What is Custom Software?

What is Software?

The software can be defined as a set of programs and procedures used to add functionality to the user's system. It instructs the system about what functions should be performed and how to perform them. The primary function of any software is to take input from the user and convert the information into a product or output. The software is designed to produce the desired outcome from the system in the simplest form. A typical example of the software can be the calculator available on desktop or mobile devices that can be used to perform mathematical operations on the devices. Other software used regularly includes google chrome, youtube, and other search engines. In this tutorial, we will focus more on the types of software than the development cycle for software development.

The two types of application software that the organization can implement are

• Generic software
• Custom software

What is Custom Software?

Custom software is the application software developed especially to meet the needs and requirements of specific organizations. It is designed to fit best the needs of the user of that particular organization, and only they can make the best use of the software functionalities.

The organization can hire a developing organization to build a custom application that offers specific results and functions to the users of the organization. Generic software can only accommodate some of the needs of the organizations.

It may have to deploy several generic applications to perform all the necessary functions. These may increase the complexity of the operation. Therefore, it is better to have custom software in such scenarios. Everything that is taken as input, the functional requirement, and its various parameters, including the expenditure on software development, are covered by the client.

The custom application usually takes several days or months to develop, depending upon the complexity of the application. In contrast, generic applications are readily available and can be downloaded simply from the internet. It requires quite some time to build this application, while generic applications are readily available as they are needed to be used by the masses.

An example of custom software is automated invoicing software since every organization has different needs when generating invoices. More common custom applications include bug-tracking software and customer management application.

In order to decide between custom application software and generic application software, the user must have the deciding data. The user should have a clear understanding of both types of applications and the advantages and disadvantages of each type of application. If the application has more advantages than disadvantages, then the user can choose the particular type of software.

Features of Custom Software

1. Time Management: All custom software includes functionality that allows them to schedule tasks and set reminders. Custom software is used for various businesses, such as accounting and CRM, where time is an essential parameter. The time management feature increases the productivity of the software.
2. Ease of Use: Anyone that has used off-the-shelf applications knows that these software are rarely intuitive from the beginning. The user has to learn the functionality of the application. It has a steep learning curve. Only after the user becomes accustomed to the working of the software, the user can use it efficiently. Suppose training your entire staff and investing hundreds of person-hours just to be adjusted to the software's working, which can be changed anytime. Good custom software are well adapted to the requirements of the users. It is more intuitive, and a minimum training requirement is required to get familiar with the software. It saves time and increases efficiency.
3. Security: The user can also determine the application's security level. A well-developed software application provides greater levels of security than any generic software available. Protection can be provided in numerous ways; users can add control and validations. The client has complete control over the application management controls. Generic software lacks excessive features that may open opportunities for vulnerabilities in the software. Moreover, attacking custom software is far less lucrative for cybercriminals as they are difficult to attack and reap fewer benefits. Therefore, most cybercriminals focus their attacks on generic applications as they allow them to attack multiple users simultaneously.
4. Ease of Integration with the Present System:The client can specify the software requirement during the requirement analysis. They can mention the specific details of the system, and the developers build the software accordingly. They should be used to tie in as much of the business into an interconnected platform that can store and leverage data.
5. Migration: The user may be already using off-the-shelf software before switching to custom software. The user may have to migrate the data from the generic application to the new custom software. Thus, custom software must be able to accommodate all the data from the previous software. It is best if the metadata is intact during the transmission.
6. Automation: It is an essential feature provided by custom software that eases the operations performed by the user. This prevents users from manually performing repetitive tasks. This saves the need for continuous attention of the user by completing specific tasks, such as maintaining the supply chain or generating the invoice. The staff can better focus on other tasks.
7. Scalability: Another benefit of using custom software instead of generic software is the application is highly scalable. It provides flexibility to organizations as they can be implemented with new technologies introduced, such as IoT and machine learning. - Custom software is a significant advantage regarding flexibility and scalability. With the current trends of the Internet of Things and ever-increasing context awareness of machines, software should aim to accommodate all such expansion in capability.
8. Branding: Custom software is unique to the organization. This also differentiates the organization from its competitors. Thus, the software can be used to brand the organization as well. It becomes an indispensable part of the business as the organization may attract new customers by developing an interactive, user-friendly application.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Custom Application Software

Advantages of Custom Software

• Since the custom software is developed explicitly for the user, the software is built across the user's requirements. The user can also specify the exact specifications of the software. It is especially advantageous for businesses with unique requirements that need specific functionality.
• The customer decides the functioning and the various elements of the software. It enables the user to build personalized applications that meet clients' needs better. The client also determines what new updates will be performed on the application and when these updates will be performed.
• If the client wants any modification to be performed on the custom software, then the client is only required to pay for the updates needed by the client. The software developing organization is bound to fulfill the user's request, they may provide their suggestions, but the ultimate decision rests with the client about the modifications to be performed on the application.

Disadvantages of Custom Software

• Custom Software is challenging to build as it requires the expertise and time of a skilled team of developers. It is essential to determine all the needs of the client. The process is known as requirement analysis; selecting the customer's requirements may take a while. The user must wait for the software before the client can use it for business.
• The primary reason why most clients don't use custom software despite its advantages is their cost. Most small and medium-sized business needs more money to invest in the software alone. Only some organizations can afford custom software. Custom software is much more efficient than generic software that makes up for the cost invested in building the application.
• Another issue with custom software is associated with its management, while the generic applications are maintained by the organization that developed the software. In the case of custom software, the client is responsible for funding the maintenance of the application. The client may also have to outsource the application management.