requirements.
Custom software development vs commercial off-the-shelf software
Custom software development is often compared with the software development process of commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS). Although these software development services may seem similar, there are several crucial differences.
Multiple businesses can use packaged application software
COTS software development services produce packaged applications that different businesses can distribute on a large scale. They can accommodate large audiences that share fundamental business needs.
An example of such an application can be Microsoft Office which caters to the audience needing specific products that tend to their needs, like Microsoft Word for writing. Similarly, the Google Cloud platform offers individual and enterprise clients the same services.
Easy access to purchase and download
Another asset of off-the-shelf software services is that they are highly accessible. They can be purchased from the store as physical or online copies, and often they also offer cloud subscription services, so they can still be adjusted to an extent.
Wide availability
Many of the COTS solutions are available across different platforms and programming languages. As initially mentioned, anyone can purchase Microsoft Office for computers and mobile devices with varying operating systems.
Customisability
To appeal to wider audiences and address different needs and core business processes, even large-scale off-the-shelf solutions offer a degree of customizability to cater to various clients and business operations.
What are the types of custom software development services?
As DAC.digital, we pride ourselves on being a reliable custom software development company. And therefore, we would like to focus on different types of custom software development methodologies and processes. Let’s go through the most notable types of custom software development services.
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Ideal for blogging platforms, marketing and sales department, news portals, and websites. These systems aim to make content management more effortless. They usually feature colourful and responsive interfaces, fitted SEO tools, content organisation tools and multiple language support.
Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRMS)
This custom software solution helps with customer management, retention and needs. It will also aid in organising the customer base and good service. When used well, they can pinpoint the issues and contribute to maintaining customer satisfaction. They can be instrumental in retail, banking and consulting services.
Enterprise Resource Planning Software (ERPS)
These agile software development process applications are designed for enterprises and industrial settings. They contribute to enterprise system integration, automation data analysis and inventory management. Due to their nature, they are instrumental in manufacturing, distribution and healthcare. Good examples of companies using enterprise software development services are Amazon and Starbucks.
E-Commerce Software
E-commerce software makes a unique mix of the previous examples. CMS helps with the management of the website and shop or marketplace. CRMS help manage the customer base, retention, and customer service. ERPS, used on a smaller scale, can aid in data analysis and keeping the systems together. Parts of e-commerce software development involve marketing, management, and analytics tools.
Operation Management Systems (OMS)
These complex systems help a company support maintenance, planning, resourcing, quality management, and logistics. The primary objective of OMS is to improve performance while maintaining business operations for the best possible productivity. OMS can help reduce costs while improving productivity and maintaining efficiency.
Enterprise Software Solutions
Designed for achieving strategic and tactical goals, good enterprise and software development projects must offer a reasonable degree of flexibility and analytics tools to aid in maintaining large-scale operations running smoothly and with a sound quality management system. Top companies like Zendesk and Microsoft use Enterprise custom software development services in everyday operations.
What are the benefits of custom software development?
The most important benefits of custom software development include:
- Unique solutions tailored exclusively for your business needs
- Personalised solutions made from scratch
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Seamless integration of new features without interrupting any arbitrary APis
- More reliable security
- Flexibility and scalability
- Reliability
How can software development companies best utilise custom software development services?
Whether it’s mobile app development or other software components, a software company that provides development services must consider different factors when working on a perfect solution. Software engineers not only have to display industry expertise and capabilities in the required technology stack. Custom software developers must also deeply understand the business needs.
Start with a good discovery phase
The discovery phase allows for initial business analysis and shows the technical expertise of the development team. They can then understand the client’s needs when developing software applications they need. It also helps establish the scope if it would only involve a part of the project or developing whole software systems with quality assurance, maintenance, testing and software support.
That knowledge will help the software engineering team deliver high-quality software that will accommodate the requirements. It will also help to determine the best tech stack and pick the most beneficial programming languages.
Outline the cost of the provided services and the software development life cycle
The cost is one of the crucial things for the client when choosing a custom services company. That’s why it’s essential to transparently outline the custom software development cost for the process and potential post-development software maintenance and lifecycle management.
It’s also essential to establish the life cycle of the process, as it may impact the company’s workflow, which may be necessary to the client, as it may impact productivity and the cash flow.
Provide a dedicated team for better efficiency
Deploying a dedicated team to facilitate the services will help them focus on this specific project, allowing for better efficiency, thorough planning and meticulous software testing. It will help enhance the quality of the product and focus on the details that will help make it more secure and reliable.
Build your next tailored solution with our team
If you need a reliable company to help you put your next project into life and will understand your needs and goals, don’t hesitate to reach out. We will be happy to discuss your expectations and draft a plan and a roadmap to its execution.
Katarzyna Świątek
Junior Content Marketing Specialist at DAC.digital
