Choosing between a boxed solution and custom software development is an important step for any business looking to automate processes and optimize its operations. Boxed solutions offer ready-made programs with limited customization options, while custom software development allows you to create a unique product that perfectly suits the company’s needs. One of the popular options for businesses looking for a balance between quality and cost is cooperation with an offshore or nearshore software development center, which combines the advantages of local and offshore solutions.
What is Boxed Software?
A boxed IT product is software with a basic set of functions created for a wide range of clients. Most often, such a solution implies installation on your own. However, if this cannot be done independently, it is enough to contact an IT integrator (he will help you quickly set everything up).
Adding new or removing unnecessary functions, in this case, is possible only through customization.
Why Are Such Solutions Popular?
Automation is a determining factor in the success of growing companies. When moving to a digital environment, any interaction with clients or employees is typified and adjusted to a template. Processes become streamlined, which means that the business scales and develops faster and easier. In this context, boxed IT products are very useful, since they contain the most popular functions that help solve typical problems.
Another reason why boxed solutions are popular is resource saving. Analyzing the situation and generating your own solution options requires a lot of energy. It is much easier to turn to external experts who have a ready-made tool that has been repeatedly tested in practice. The most important selection criterion in this case is the appropriate set of functions in the IT product.
Advantages And Disadvantages of Boxed Software
Boxed software is easy to integrate, and also has other advantages:
- Start-up cost.
Boxed systems are focused on mass sales and implementation. Therefore, their cost is significantly lower than that of custom products.
- Quick start-up.
A boxed solution saves a lot of time (the difference is several months or even years), which is spent on creation and testing in a local environment. Such solutions have already been debugged and tested in real-life conditions.
- Training.
After implementing a boxed solution, the company receives all the necessary documentation and standard instructions for users.
- A lot of reviews.
Boxed IT products have a large customer base. Users often leave feedback, write reviews on forums and social networks about using the system, and talk about problems in working with it.
- Guaranteed technical support.
As a rule, vendors of boxed IT products provide technical support to their clients. They explain technical details and answer general questions.
- Ease of implementation.
No programming skills are required to implement a boxed solution (it is enough to use the included documentation).
Among the disadvantages of a boxed solution:
- Excessive or insufficient functionality.
A boxed solution includes a set of standard functions. It includes both useful features that fully correspond to your processes and unnecessary ones that are not needed. Excessive functionality can affect the speed of the system as a whole.
- Difficulties with scaling.
The databases of boxed solutions are not optimized for the needs of a specific customer. Therefore, when scaling, the efficiency of the entire software decreases.
What is Custom Software?
Custom software development is the process of designing, building, deploying, and maintaining systems that meet the unique needs of a specific company.
The following questions will help you determine whether you need custom software and whether it is right for your business:
- Are you planning to make any changes to your processes?
- Do you need multiple programs to perform different steps of the same process?
- Are there any business processes that require unique functionality?
- Do you expect the software to provide qualitative benefits to your business?
- Does your current software cause problems for employees, customers, or suppliers?
If most of the answers are “yes,” then you most likely need custom software.
Custom development is right for you if:
- Your internal processes are different and need to be digitized;
- You want to expand your business areas;
- Your business plan is unique and should be supported by the IT tools being developed;
- You continue to spend time on manual methods of work instead of automating them;
- Your existing software is not enough, and the IT infrastructure requires updating.
Exceptional processes of large companies require a customized tool. At the same time, boxed solutions are used to solve standard problems.
Advantages And Disadvantages of Custom Software Development
It would seem that a customized product can satisfy all needs, and this is true. Here are the main advantages of custom software development services that you can get using the nearshoring or offshoring model:
- Individuality and efficiency.
Special software developed from scratch for the needs of a specific business is unique and has nothing superfluous. It is adapted to existing business processes and allows you to quickly connect new ones. The interface is developed specifically for employees or clients of a specific customer. All this allows you to work in the system as efficiently as possible.
- Product rights.
After completing the implementation and testing of the IT product, the customer receives the source code of the software and exclusive rights to its ownership. This allows you to use the development for your own purposes, such as selling or renting.
- Easy growth.
As a business grows, there is often a need to scale the software. Custom development allows you to do this easily and simply.
- Ease of maintenance and modification.
Support or modification of a boxed solution is entirely up to the developer. In the case of custom software, you will not have to deal with errors, system failures, or outdated tools since there will always be a dedicated team ready to help.
Among the disadvantages of custom software development:
- Cost.
Development from scratch requires a large budget, which varies depending on the specifics of the order and the set of functions.
- Project timing.
Project implementation can take several months. The situation can also be complicated by a long procedure for coordinating the IT architecture and testing, but this guarantees the absence of any risks.
To Conclude!
The choice between a boxed solution and custom development depends on many factors, such as budget, deadlines, and specific business requirements. Boxed solutions can be a good choice for standard tasks, while custom software development is ideal for unique and complex projects. You can implement a customized solution with nearshore or offshore software development services, for example, provided by N-iX with over 20 years of experience.
