Software is something all businesses rely on. Whether it’s for document creation, customer relationship management, or any other operational process, software ensures things get done efficiently and effectively. Many companies face the decision of whether to buy existing software or develop it in-house. Making this decision can be tricky, so let’s look at when it might be better to buy software vs build software.
Buying Software:
The biggest advantage of buying existing software is that the development process is significantly streamlined. Companies can purchase pre-developed solutions that have likely gone through the extensive development and testing processes utilized by proven developers in the industry. Companies can also choose from a variety of different features and tools when they buy existing solutions. Additionally, they will typically receive after-sale support from the provider if any technical difficulties arise in its application.
Building Software:
Building focuses on creating custom solutions tailored to a company’s needs that are often not available off-the-shelf. This gives businesses 100% control over their applications with full access to quality source codes and an infrastructure that facilitates their operations in unique ways no other solution can provide. Also, building software offers more flexibility as they grow new features or change existing ones as projects require changes down the road. It also allows businesses to ensure data security since no one has access to the code except for those developing it internally which reduces exposure of sensitive information or proprietary components being exposed publicly.
The Bottom Line:
Ultimately for budget conscious companies just starting out or facing tight timelines, buying existing solutions might be the most cost effective choice due to generally lower initial costs vs building there own custom applications with extended development timescales which inevitably increase cost of product ownership overtime. However larger organizations especially if faced with unique challenges not solved by existing solutions might find more value in pursuing their own custom solution (building) before committing to purchasing off-the-shelf products long term depending upon variability of need & use cases over time between individual services / applications acquired through both routes (buy/build).