Would a fully bespoke software solution suit your organisation?
Custom business software sounds ideal for most organisations, but it’s not quite that simple. Every sector has its own unique challenges, and within those sectors, individual firms can also differ a great deal, so the idea of every business having its own bespoke software seems to make perfect sense. But business isn’t conducted in a vacuum; it’s done with other people and, crucially, other businesses. That makes a degree of standardisation necessary in many cases, so people can share files and collaborate.
But there are also many scenarios in which custom software is favourable or necessary. Businesses in niche markets, for example, may find there are no off-the-shelf programs that do everything they need. And anyone working on cutting-edge science and technology will probably need to create their own software to achieve their aims.
Of course, custom business software doesn’t come cheap. Development companies can obviously make more money from software that will be bought by large numbers of customers, so if you want them to work on something specifically for you, it’s going to cost you. Ultimately, whether it’s a good investment depends on how much you need it and how effective it is.
Partly Custom Business Software
If off-the-shelf software doesn’t meet your business needs but unique custom business software is too expensive or just plain unnecessary, a partly bespoke solution should be on your radar. For example, TMB offers a range of programs from Pegasus Software, including its flagship product, Opera 3. Out of the box, it already provides all the functionality that many businesses need, but Pegasus also makes a range of supplementary modules that greatly expand its abilities, adding features such as document management, payroll and HR, and supply chain management.
Opera 3 is used in a wide variety of sectors, thanks to its versitility.
That, however, is only one way in which Opera 3 can be customised. As well as the official Pegasus modules, Opera 3 is supported by a vast array of third-party plugins that make it suitable for even more business sectors. Examples include EPoS systems and stock management.
This level of customisation may not be sufficient for some highly specialised organisations, but thankfully it’s also possible to create custom plug-ins, which offer a good deal of flexibility without the costs associated with fully custom business software.
The versatility of Opera 3 is evident from the many sectors it’s used in. As well as being ideal for general accounting and business management, it can, with the right add-ons be used for everything from manufacturing and construction to retail and service industries.
Off-the-shelf Software
Whether or not you need or could benefit from a custom business software solution, though, depends on your needs. Many TMB customers use our bespoke solutions, but we also have a lot of customers whose requirements are fully met by off-the-shelf software, such as Office 365. And in some instances, they use a mixture of bespoke and off-the-shelf products.
Of course, if you’ve never used custom software, then you probably won’t be able to judge whether it would be good for your business or not. For that reason, we recommend our customers and anyone else interested in our services get in touch with us to discuss their options, so we can assess their current situation and see whether they would benefit from bespoke software.
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