COTS Archives - RSI Concepts - Top IT Solution Provider Company in Dubai, UAE

March 11, 2024

Custom Software for Improved Business Efficiency

Businesses often struggle choosing between custom software development and commercial off-the-shelf software solutions. The off-the-shelf software are slightly cost effective and are much easier and quicker to implement. However, the commercial off-the-shelf software solutions or COTS doesn’t offer any out-of-the-box functionality and are not designed for exclusive and individual business needs. The COTS are designed for masses and are usually aligned with the industrial standards and benchmarks. The custom software on contrary are fully aligned with internal workflows and business processes. The custom software development offers automation of sophisticated and repetitive tasks, and offer intuitive interfaces which help boosting business efficiency.

In the highly dynamic and competitive business markets such as in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and other regions of UAE where the competition is rapidly increasing, the customer demands are always high and the new trends are reshaping the entire industries, custom software development is the only way forward. It will help businesses gaining groundbreaking edge over their competitors by accounting all minute details, incorporating features that empower existing processes and workflows and offering user-friendly tools and interfaces to employees to boost their productivity. In this blog we will discuss how custom software can greatly improve business efficiency and growth.

Custom Software for Improved Business Efficiency

What is Custom Software Development?

Before we discuss how custom software can extraordinarily enhance business efficiency, first let us understand what is custom software development? Traditionally the commercial off-the-shelf software solutions are designed for masses, with a one-size-fits-all approach in mind. However, the custom software are built from ground up to perfectly align with unique business needs, objectives and internal workflows and processes. This gives custom software a great advantage over the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software solutions. While implementing a commercial off-the-shelf software solution businesses might have to adjust according to the software structure and in some cases businesses might have to modify their important workflows and internal processes.

However, the custom software development is a process where the entire existing business structure, workflows, processes and culture is analyzed critically and then the custom software is constructed to align with everything including existing IT infrastructure. This make adoption easier and it enhance and empower existing processes, workflows and structure, ensuring minimum to no disruption at all. The custom software development offers excellent flexibility, scalability and customization, enhancing operational efficiency and performance, which could be a great competitive advantage. That is why businesses in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and all around the UAE are turning towards custom software development.

What are the Advantages of Custom Software Development?

Custom software offer great many advantages, and that is the reason the global market volume of custom software development industry is steadily growing every year. The market trends are shifting towards more customer-centric business models, businesses are also realizing the importance of customer satisfaction. The challenges are rising day by day, hence the business efficiency is a key to long-term and sustainable success. In order to achieve higher operational efficiency businesses rely on various software applications. Every business have unique goals, unique challenges, and completely unique sets of strengths and weaknesses.

A customized software can offer 100% solution to all challenges, addressing all pain points, and has capabilities to turn weaknesses into strengths while driving operational excellence. Here are some key advantages of custom software development which are crucial to optimizing and greatly enhancing the business efficiency, productivity and performance.

Tailored Solutions Enhance Efficiency and Productivity

One of the most impactful advantage of custom software development is that it deliver exclusive and tailored solutions to address the specific pain points and unique challenges individual business and its employees are facing. The commercial off-the-shelf software solutions might offer a wider range of features however, they fell short on addressing to the challenges that are unique for an individual business. Every business has its own unique organizational culture, customs, and long-term goals. Every business take a unique path to achieve their goals, this is what differentiate it from others and this is something that is very positive and healthy for competitiveness.

The unique business needs cannot met with a standard software solution that is not designed to address those needs, in fact a custom software is built from the scratch keeping those needs in mind. Hence a custom software solution is very capable of delivering exclusive solutions, optimizing and empowering internal workflows. Businesses can seamlessly implement a customized software solution and integrate it within their existing business process without causing any disruption and without requiring any modification to their existing practices. This is crucial as this eliminates the need of additional training, it reduces repetitive work and it empowers individual employees and teams. Consequently the business efficiency get raised drastically.

Tailored Solutions Enhance Efficiency and Productivity

Higher Scalability and Flexibility

In today’s fast-paced and dynamic business landscape, the scalability and flexibility are the most essential features of any software solution. The commercial off-the-shelf software solutions fell short on adopting to emerging market trends, since these types of applications are developed for masses, they have slower response towards market changes. It is this aspect of the commercial off-the-shelf software which result in inefficiencies and limitations down the road. However, the custom software development keep emerging trends and needs in mind, hence the custom software offer quicker and reliable solutions to emerging needs, growth and customization without causing any disruption.

