Bespoke Software Advantages and Disadvantages

Posted on March 31, 2023 by schatzi

Bespoke software development is an approach, in which applications or other solutions are developed specifically for the customer needs. Unlike off-the-shelf products, these applications aren’t for the wide audience. In terms of the outsourcing, the tailor-made production can be developed both by the in-house and third-party team.

Off-the-shelf solutions provide the market with the commonly used range of features. Bespoke program development companies aim for the individual needs of the customer. For example, Skype matches needs of many users, but still, it may not cater to one’s specific requirements.

NECESSITY OF THE BESPOKE SOFTWARE
The first question coming up here – is why’d not use the off-the-shelf solutions? There are many reasons for this. First, custom tools are anxiously developed to meet your requirements and needs. Developed custom, it has no useless features which you can face with, having commonly used applications. In the terms of your business evolution and expanding – the bespoke software is the part that evolves as well. This kind of program is flexible to the product features and details. And that is the reason why companies of different branches, from private to government, are using the tailor-made programs.

Unlike the common tools developed for the masses, the custom development is accompanied by specialized support. This allows to provide stable work of the application and in the case of issues – instant reaction on it. For you to have no more doubts, the bright examples of using bespoke software are given below.

Amazon, eBay etc.
Two world’s largest e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon are great examples of a bespoke software. Instead of just selling a range of items using any of the ready-made e-commerce solutions, these companies have developed their own bespoke e-commerce platform which exists for the sellers and buyers connection. Their beauty is in their simple-use experience.

Banking mobile app and online web applications
Most of us have used the bank apps or at least are familiar with its work in general. This is the bright example of custom developed application on your device. No one bank allows himself to use side programming or share it with its competitors. Instead, they will try to fit their program functionality for the best client experience.

Summing it all up, any application that is designed for one particular customer/business can be viewed as a bespoke software example.

However, every solution has as the advantages, so the pitfalls as well. You should not be afraid of this fact. But being aware – means being ready.

BESPOKE SOFTWARE ADVANTAGES
Wherever you look, any solution will have its good and not so good sides. The same is here: having huge profit as a result, during the development process it will accompany with some issues. However, bespoke software advantages and disadvantages are easily recognizable, and significant ones are given below.

1. Your personal solution
That is a common situation when business is provided with the license from its vendor, but later it is clear, that this solution is not suitable for the business. Every company has different business requirements. The outcome of the cooperation with custom development provider – the product that is matching all your needs. Companies usually try to adapt to the programs they are using. Here you are doing exactly opposite thing: you create the tool that will stand on the rails of your workflow. Custom program development will keep you competitive. Moreover, it has a significant influence on your work rate since its functionality is tailored to your needs. Having solution like this will release you of “sharing” the tools with your opponents. With bespoke business solutions, you will be guaranteed that the software makes a significant adjust for all of your business’ needs.

2. Updates and support
Custom applications are welcomed for their scalability and adaptation to overall business changes. Obtaining custom application does not depend on the provider’s development work plan. You are in charge of all the required updates and improvements upcoming. Working with in-house developers team is efficient in the case of close personalized support, as the team is aware of your individual requirements. As for the adaptation to the existing server environment, the tailor-made program does not need a specific hosting. There is no more need to pay as much as twice to rent it because you will have one created specifically for you. In the case of off-the-shelf solutions, you never know if the company faces bankruptcy. If that happens, all your structure relied on third-party soft is ruined as well. For that not to happen, the bespoke software lives alongside with your business.

3. Security assurance
Using common product is quite risky. If someone tries to hack the program, all of those who use it may be in danger, and their personal data is vulnerable. The bespoke software can be hacked only with the targeted attack. Your application may have extra security measures to ensure its safety. A custom service application development company may also enhance your solution’s integration with other tools. It makes your team’s work much more intuitive and easy. Tailor-made applications are commonly protected from the external threats. The first reason of hacking attempts on commonly – used programs are successful – is that perpetrators are familiar with the code of that program. Custom tools are less affected for the hacking as it will need much more time and efforts to breach it. Bespoke software is made especially for the operating with your business and hardware. It is almost never the case that several common-used programs interact with each other perfectly and without any issues; licensing business programs that are not tailor-made for the software environment your business runs on can lead to your employees’ productivity dropping as they experience continual errors and cannot effectively complete their work.

