Unless you have been living under a rock, you will be aware of the choices of software options available to an organisation in its bid to achieve a digital transformation.
The three schools of thought are bespoke software development, off-the-shelf software and the newest addition, no-code software. I say newest addition as many still consider no-code a new technology. No-code has been gaining popularity over the last ten years and has its inception back in the 1980s.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of the different software options available.
Bespoke Development
Have you ever had a tailored suit? Bespoke software is like purchasing a tailored suit to your exact requirements. It is a software solution tailored to fit a business and its specific needs and requirements.
Some of the pros are:
- Like a tailored suit, it is a perfect fit. The development team develop it to suit the exact needs of your organisation.
- Bespoke software can link with existing processes easily.
- You “should” have complete ownership of the solution deployed.
- As you develop to suit your needs, you create a competitive advantage.
- In some cases, it may be your only option
Some of the cons are:
- The initial and ongoing costs are considerable.
- It will take a long time to build with lengthy development timeframes.
- Future scalability is expensive. Just like the initial project, it will take time.
- Effectively, you are developing a prototype. There isn’t a product to try before you buy.
- You risk your software becoming unsupported as new technologies emerge, leaving you with technical debt.
- There will be no online community support for users as the solution will be unique to your organisation.
- It is a high-risk option due to cost, timeframe, and difficulty pivoting the build as your organisational challenges change.
Off-the-shelf Software
Unlike bespoke software, off-the-shelf packages are like buying a suit off the hanger and will not be a 100% perfect fit. Off-the-shelf software packages provide a range of general features that are useful to a broad range of customers.
Some of the pros are:
- The initial costs to adopt the software are cheaper.
- You can test-drive the solution before you buy.
- You will have a choice of pre-existing solutions.
- They are quick to implement as the software packages already exist.
- The vendor owns the software.
- You can research the software, read reviews, and access advice from existing users.
- Regular upgrades are available, ensuring you take advantage of future technology waves, although these are often chargeable.
Some of the cons are:
- It is inflexible, and without bespoke development that can be costly or refused can be impossible to change and adapt.
- Upgrades can very often cost extra.
- You have no control over the future development of the software.
- There will be features and functions or clutter you will not require or ever use.
- In comparison, there may be a lack of features to meet your requirements across an area of your business.
- It will not be a perfect fit.
- You may experience issues integrating into your existing IT infrastructure.
- Your business processes and workflows will need to adapt to suit the software.
- It will limit your control over how your organisation operates.
- You will create “silos” of information in other off-the-shelf products that are often difficult to integrate.
- Integration or providing a “wrapper” around a range of off-the-shelf products requires bespoke work – see above.
No-code Software
A no-code platform uses a visual development interface to enable non-technical users to build applications using a point-and-click method, keeping code in the background and away from the end-user. There is no code at the point of use.
No-code solutions retain the strengths of both bespoke and off-the-shelf solutions while addressing many of the drawbacks.
Some of the pros are:
- No-code configures solutions to meet your exact requirements and specific business challenges.
- Solutions are configured and deployed without writing a single line of code.
- The development cycle or final solution can pivot as your organisation grows or addresses new challenges.
- It is faster than bespoke development projects from proof of concept to implementation, enabling a rapid time to value and return on investment.
- There is support and access to new releases and innovations to take advantage of new technologies.
- It can eradicate technical debt.
- Integrations are seamless to IT infrastructures enabling you to connect your data and processes across your organisation.
- As IT departments become resource stretched, employees with no programming skills can use no-code rapidly to deliver business applications.
- You have total flexibility as you can design your solution to match your business processes and workflows.
- The vendor owns the technology behind your solution and is responsible for how it evolves.
- It creates a culture of innovation. Staff can build solutions to meet their challenges.
- Maintenance and change to a deployed solution are quick and easy, and often in-house employees make the necessary changes.
- Mature no-code products can create both simple and complex enterprise-grade applications.
- Gartner predicts that 65% of software development by the year 2024 will include no-code/low-code platforms, and Forrester predicts more than 50% of developers will use a no-code platform in their toolkit for delivering enterprise-grade solutions.5
Some of the cons are:
- There are questions over the Intellectual Property (IP) of the deployed solution. Who owns it should you wish to switch vendors? In practice, the platform IP is retained by the vendor and the configured solution IP is retained by the customer.
- Some less mature no-code platforms offer limited depth and functionality.
- Less mature no-code platforms are limited in their features, restricting the complexity of the application you can build.
- The market is cluttered, causing confusion and selection challenges for prospective buyers.
Conclusion
Technology develops rapidly and in waves. Today, you have the latest phone, but tomorrow, that might not be the case.
When implementing any software solution, it is imperative to consider the pros and cons of the various options, speak to vendors, and draw on your connections for advice and experience.
Before working with a software supplier, remember that you are entering into a long-term relationship. It is not always just about the technology but also the people behind the software platform and the relationship that forms with your team.
If you still feel confused by the options available, we are more than happy to discuss your options in more detail. At Excelpoint, we are open and honest. If we believe no-code is not the ideal solution for you, we will point you in another direction. On the other hand, if we feel no-code can deliver to your needs, we will help you embrace it, working with you to configure and deploy a solution or train your team to be self-sufficient.
Why not visit our customer success stories to learn more about the application of no-code software in automating business-critical processes and workflows. Click here to view our customer success stories.
To learn more about how Excelpoint can empower your organisation to achieve a digital transformation, please contact: hello@excelpoint.co.uk or call 01325 375930.