Furthermore the custom software development offers more control and authority over your software application which enable businesses to quickly adopt to emerging needs and enable them to respond quickly to changing market trends and customer behavior. The custom software can be customized deal with new challenges, whether it is adding new features and tools, third-party system integration with a new solution, any change in compliance or regulatory requirements, or scaling up for rapid business growth, businesses can deal with such challenges with very less friction and disruption.

Personalized Experience and User-Friendly UIs

The user adoption and user experience are the most crucial factors to the success of any software application. Businesses often implement expensive and top-of-the-line commercial off-the-shelf software solutions but these applications fail to deliver the desired value. Despite having remarkable feature a software could still fail if it doesn’t have user-friendly experience and intuitive UIs. The UIs or user interfaces plays crucial role in user adoption. Using the familiar feature names, color schemes, information structure and navigation plays crucial role in user adoption. The custom software development provides ability to design user-centric applications, which are not only functionally superior but also easy-to-use and intuitive.

The custom software development allow businesses to involve end-users in the software designing and development process, enabling them to share their feedback at every stage and which help incorporating features and experience as per users’ needs. This minimizes the resistance to change and raises the adoption rate, which itself is very effective in raising business efficiency. The custom software development offers personalized experience and workflows along with user-friendly design and UIs which empower your employees and enable them to work more effectively and efficiently.

Personalized Experience and User-Friendly UIs

Enhanced Security and Better Compliance

With the rise of internet access the negative actors and cyber security threats are increasing concern of not only businesses but also customers. Businesses of all sizes and types are taking extra measures to ensure the security of their customers and valuable business data. A small security breach could drastically harm business reputation. The off-the-shelf software may poses a bigger security threat as most of the time these applications are hosted on cloud and another big disadvantage is that the application structure is well-known, which also makes it easier to exploited. The commercial off-the-shelf software are used by thousands of businesses which means they are more exposed.

The custom software on the contrary are not available for masses, their information structure and security layers are hidden and only known to the management team which makes them more secure and well-protected. The custom software development enable businesses to implement advanced encryption technologies, robust security and network protocols tailored to their needs and regulatory requirements. On top of that the application structure is hidden, which makes it very difficult for malicious actors to exploit or breach. Furthermore the data is also stored in your custody which also help enhancing the security of customized software application.

Easy Integration with Existing Systems

The modern day businesses rely upon several software application which forms the digital ecosystem and IT infrastructure of the entire organization. Finding a new software for the needs in a big challenge, however, integrating it with the existing software, databases, central information system and IT infrastructure could be even bigger challenge. This is something the commercial off-the-shelf software solutions are not very good at. The ready-made software have strict integration requirements and doesn’t always offer the required flexibility and compatibility required for a seamless integration. Eventually businesses end-up wasting time, paying additional costs for middleware and inefficient manual work.

However, building a software from ground up provides a chance to consider all possible integration scenarios along with considering all existing software, databases, IT infrastructure and integration requirements. This makes integration completely seamless and frictionless. This also enable customized software to consolidate information and data from different sources into a unified platform which greatly enhances efficiency and productivity. Integration help minimizing latencies, redundancies, and repetitive work driving higher business efficiency across entire operations.

Conclusion

Custom software development is a way forward in a very dynamic and fast-paced business landscape where the market trends are changing swiftly, the customer demands are increasing, the new technologies are emerging every day and the competition is rising exponentially. The commercial off-the-shelf software solutions (COST) might seem a cost-effective option at first, but in long term they are more costly, costing businesses in terms of efforts, money and inefficient business processes. The custom software development on the contrary seem expensive at first, but in long-term it is much more cost-efficient and reliable. The custom software development help businesses built tailored solutions that precisely address each and every pain point and are fully aligned with unique and exclusive business needs.

Furthermore the customized software offered tailored solutions through highly personalized user-friendly experience. With ability to integrate seamlessly with existing IT infrastructure, third-party software tools, databases and central information system, the customized software solutions are ideal for the present day’s needs and have potential to greatly enhance and improve business efficiency. In this blog we have discussed how custom software can improve business efficiency, if you want to learn more about the subject or if you want our help to develop a highly cost-effective tailored software solution for your business, please feel free to get in touch with us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

February 26, 2024

Emerging Trends in Custom Software Development

Businesses are facing a lot many challenges, especially in rapidly growing markets like Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and all across UAE where the competition is rising and the customer demands are also skyrocketing. In such conditions businesses need innovative solutions, efficient business processes, and out-of-the box approach to stay ahead of competition. The integration of software applications in business processes and workflows is not new, businesses all over the world are utilizing such tools and solutions and in fact most of the businesses are heavily relying on such tools for efficient operations and seamless process.

