Whether it’s mobile app stores, social media or the web, today’s various digital channels are saturated with brand names and customers alike – with more demand pouring into these spaces as time goes by. Companies know that in order to reach their customers, they need to be where they are. This is made possible with the right branding, positioning and mobile/web/software applications, of course. But how do you get started, and are turnkey solutions going to suffice?
With businesses having to compete in a marketplace that is as cluttered as it is fiercely competitive, it’s important to cut through the noise and reach customers who are actively seeking the products and services a business specialises in. While mobile apps are a prime way to enable customer purchases with convenience and speed, today’s highly demanding digital landscape needs much more than an isolated mobile app, in order to meet customers’ expectations, and retain their business.
Interconnectivity is a must; having a robust enterprise network of systems whereupon various departments can internally communicate and share relevant data automatically can enable organisations to proactively meet customer expectations. Off-the-shelf solutions may not cut it for this purpose, as businesses realise they need a system (or a collection of systems) that is custom-built in accordance to their individual requirements.
Software companies in Sri Lanka therefore help meet such demands, for local and international clientele alike. Long-term partnerships further ensure that software maintenance, DevOps and even cybersecurity requirements are taken good care of, so companies know who to consult to meet any kind of business objective via quality custom software development.
In this article, we shed light on how custom software can benefit any business. We also take a look at the basics i.e. the stages that comprise software development.
Interested in building custom software for your brand or business? At EFutures, our long-standing expertise in building bespoke software can enable your organisation to reach new markets, elevate CX, and maintain functional applications with near-perfect uptime.
Talk to us today to know how we can help. Whether it’s reviving an existing project or starting completely from scratch, our team of experts can assist you to find a solution that meets your business needs, no matter how unique they may be.
Software that is precisely built for your business is hands-down the biggest benefit of tailor-made software. Every element and item of infrastructure has been sourced to only serve your business needs, thereby making custom software an asset that can exactly cater to unique requirements. SaaS, although more convenient, affordable and easier to implement, may still fall short in terms of customisation. Certain features may still end up being unavailable, or inversely, you may have access to features you don’t need, only because they are part of the package.
Custom software development may be a longer process that requires more investment in terms of time, money and expertise, but the end result of true and unique customisation is what sets it apart from otherwise turnkey solutions. What’s more, software that needs to be built from scratch will consume the bulk of time, money and effort. However, once it is launched and in use, software maintenance and upgrades may require comparatively less effort, since the DevOps lifecycle may be well established by then.
With custom software, business leaders and product owners have authority to make decisions surrounding the functionalities of said software, and determine where money can best be invested. Further convenience is facilitated during times when budgets are tight, as businesses can place further development on hold if ever the situation demands it.
This ensures that enterprise software and application development is best aligned with the condition and objectives of the business at any given point of time. SaaS solutions, on the other hand, can be momentarily paused or downgraded if required – but this will also mean that the service will end up being unavailable (in the case of a subscription cancellation).
With offshore software development a popular option for building custom software, this provides businesses the leverage to incorporate some of the best talent the industry can offer, and from across the world, that too. Many leading software outsourcing companies have access to some of the world’s best talent, thereby offering businesses that obtain their services access to the very same as well.
Additionally, businesses that partner with software outsourcing companies on a dedicated team model can get access to talent of the same high calibre too; their software outsourcing partner will do the hard work of sourcing and hiring the right candidate. Such an arrangement is a boon for businesses that outsource their software development, as they can now work with some of the best talents in the industry, without having to worry about geographical constraints, including cross-border formalities.
While these are the fundamental stages of software development, today’s fast-paced rates of digitisation, economic fluctuations and customer demands may render some of these stages to:
Nonetheless, these stages still provide businesses clarity on how ideas can be manifested into working software – and what to also expect from a software outsourcing company, if collaborating for the very first time.
Assessing the software needs of your business starts with identifying what your business aims to achieve with a relevant piece of software, or mobile app. Discussing existing problems, gaps and bottlenecks is usually a great place to start, so your teams can provide insight on what needs to be fixed. Conversely, if you are looking to venture into a new market, it is advisable to have a comprehensive market analysis done before taking any big steps.
All these insights shall then pave the way for your software development team to understand how key concerns and objectives can be addressed through the right software functionalities and infrastructure. Once a plan is made, both parties need to ensure everyone is aligned with what will be executed, in order to bring your software or application to life.
Following the planning stage, UI/UX designers can now get to work to build wireframes for your software. Upon receiving feedback, making necessary iterations and ensuring all team members are aligned in terms of overall look and feel, UI/UX designers can then transfer the design over to a UI/UX design tool for a more high-fidelity mock-up. Such tools can enable individual team members to interact with certain elements, in order to emulate how the application would feel once developed and deployed.
Once designs are complete and finalised, developers can start the coding process, to bring the application to life. In the interest of building software that is free from bugs and loopholes which could be vulnerable to cyber breaches, Static Application Security Testing or SAST (also known as white box testing) can be implemented to find any errors within the code, as it is being developed. This can help software outsourcing teams as well as businesses save time and money, since it is less costly to fix bugs early on during the software development lifecycle.
Upon having a working version of the software, testing teams can run a variety of tests to ensure smooth operation. From fundamental unit tests to security assessments such as penetration tests, the software testing team can help teams build applications that are robust, reliable and free from any gaps that could leave entry points for cybercriminals.
The importance of software testing goes beyond simply conducting testing operations prior to a new application being released; it is an ongoing effort on the part of your testers to ensure all working parts are running smoothly once an update or patch is done, well after implementation. Additionally, software testing teams can actively get involved as early as the design stage, since potential problem areas within designs can be identified by experienced testers from the get-go.
Once a working version of your software has been tested and assured for proper functionality, it is time to implement it. This may be on the public domain for websites, web applications and mobile apps, and on company intranet networks for enterprise-level applications. Training may be required for enterprise-level applications if a learning curve has been identified by testing and development teams, so relevant processes need to be in place to educate users before the software is put to optimum use.
Post-implementation, your software or application needs to be constantly monitored for bugs and network vulnerabilities, so these can be patched without delay. Maintaining a DevOps cycle to iterate, test and release relevant parts of the software to ensure smooth workability is essential to sustain acceptable uptime rates. User feedback is also another valuable source for fixing errors and improving your offerings; incorporating the same into your DevOps workflows can ensure not only enhanced software, but also let customers know that their complaints and suggestions are being taken seriously from a service perspective.
Building bespoke software is an endeavour that businesses of all sizes are now striving towards, owing to high competition across the marketplace, as well as demands from customers to deliver better. As a result, software outsourcing companies have evolved to be increasingly flexible; whether it’s to build brand new software or pick up midway across an existing software development lifecycle, a reliable software outsourcing company can always meet your business wherever it is on its unique journey, as budgets, talent and hosted resources can all be facilitated on an as-needed basis.
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