4. Gradual production
Custom production can be produced step by step. This also will let you gradually advance in the production and adjust your custom software during the development process according to the experience and user feedback received from the previous development stages.

You should remember that in bespoke development 80/20 rule might also be applied. This rule states that 80% of users use 20% of the functionality. You aim is to define this 20%, even if you create the program for internal needs and are short on time. Custom applications are more scalable and have the ability to grow alongside with your business. With an off-the-shelf product, you typically run into the issue of the software either being inexpensive to purchase but not suitable for large businesses or software being able to support businesses on a large scale but very expensive to license.

BESPOKE SOFTWARE DISADVANTAGES

1. Time and energy
People are seldom aware of the needs of their business. Sometimes it will need some time to make internal research on it, to see that features. Customized tools make no sense if not matching those feature. Off-the-shelf solutions, in this case, are good because of its versatility. All you have to do is to purchase it, adapt and keep on working.

2. High upfront cost
It may seem that buying 100 licenses for a year is cheaper than developing your own solution. And it truly is. The upfront cost is relatively high, but what if you’ll have to extend the number of users, plus the support price, plus the price for, let’s say, three years and you’ll see that tailor-made program is much more attractive in the long-term perspective.

3. Less possibilities
That is already stated that off-the-shelf programs are designed for covering the needs of the masses. In the terms of developing business, it is a great opportunity. As for the small teams, it is very convenient for having the solution like this because sometimes ready-made products have the features that may even surprise its user.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Almost every successful business on its evolution way becomes on the stage when specific software is required for its further profitable existence. Most of the companies don’t bother too much, and provide their staff, for example, with off-the-shelf tools. But as it stated, it cannot be 100% match. Sometimes it has a load of functionality, that is never used. Sometimes it has a lack of it. You’ll never guess. But still, mostly it is chosen as the solution in one reason: affordable price. The second – is time. You simply buy it. At the same time, bespoke development will need some time and efforts input. Bespoke software advantages and disadvantages aren’t limited to the list given above, of course.

But despite the disadvantages, the benefits are still supreme. The first and main fact to have the bespoke software is that it will be tailored to your needs and requirements to function exactly as you need it to. The result of its functioning will not only deliver to 100%, but it can be also extra useful. However, in that case, the experienced team for its development is required to embody your ideas. Of course, that is possible to let this task, as own application development to your in-house IT department. But as it occurs, the teams available are specialists in one sphere but aren’t ready for such step as the application development. That is a common situation, so for the tailor-made software development, the outsourcing is used frequently.

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10 Solutions for Your Social Media Troubles

Posted on March 30, 2023 by schatzi

As the Internet grows, the user-base grows and so does the facets of social media. The different outlets of social media, their features and the pressure to use each one for their specific powers increases. Today, it’s easy to say that the complications and learning each platform is growing rapidly and the need to utilize them is stronger. But, have no fear! Here are some social media solutions for all those aches and pains!

1. There is SO MUCH going on, how do I stay on top of it all?

One second you’re on LinkedIn giving your expert advice, and then next you’re Tweeting out all your blog posts while trying to have a conversation with that interesting prospect, all the while, keeping your Facebook up to date. What’s the solution? Add a social media dashboard!

There are several free and paid pro accounts that you can use to keep all your social media platforms together. One of the best is Hootsuite. You simply start an account; add all your different social media accounts to it, and Bam! All of your accounts are in the same place for easy access and updates. Instead of calling this a solution, it very well may be a miracle!

2. Ugh, I’m stuck having conversations that are getting me nowhere.

It is easy to get caught up in a conversation with someone that, unfortunately, isn’t going to have any influence over your business and helping it prosper. The solution to this is understanding the impact of social influence.

Social media takes more time than anything else. If you want to grow your business, make contacts and meet potential buyers, you have to take some time to research who you’re connecting with. Basically, you need to identify who is the most influential inside of your niche market. One effective tool for this is Klout, which will track the influence a person has on Facebook and Twitter.

3. I know I have customers or clients, but where are they?

You are more than sure that your clients are out there somewhere using social media, but you’re not sure how to find them. The solution: Look them up. You can go the long route, by searching everyone’s name inside each social media platform or you could use Flowtown or Gist, which you can search by each clients email, and find where they are connected. These sites are similar to a search engine, but they only filter social media presences.