However, there is one most important thing to understand, whether you are a business owner, manager or technology enthusiast, when it comes to software there are always tons of options available in the market. Some software are industry specific, some are tailored and some are general purpose. On this bases, we can classify the software in two categories, one is commercial off-the-shelf software solution and the other is custom software development.

Emerging Trends in Custom Software Development

What Made Custom Software Development Superior than the COTS?

There are two major types of software implementation, one is acquiring a ready-made commercial off-the-shelf software solution and the other is custom software development for tailored solutions. Furthermore these software can be classified in many sub-categories on the bases of platform, technology stack, and various other factors. The commercial off-the-shelf software solutions or COTS are the ready-made software applications that are designed for a particular industry or a particular business function.

For example, the HRMS or Human Resource Management System is designed for HR department and team, however, the Patient Management System is designed for Hospitals, Clinics and healthcare facilities. However, the custom software development on the other hand is a different approach to software implementation, it offers tailored solutions, that can perfectly align with business need and this is what made them superior.

The COTS are designed for masses, which make them general purpose. Every business and organization at its core is unique and it is this uniqueness that distinguishes businesses from others. Over the time the internal processes evolve too, the organizational culture, high-level goals and strategic objectives are what set the path for an organization. Therefore generic software solutions that are developed on the bases on industry standards are not sufficient enough to align with the unique business needs.

Hence businesses need a tailored solution that fully aligns with their unique work-flows, processes and organizational culture to enable them achieve their unique business goals and objectives. This is where the COTS fell short and paved way for the custom software development. The custom software development begins with intensive requirement gathering, which ensures the final outcome 100% meets business’s expectations. These are some key factors that make custom software development superior.

What Made Custom Software Development Superior than the COTS?

What are the Future Trends in Custom Software Development?

The custom software development industry is rapidly growing in the country and not only in UAE but all around the GCC. However, most of the businesses failed to fully leverage the true potential of custom software development because of lack of knowledge and understanding of the future trends. The technology moves or a rapid pace, it quickly evolves with new technologies emerging every year. Therefore it is extremely important to have an eye on emerging trends in custom software development if you are planning a project soon.

In this blog we will discuss the top custom software development future trends which are rapidly gaining popularity and as per our understanding these technologies will going to lead the custom software development for many coming years in future.

Here are the top future trends in custom software development industry:

Custom Software Development Trends: 1. Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Progressive web apps are basically a kind of hybrid application which leverages the full potential of modern web technologies and is known for their ability to deliver an app-like experience. Unlike traditional web-apps the progressive web apps or PWA are much more efficient, engaging, and reliable and can successfully deliver sophisticated and innovative functionalities. The progressive web apps can be installed at the home-screen like a native app, but with its advance technology it can deliver a seamless and unified experience across all compatible devices and platforms.

The progressive web apps (PWA) are also great at offering sophisticated functionalities such as exploiting the hardware or native features and you can also have push notifications, alerts and offline functionality, which is not available in traditional web-apps. Another great advantage of the progressive web apps is their cost-effectiveness, these apps require much less resources to develop, and are very easy to maintain and scale. These are some of the main advantages which are making progressive web-apps exceptionally popular.

Custom Software Development Trends: 1. Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Custom Software Development Trends: 2. Internet of Behavior (IoB)

The internet of behavior or IoB has gained huge traction over past few years. With the advancement of analytical and data collection tools and the availability of modern technology frameworks, the internet of behavior has emerged as one of the most popular and effective technology. The internet of behavior or IoB is referred to very specific tools which enable collection of large-scale data with advanced analytical tools to extract insight which help businesses understand, predict and influence the human behavior.

We have witnessed in past few years the internet of things or IoT has emerged as a very solid and futuristic technology, the internet of behavior (IoB) is also built on the foundation of IoT, where the data has been collected from various software and hardware sources such as applications, UIs, cameras, sensors, and integrated data-gathering technologies. Based on various data sources, the IoB provides tools to assess and analyze human behavior which help gathering behavioral insights which are essential for strategic decisions and catering personalized customer experience.

Custom Software Development Trends: 2. Internet of Behavior (IoB)

Custom Software Development Trends: 3. Web 3.0

The Web 3.0 is the next generation of the internet, or you can say it is the next version of the internet. The Web 1.0 was all about the static websites, the Web 2.0 was and is dominated by the social aspects, and the Web 3.0 is all about decentralization, integration and interoperability, and superior user control. The Web 3.0 is aimed to empower user with more user-friendly data ownership protocols and policies and above all, it boost security and enhance connectivity. It enable different technologies and platform to seamlessly integrate and communicate with each other while offering superior control and security which is something that is not present in the current Web 2.0.

