When Off-The-Shelf Won’t Do: The Pros Of Bespoke Cloud Software

For many people, off-the-shelf software can, for the most part, solve a particular need. For instance, Microsoft Word is useful for writing letters and memos to customers. But, there will be times where existing software solutions just don’t cut the mustard.

In other words, some companies may need to have software that fulfills a set of unique objectives. Those businesses often turn to software developers. The end result is that they receive bespoke solutions to better meet their needs.

These days, more businesses with particular needs get bespoke cloud software built for them. What are the pros of doing so, and is it something you might find useful for your business? Let’s explore the benefits of bespoke cloud software:

Existing Software Titles Are Expensive To Adapt

Some people make the assumption that bespoke cloud software can cost an absolute fortune. They might also believe that it makes more sense to adapt existing solutions. That way, they can better meet their specific needs.

The trouble is; those people don’t realize that adapting existing software will cost more! Many software packages only get designed to work under specific environments and conditions. Making them work in unsupported environments is costly. Why? Because you have to hire a team of experts that will spend most of their time developing workarounds.

Quite often, a software solution may involve the need for running on complex hardware. And you know what complex means: expensive!

Bespoke cloud software is less of a technical nightmare. That’s because solutions can get curated from the beginning. There is no need to spend time or money working around problems. A simple solution can get built that runs on the cloud.

What’s more, the development costs are cheaper because one can use PaasProvider.com. There’s now no need to invest in expensive computing power!

It’s Easier To Make Changes As Your Business Evolves

What happens when you’ve got a setup that revolves around various software titles? Something will break over time! You might not think it, but many companies use all kinds of proprietary software titles. The trouble is; many of those packages aren’t designed to complement each other.

When an update to one of those titles gets made, the likelihood is high that something break. That means your business will have to spend lots of time and money trying to come up with a fix. And if the component that breaks is critical, it could spell disaster for your firm!

So, what happens if you end up using a bespoke cloud software package? Well, you have complete control over its future updates and changes. That means you can test things out before you roll out any changes. The result? You’ll end up with a system that never goes down.

Another advantage of bespoke cloud software is you can make changes as you evolve. Let’s say that your company wants to sell products in a different way. You have bespoke software that manages the order process system.

Your developers can write code that “plugs” into the new sales platform that you wish to use. Now you don’t have to worry about incompatibilities or workarounds. Everything will just work!

Your Software Can Connect With Open-Source Products

You may wish to use bespoke solutions that meet needs specific to your business. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t also use open-source products!

For instance, let’s assume that you manage an e-commerce store. The website runs on OpenCart, an open-source platform. Your software comprises a CRM and order processing portal. Because your cloud software is bespoke, you can tailor it to future needs.

In the example above, you can create an “extension” that connects your site to your software. The extension can retrieve order details and update customer orders once items get shipped. That’s just one of many ways bespoke cloud software can work with open-source titles.

You Own The Intellectual Property Rights

When you use someone else’s software, you are at their mercy to an extent. What happens if the company that produced the software you use goes bust? You’ve got few people to turn to for help and support. Future updates will not happen, and that can mean incompatibility issues.

The good thing about using bespoke cloud software is you own the rights to it. That means you are free to update or change it any way you see fit. And, if other firms could use your software, you could license it to them too.