4. I’m sharing, but no one is listening!

I’m sure you’ve heard one of the rules of social media, where you keep your content to a minimum. But, how do you follow this rule, drive traffic and see the results? Simple–You should implement a social media landing page. ObjectiveMarketer will allow you to create customized content for each platform. It will also let you see the feedback or results from each tweet, share or link.

5. Social media is taking up too much time, how do I minimize my time spent on these platforms?

Not only are you running your business, filling orders, answering questions, etc. but now you also have to retweet, make links, share blogs, and engage prospects. How do you find the time to do it all? A great tool for seeing what works and what to stop is Argyle Social. This tool will track the results of your tweets, posts, shares etc. When you see something isn’t getting a positive result, it’s time to take a new approach or stick with what is working. Furthermore, you can always hire a social media virtual assistant to tackle these issues. Most often, people will end up choosing this route due to all the time involved and so many sites to manage.

6. What else are my followers doing when they’re online?

You can easily see when someone comes to your site and leaves a comment, or when your status is retweeted or commented on, but what are your followers doing the rest of the time? There are two solutions to this: 1. Ask them or 2. Use your Facebook and Twitter to see what they “like” or “tweet.” When you’re logged in to those accounts, and you’re traveling the web and come across an interesting article, when you go down to “Like” it, it will automatically tell you if any of your followers or friends also “Liked” the same article or site. This can also give you a conversation starter when you’re trying to engage with your customers or potential customers.

7. There is too much clutter amongst my blog comments, Facebook wall and tweets. Ahhh… how do I filter out the good stuff?

So you’ve logged into Twitter and there are tons of unread and possibly unwanted tweets. You then go to your blog, you’ve got an enormous amount of comments and not sure what to do with them, either. And, then on Facebook you’ve got comments from people you don’t know and they aren’t saying anything important. What do I do now? The solution is to grab a tool to filter it. Two tools that come in handy, if you’re having this problem, is Cadmus and Nsyght. Cadmus helps filter out tweets that are important to your niche whereas Nsyght will search out important info from your network, much like a search engine, but only using your network. They are fabulous.

8. Ugh, I’ve spent days on here and the engaging isn’t working, what now?

Over and over again, the same people are retweeting my content, but I’m not gaining anything or anyone new to my business. Nothing is moving forward. Here’s your fix: Utilize game mechanics. What this means is that you link your marketing efforts together, creating a natural interaction between your different efforts. This can encourage your follower to more deeply engage and in more than one area. Search game mechanic to learn more.

9. I just don’t have enough time for this:

We rubbed on this a bit above, but it definitely is a problem that deserves its own place and solution. With each development comes a new development or another area that needs to prosper. It’s like a never ending social media story. The solution here is to constantly adapt your marketing strategies to encompass new tools, social media innovations and the direction of your business. The Internet, the world, and the people are constantly changing, so your marketing strategy must do so also. And again, if you are having trouble staying on top of it all, hiring a social media virtual assistant may be your best bet.

10. Wow, I’ve got a ton of content, and now I don’t know what to do with all of it.

You’ve developed all your social media platforms into a booming information outlet, and now you’re unsure about what to do with it all. A wonderful solution is to create an outlet for this information on your blog or website. Take everything you’ve gained, compile it into posts, and share it with the rest. This not only will help your site, but your followers and friends will feel like they’ve done something awesome. This can result in even more content and engagement.

Now that we’ve got these covered, what are some other social media troubles you’ve been having? Have you found a solution? If not, maybe Be Social Worldwide can help!

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Smartphone Applications – Business Mobile Apps and Just How To Use Them

Posted on March 29, 2023 by schatzi

When you’re looking to stay connected to the world around you, Smartphones have really become a necessary tool. Mobiles went from merely being a way to communicate via calling and texting to offering much more. Today, you are able to use them for entertainment, audio storage, as well as video calls. The App Store and Google’s Android Market enable you to download a wide range of different applications which will help to make your life easier. Organisations can even produce smartphone apps to help their business prosper.