You must have heard of Crypto Currencies or Bitcoin, these are all based on blockchain technology which is a part of Web 3.0 and it is designed to streamline the transactions and to reduce the friction from various business processes. One of the biggest advantages of Web 3.0 is its ability to give ownership and control to the users. It offers excellent and very flexible scalability which means the businesses doesn’t have to worry about the systems going down or chocked networks. The Web 3.0 would revolutionized the internet for both consumers and businesses.

Custom Software Development Trends: 3. Web 3.0

Custom Software Development Trends: 4. DevSecOps

The DevSecOps is basically a new trend which focuses only on the importance of security of a software application, rather than putting security as an afterthought, the DevSecOps dictates that the security should be integrated at each and every step of the development process. Rather than a new technology type or platform the DevSecOps is more like a movement. With the internet piracy rising and the security breaches and cyber-attacks on personal and businesses are soaring, the need of security is paramount. Furthermore the security breach doesn’t only compromise a certain business function or its data, but it can completely ruin the business’s reputation.

Therefore businesses are investing more and more in security and protective measures to ensure data security and privacy. This is what led to DevSecOps trend, and it has become increasingly popular in custom software development. The DevSecOps emphasize on incorporating the security and data protection in all stages of custom software development especially in earlier stages such as planning and designing. By incorporating security features in the design and enabling testing at every step, the software development process become more effective and agile.

Custom Software Development Trends: 4. DevSecOps

Custom Software Development Trends: 5. Big Data

In the today’s digital world, where the internet and digital solutions are dominating our both personal and work lives. For any business to become more customer-centric the data has emerged as one of the most crucial asset, it provides deeper insights to customer behavior, market trends and much more which help businesses making informed and effective decisions. The Bid Data is a term referred to both structured and unstructured data but in very large quantity.

The Big Data is basically a compilation of data coming from various touch points and sources such as customer portals, online or websites, social media, customer service center, interactive solutions, and various different types of hardware sensors and much more. This data is coming in different forms and types which makes it difficult to analyze it and to extract actionable insight from it. The Big Data is a collection of tools and methodologies which help businesses analyze a large quantity of data coming from a large number of touch points and help them extract conclusive insight and actionable reports which help businesses to effectively incorporate data into their decision making processes.

Custom Software Development Trends: 5. Big Data

Conclusion

In today’s modern and digital market landscape where the customer demands are skyrocketing, the competition is rising and the technology is rapidly evolving, businesses need highly effective and efficient software solutions to ensure highest operational efficiency and quality of work. The customer satisfaction is crucial which is tied to the operational excellence, and the operational efficiency depends on the software solutions, tools and IT infrastructure that you have in place. Every business is different from others, even if two businesses are operating in a similar industry, they would still be different in a lot many ways. It is this uniqueness that developed over the year by the natural evolution of the organization.

In this fast-paced market landscape the commercial off-the-shelf solutions with their limited capabilities and slow growth are not enough. Businesses need a more robust solution which not only fully aligns with the unique and exclusive business needs, but also have capability to scale and evolve as the business grows. The custom software development offers an opportunity to tailor-made software applications for businesses which not only strengthen their internal operations and business processes, but also address all unique and exclusive challenges a business might be facing.

In this blog we have discussed some emerging trends in custom software development industry. It is important for a business to be familiar with latest trends and technology updates in order to leverage the full potential of the custom software development. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you want our help with your next custom software development project, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

October 2, 2023October 2, 2023

Top Trends in Custom Software Development: What’s Shaping the Industry?

Any modern day business runs on a variety of different software and digital solutions. The software and digital ecosystem is considered to be the backbone of modern business landscape. Every business’s day-to-day operation depends on different kinds of software tools. That is true in some industries the software are more important than the others, but in modern day and age, no business can effectively and efficiently operate without leveraging any software tool, even the emails that you use daily are also through a software tool. That is why business invest a huge chunk of their profits in modernizing and digitalizing their various operational processes. When it comes to acquiring a new software solutions there are two ways, either businesses can go for a commercial off-the-shelf software solution or they can go for custom software development. The questions arises which one is better? Well, in short the custom software development is much better than the commercial off-the-shelf solutions (COTS) as it can fulfill your 100% of needs, it offers excellent ROI and enable businesses to mold their software and applications as per their emerging needs. In this blog we will discuss the top trends that are reshaping the custom software development industry.

What makes Custom Software Development the Ideal Solution for your Business?

The custom software development offers many benefits and advantages over commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) solutions. The COTS are ready-made software which are designed for masses, the custom software development is dedicated to cater to the needs of a single business. The initial cost of COTS is low, it can be deployed even within in a day. The custom software development on the other hand is a lengthy process. However, the custom software are exclusively designed for the business after doing rigorous research on the business needs, and are fully aligned with the business requirements. The COTS are designed as per industry standards, and mostly failed to fulfill all needs. The custom software development allow businesses endless customization. Whereas the COTS doesn’t offer a flexible customization, in fact the COTS allow very limited but very expensive customization. Which is why businesses either end up using multiple software or they have to replace a software which is not ideal. The customized software are keep on evolving with emerging business needs and doesn’t have any restriction which makes them ideal for businesses. Similarly the customized software are more flexible with integration, upgrades and can evolve according to emerging business needs which make them much superior to the commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) solutions.

Top Custom Software Development Trends that are Reshaping the Industry

In today’s fast-paced markets businesses heavily rely on data and information flow, in fact the information and data is considered to be the lifeblood of the modern technology-oriented business operations. Therefore most of the time when a business needs a new software or application it has to be integrated within their existing digital and IT infrastructure, just like a jigsaw puzzle, every piece should align with each other to form the perfect picture. Businesses utilize a multitude of software, tools, and technologies to drive efficiency and performance in their operations, day-to-day work, and data management. This further complicates the digital ecosystem as multiple technologies, platforms and software types are work collaboratively and in harmony to ensure the desired performance. For example, businesses tend to have ERP systems, performance management system, customer feedback systems, CRL or customer relationship management system, facility management system, inventory management system, accounting system and HRMS or human resource management systems are the few most commonly used software tools. Furthermore businesses use websites, mobile apps, and other digital channels for communication and even to deliver service and support.

All different software types, tools, technologies and platforms evolve and transform on a different pace. For example, the ERP systems may evolve quickly comparing to asset management system, and so on. All different software and tools are built on different technologies, different programming tools and with different platforms. Although this might not sound a big problem, but for large enterprises and organizations this could be a very challenging task, however, startups and small businesses who might not have as much diverse digital eco-system doesn’t face much problems with their IT needs. That is why when it comes to a custom software development, businesses must have to seriously consider the technology barriers and integration limitations. Therefore businesses who are planning to implement a new software solution or a business tools must have to consider these facts, or else they should be aware of the latest market trends. Because all top custom software development trends are influenced by all these technological advancements and all external factors which is why if you follow the top trends, you will get a perfect application which not only aligns with your business needs but also with the industry standards and your existing digital ecosystem and this will enable you to leverage your custom software at its full potential and maximize its ROI (return over investments). Here are some top trends in custom software development which dominated the year 2023 and are going to dominate the software development market for many coming years.

Businesses utilize a multitude of software, tools, and technologies to drive efficiency and performance in their operations

Top Custom Software Development Trends: Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

A progressive web apps or PWAs are developed using modern web platforms in a way that user can have a user experience like a native or platform-specific apps. Another great advantage of progressive web apps is that a PWA can run seamlessly on multiple platforms/devices, same like a modern websites while having only a single codebase. Thus the progressive web apps or PWAs enables the developers to utilize the native features and security of multiple compatible platforms while having only one codebase. Traditionally the software and apps are developed exclusively for the platform or are platform-specific. This means that if a business have users who are utilizing multiple platforms then they have to develop it separately for all these platforms, each platform will have its native codebase which is not usable on other platforms. This results in developing a similar app for multiple time which undermine the user experience, as each platform could have slightly different user experience, furthermore the business will have to pay for each individual platform which increase the cost too. With the progressive web app (PWA) the users can have a similar experience on all platforms, the business can get them in very less cost, the maintenance, upgrades, customization and updates are very easy and cost-efficient. That is why more and more businesses in Dubai and all around the UAE are embracing PWAs.

Top Custom Software Development Trends: Web 3.0 and Blockchain

The Web 3.0 or Web 3 is the third era of internet, it could be as disruptive as the first-age internet was and it could have great potential to completely transform the internet, software and web industry. The Blockchain is a Web 3.0 or Web 3 technology and it is currently in its infancy but businesses all around the world are exploring different ways to integrate it within their existing digital ecosystem. The primary different between the Web 3.0 and the Web 2.0 or what form of internet we are currently using is that the Web 3.0/Web 3 would be open-source, decentralized, and would offer highest level of network security. This means that the fraud and theft would be closer to none, as all the transactions, information and data will be distributed and open to all. The Blockchain is the perfect example of Web 3.0, although it may take it a few more years or a decade to gain significant market share, but it is evolving rapidly and tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Meta and other key players are already involved in it. The Web 3.0 not only have potential to integrate smart technologies, but it will streamline data flow and communication between people, devices and services which will help developers to overcome several security related problems and will also help businesses to boost automation and efficiency.