Given that more and more people use their phones to connect with their friends and relations via social networking applications such as Twitter and Facebook, companies are taking the exact same approach to keep in touch with their staff members and customers. It doesn’t just help to make their job simpler, but it also lets their workers stay informed about what is going on at work.

Mobile Website Development Leads To Mobile App Development

Mobile web sites have been in existence since the beginning of Smartphone use. These sites are built to make it easier to get around the site from a smaller touch screen mobile device. Many companies which offer mobile websites have in addition begun to create mobile apps. These apps are easy to download, and they let you use simple one touch features including one-touch calling and mapping capabilities.

So Why Should Companies Use Apps?

There are actually lots of reasons that organisations have ventured into mobile apps. The main thing to think about is the fact that these types of apps can help make running a company faster and easier. If companies have mobile apps, their clients are able to use them as an added benefit. Mobile banking is among the best examples which can be given on the subject of mobile apps. Mobile banking delivers features such as mobile bill payment, cash transfer capabilities and account balance information. When given the choice between a financial institution which provides mobile banking, and one that does not, it isn’t a hard decision.

Mobile Apps For Employee Use

Yet another excellent reason for businesses to develop apps for mobile phones is for their personnel. A lot of companies take advantage of these kinds of applications in order to keep their personnel up-to-date with new company guidelines and projects. Many mobile apps can not just help to improve the efficiency of employees, but may in addition help the management teams keep things organised. Smartphone apps could also be used to help organise scheduling.

Companies also have the option of creating their own smartphone apps store, similar to the Apple App Store or Android Market. This allows them to distribute the applications which are developed for their company to their worker’s smart phones automatically. Apps within these types of platforms are usually used exclusively for a particular business. This not only adds a competitive advantage to the organisation, it can also help decrease the staff turnover within the company.

Bring Your Own Device Benefits

There’s a degree of inconvenience for many people who have to have two mobile phones – for both business and personal use. This is the reason many businesses permit their personnel to bring their own smart phones. This allows them to get the same benefits from company specific mobile apps, but have them delivered to their personal mobile device instead of being required to carry two smartphones.

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Free Online Games For Microsoft Windows Owners

Posted on March 28, 2023 by schatzi

A lot of people prefer backgammon because it is very fun to play and a national favorite pastime game. The end goal of Backgammon is simply to move all components or stones on the board counterclockwise as a home region. From all home regions, the components have to be removed within the game board by actual dice roll. Initially the individual clearing off of all the stones is announced the champion. In Backgammon, you’ll connect online by having an opponent and meeting for a fun game together. There are many game rooms that people can play for free including Yahoo games.

Checkers is a deck game where two adversarial opponents face off until only one remains on the board. Checkers is a very classic board game loved by millions of people all over the world. The objective of checkers is to cleverly overcome an opponent by leaping over his chips and removing components or game pieces. You can furthermore win by positioning checkers that result in stopping the opponent from moving. The opponent essentially becomes blocked. Whenever playing Checkers online you will connect with opponents all over the world.

For the card lover internet hearts is a favored choice for players all over the world. Hearts is a card game with 4 players and every player is independently trying to win. The objective of Hearts will be to earn points throughout the game and hands. Whenever any player hits 100 points the game finishes leaving the player at that moment with the fewest points the champion or winner. While playing online you will connect over the Internet with competitors at different levels, some of which are novice, intermediate, and great players. All are out to win,but more importantly to have fun.

Another of the preferred games for the card enthusiast is Spades, a partnership card game with 2 parties of 2 players or partners working together as a team. The objective is to bid on a contract, then skillfully portray the cards inside the hand with coordination for every extra contract. The winner is determined whenever 525 points are reached or you force the opponents to draw on to a damaging hand to 200 points score. It is a fun game and it is also available and played by many for free on Yahoo online games. Players on this platform earn points and get ranked if they choose these profile settings or to play in ranked games. For windows users this game may already be installed and available for online game play. There are many great board games and card games available for online play.

To be able to get into games on Windows which were pre-installed with the operating system software users should click ‘Start plus then ‘Programs.’ Next, click on ‘Games’ and select the games which are available to play. If no games appear to be indexed or installed it is possible the games were not loaded or setup with the software. In this event you can load your Windows operating system disk and install them and, or you can try some of the free online computer games on Yahoo games.

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