Top Custom Software Development Trends: IoB and IoT

The IoB is the internet of behavior and the IoT is the internet of things. The IoB or internet of behavior is the technology to connect physical objects/devices to the internet and monitor human behavior or how human interact with the environment around them. The IoB is majorly based on behavioral science, IoT or internet of things and edge analytics. The IoB platforms are designed to gather huge amount of statistical and analytical data from multiple sources and leveraging this data to enhance customer experience. The IoT or internet of things connect digital devices via internet and let them interact with each other and based on this interaction or human intervention, the connected devices behaves according to pre-programmed instructions or direct instructions from the human user. This is why it is very useful in IoB as the internet of behavior platforms utilize the data from digital devices, wearable tech, and user behavior on internet via mobile phones or laptop and then utilize this data to enhance user experience and help businesses to improve their communication and solutions according to customers’ needs. The major application of IoB is in customer experience management, e-Commerce, communication, self-service solutions, and SEO (search engine optimization).

Top Custom Software Development Trends: Microservices Architecture

The Microservices Architecture is a custom software development methodology where an application is developed in smaller modules or a collection of multiple smaller services. The Microservices Architecture is also referred as only Microservices. A Microservices software application can call on multiple microservices to perform the task as per user’s instructions. Another important thing to understand is that all the microservices that are used in a single software application are usually loosely coupled and can independently deployed too. This means that these services can be developed by different teams as well. The Microservices Architecture is very popular in custom software development as it allow developers and software engineers to utilize many pre-built or ready-made services and build their software application above these microservices, which speed up the development and delivery process and also allow businesses to get innovative features at a comparatively less cost. Another great advantage of microservices architecture over monolithic software is that businesses can independently upgrade or customize individual component of the software or individual microservice which also help optimizing the maintenance and customization cost and results in more stable product.

Top Custom Software Development Trends: DevSecOps

The DevSecOps is a short form of Development, Security and Operations. This method is majorly adopted in custom software development to improve security and performance of the customized applications. The DevSecOps is a method of custom software development where the security features are introduced and implemented at all phases throughout the software development lifecycle. Traditionally the security features are implemented at the end of the software development and usually by a different team who is specialized in software security. However, with the DevSecOps method, the security features are implemented from designing up till software delivery phase including from designing, development, integration and testing phases of the software development lifecycle. This method enables multiple security layers in your custom software applications while prioritizing the security as the primary goal of custom software development. The DevSecOps help businesses leverage the security features of the application and infrastructure while ensuring maximum performance and seamless operation of their custom software application. The DevSecOps method not only ensures ultimate performance but also ensures highest level of security while keeping the cost at the minimum and instead of slowing down the development process, it tends to speed it up.

Top Custom Software Development Trends: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The Artificial Intelligence or AI is the buzz word in today’s world where the ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing Chat, Google Bard, Proplexity, MidJourney and countless others have become internet sensation over the night. Everyone is talking about these tools, especially the ChatGPT have taken the world like a storm. But what does this means for the businesses and how does businesses can leverage the power of artificial intelligence to boost their productivity, performance and quality of the work? Normally the artificial intelligence or AI is referred to a software tool or application which can perform tasks which are normally not performed by ordinary computer programs or which are normally performed by humans. Just imagine you can have a computer software which is capable of analyzing data and information, monitoring a situation and taking decision like a human in real-time, working non-stop and 24/7 with extraordinary ability of processing huge data and numbers which no human can does! This is what artificial intelligence is capable of, it is not just limited to chat bots or automated customer call center, the artificial intelligence or AI can do much more than we can imagine. Although it is still in its infancy, but sooner it will be everywhere, it will become an integral part of software development and its scope and ability to operate will be greatly enhanced.

How Top Trends in Custom Software Development can Help your Business Grow?

Businesses often are not familiar with the custom software development trends, which results in using technologies and platforms that are fading away or losing the edge they might have had a few years back. That is why it is important to know the latest software development trends as well as emerging trends so your bespoke software remains relevant for many coming years and yield you the best ROI. Mostly software trends comes and goes, but only a few stay, for example, the world is slowly adopting to AI and moving toward cloud computing, and it seems that in coming years these two technologies will grow exponentially, that is the reason major giant technology companies are investing huge in these two sectors and for the matter of fact many more such trends are here to stay for long. All the technological advancements in custom software development and enterprise solutions are aimed to streamline data and communication, drive automation and to boost performance. Businesses can gain a great competitive advantage by leveraging the latest trends and technologies in software development. Therefore it is important to follow the right trend and develop such applications which can evolve with your emerging and upcoming needs. Choosing technologies and trends that are fading away will limit your software’s ability down the road and will compel you to a point where you will have to replace it with more modern and efficient technology. That is why it is crucial for businesses to follow the popular trends in custom software development.

Conclusion

Businesses need customized software tools to boost their operational performance and capabilities. A good software tool can provide a great competitive advantage, however, it is important to understand that deploying a software is not the only part, in fact you should consider the future needs, customization and the technology you are using. It is important that the software you are implementing will remain relevant for coming years too, the technology and platform it is based on should also grow so it can support your future needs and it can support your growth. For that businesses should follow the latest custom software development trends. A custom software development requires a lot of time and resources, which means repeating the same after a year or two is not good at all. Therefore if the software you will develop based on latest and emerging trends can remain relevant for many years and offers you a great ROI over a longer period of time. In this blog we have listed top emerging custom software development trends which are not only emerging but gaining huge popularity and are meant to stay for many coming years.

If you want to learn more about the top trends in custom software development or if you need any help with your upcoming custom software development project, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

September 15, 2023

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Custom Software Development Projects

The modern businesses are highly tech-driven and rely on multiple technological tools and software programs. A modern business operating system can consists of 10s of different software programs. That is not all the technology moves on a very fast pace, the techs which are considered top-notch today might go obsolete in just 3 or 4 years. This means a constant demand for technology and software. Furthermore a common consumer in UAE is very tech-savvy. Above all, businesses operating in Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi or any other part of UAE know that the UAE is one of the most competitive market in the region. This is what compels businesses to build excellent customer experience, highly productive organizational culture and cost-efficient operation. The modern technologies and software applications help the management to improve performance. Businesses can greatly improve their performance and growth by implementing right software solutions. The technology not only help improving the work-flows and internal processes but a right software solution can greatly help you enhance customer experience and gain higher customer satisfaction, which is a key to long term success.

On an average a business might look up to replace or upgrade an existing software application after just 3 to 4 years of time. The upgrades and updates are a constant process, businesses regularly keep updating their software ecosystem by simply tweaking existing tools or adding new software apps. There are different types of tools that are most common for all types and sizes of businesses:

ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning Software
CRM- Customer Relationship Management Software
Inventory Management Software
Communication Management Software
Asset Management Software
Social Media Management Tools
Accounting Software
Production and Operation Management Software

These software tools and countless like these are used by millions of businesses all around the world to drive efficiency and productivity in the day-to-day operations. When it comes to implement a software solution, there are two ways to do so. One is to acquire a commercial off-the-shelf software or the other is to go for a custom software development project. The biggest problem with the commercial off-the-shelf software or COTS is that they are designed as per industry standards which means most of your competitors will be using them, above all the COTS never fulfill 100% of your needs. Mostly businesses have to compromise on the features they can get, the cost and many other factors. However, the custom software development allow businesses to find a 100% solution of their unique and very specific needs without compromising on anything. That is what made custom software development so popular. In this blog we will discuss the common mistakes that every business can easily avoid in their custom software development projects to maximize the impact and ROI of their software application.

These software tools are used by millions of businesses all around the world to drive efficiency and productivity in the day-to-day operations.

What are the Common Mistakes to Avoid in a Custom Software Development Project?

Although the commercial off-the-shelf software doesn’t always fulfill your all business needs, but these tools can be deployed very quickly, in fact most of the times the vendor can make them up and running within a day or two after acquiring them. However, the custom software development is a long process, it requires a lot of research, sufficient knowledge of technology stack and frameworks your software will be based upon and a lot of time to develop, test, and deploy them. That is a lengthy process and most of the times businesses can make a lot of mistakes which not only prolong the development process, but it also increase the cost and sometimes those mistakes can greatly undermine the performance and efficacy of your custom software application. Here are some most common mistakes that business can easily avoid in their customer software development project:

Poor or Incomplete Project Plan
Misinterpretation of Requirements or SOW Document
Lack of Knowledge of the Required Resources
Strict Deadlines and Rushing for Completion
Sub-Standard Project Management Practices
Poor Communication and Lack of Documentation
Lack of Feedback or Ignoring the Feedback
Lack of Testing Framework

Custom Software Development Mistakes: Poor or Incomplete Project Plan

Most of the time when it comes to custom software development projects, the biggest reason to failure is the incomplete planning. A custom software development is a lengthy and complicated process, each and every step has to be planned thoroughly in order to stay on track. A proper plan ensures the final product is delivered as per the expectations and in timely manner.

Custom Software Development Mistakes: Misinterpretation of Requirements or SOW Document

For every custom software development project the requirement document which is also known as the SOW or the Scope of the Work document is very crucial. It serves as the road map for the complicated applications and ensures all features are designed as per the expectations. Poor choice of words, lack of technical details and generic language in this document can cause serious problems at later stages.

Custom Software Development Mistakes: Lack of Knowledge of the Required Resources

It is software development agency or team who is majorly responsible for the research but most of the time the software development team doesn’t spend enough time on researching for resources rather they hurry to start the development phase as quickly as possible. It is extremely important that businesses have some basic understanding and knowledge of the resources, tech stack and frameworks to be able to ensure the development team is choosing the best tools for your custom software development project.

Custom Software Development Mistakes: Strict Deadlines and Rushing for Completion

This is one of the most common mistake businesses made by pushing the development teams to meet all the deadlines, and rush for the completion and delivery of the project. However, this could seriously undermine the quality and efficiency of the product. It is important that you prioritize the deadlines, but leave some space to accommodate delays to let the project complete in the most natural way possible. When the team will work comfortably they are most likely to deliver outstanding quality.

Custom Software Development Mistakes: Sub-Standard Project Management Practices

There are two most common reasons for poor project management for a custom software development project. First is that usually the development teams doesn’t include the project manager or coordinator in all communications, and the second is that the project managers from the business also doesn’t want to involve in such communication, this can undermine their visibility on the development process.

Custom Software Development Mistakes: Poor Communication and Lack of Documentation

The communication is said to be the backbone for the any successful software application. Most of the time there is not proper communication between the development team vendor’s and business’s project managers which seriously undermines the progress and also cause problems disputes and disagreements at the end of the project. Hence a proper communication framework and documentation at each and every stage has to be done to make the project execution smooth and aligned with your business vision.

Custom Software Development Mistakes: Lack of Feedback or Ignoring the Feedback

Most of the time both businesses and the development teams doesn’t pay much attention on the importance of feedback and incorporating it in the project. The custom software development project consists of multiple stages, at each stage the developers must take feedback and the business must provide detailed feedback to refine the product and to rectify the problems. This will keep your custom software aligned with your needs and it is much better than doing it afterwards or at the end.

Custom Software Development Mistakes: Lack of Testing Framework

The testing phase is the most crucial for any software application. Keep it in mind that later on the users of the software would be your employees or your customers and a bad user experience will directly impact your business. Furthermore the security and technical testing is also crucial as it may handle sensitive data. Most of the time businesses doesn’t have a proper testing framework, and by framework I mean, a proper plan for who will participate in UAT, who will use the beta version, how the feedback will be gathered and how it will be utilized to improve your customized software? All these things should be planned thoroughly to ensure the supreme quality of your customer software development project.

Conclusion

The UAE is considered to be technologically much advanced than any other nation in the region. This is due to the government efforts, tech-savvy population, technology-oriented work culture, and highly competitive markets. Businesses are on a constant need to improve their operations, processes, customer services, products and communication. That is not all, the performance and productivity is a key to a sustainable long-term success. A business does need improvements but at the same time it also needs to minimize it operational cost or to optimize the overall expenses. This is what can only be achieved with the right technology and tools in your arsenal. The software plays a crucial role in any modern-day business’s success. Businesses of all types and sizes use multiple software and application to perform their day-to-day tasks and to effectively run their operations. This means that businesses need up-to-the mark software and tools in order to effectively operate. When it comes to the software, there are two major routes a business can take, one is simply acquiring a ready-made commercial off-the-shelf software solution or you can have a custom software development project which can help you build solution for your very specific and unique business needs.

The custom software solutions are great at full filling the needs of the business and they can also provide a great competitive advantage due to their exclusivity. If we consider the long-term ROI the custom software solutions are proven to be much more cost-efficient than the ready-made software tools. However, designing and developing a custom software solutions is not as that simple, a business needs to team up with a professional custom software development company in Dubai, or anywhere in UAE and they need to have adequate understand of the process in order to develop a high-quality product. In this blog we have listed the most common mistakes businesses made during their custom software development projects. Avoiding these common mistakes will enable you to develop a high-performing and reliable tailor-made software for your business needs. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you need our help to take care of your custom software development project. Please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.