Software development company in UAE Archives - RSI Concepts - Top IT Solution Provider Company in Dubai, UAE

January 26, 2022February 26, 2022

What is custom software development?

The custom software development is designing and developing a software to cater the specific needs of a specific business or set of users. The major difference between the custom software solutions and the ready-made off-the-shelf software solutions is that the custom software are specifically designed to address very specific problems, and the custom software solutions are not meant for resell, they are unique and designed according to the unique requirements of a business. For example the Google Chrome or Microsoft Office are available for millions of users all around the world and are ready-to-use off-the-shelf software solutions which are same for everyone. However, if you ask a software development company like RSI Concepts [LINK] to design a document processing tool for your business, that would be unique, and only meant to be used in-house for a single user/business only. That same tool would have been designed to address certain problems and issues that you are facing in your document processing procedure. That is the difference between a ready-made and a customized software.

The problem with off-the-shelf or ready-made software solutions is that they are designed for general usage. It means they are designed to be fit in all kind of environment and requirements. One-fits-all doesn’t always work, when businesses use such tools they will have to adjust with the very limited options and sooner or later they realize that this solutions is not suitable for them or it is not a satisfactory solution. A tailor-made or customize software tool boost efficiency and fix problems. The customize software development offers greater scalability and the future expansion, modifications and changes are also not as that expensive. However, some off-the-shelf ready-made software solutions doesn’t allow more than a certain level of changes and even then those changes and customizations are very expensive comparing to a custom software solution. In this blog we will discuss the key steps of custom software development to provide our audience a better understanding on the subject.

Requirement Gathering and Identifying Challenges

Over the time business processes and operational mechanisms get complicated, it is hard for any business to change those mechanisms over the night just to adjust according to the demands of an off-the-shelf software solution. That is why business chose to develop a custom software that suits their requirements and help them enhance their efficiency by aiding their existing mechanisms and methodologies rather changing them. The best way to gather requirements is to start by enlisting all the challenges you are currently facing. Every business have unique business processes and mechanisms to tackle problems. Still there remains some problems and hurdle which are causing issues for certain processes or for certain group of people/departments, this doesn’t stop the operation but problems cost time and resource which effect overall business efficiency. Any particular business process could also impact others and mostly it does. That is why it is important to highlight such issues and problems and then decide what you need to solve those problems.

Once all the challenges are identified then decide which problems you want to address with this software. Then discuss the same with the management, team leaders and relevant employees and take their feedback. After getting the feedback finalize the idea and enlist the problems that you are aiming to resolve with this custom software development project. This phase is the very first page of custom software development and is also called discovery phase.

Hire a Good Custom Software Development Company

Hiring a good custom software development company is extremely important. A good software development company with enough experience and capabilities can literally transform your business and a low standard software development company can literally make your life extremely difficult. There are certain things that you should consider while looking up for a software development company in Dubai, UAE. First of all make a list of all available software development companies, such as start asking your friends and colleagues, then lookup in yellow pages or other online directories, the last but not least search in the Google. Short list the companies who are suggested by at least two sources. Then go to their websites and analyze the websites, go through their portfolio and look for the client testimonials or ratings. After carefully examining their website you will get an idea of their capabilities. A bad website means a low quality standards or less competence staff and vice versa.

Contact the short listed companies ask them to share their profiles and brochures. Analyze them and then ask them about their software development teams and programmers. If a software development company have off-shore teams then do not proceed with them. It is important that a business must have on-shore software programmers and developers. It is easier to meet and discuss your requirements with the team rather communicating via emails or online meetings. Other important things to consider is the development and project execution methodologies, costing and payment terms. Always ask for an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to ensure your idea and proprietary rights before sharing the details and idea of your custom software.

Analyze Requirements and Define Scope of Work

At least short list three custom software development firms from the previous phase and then discuss your requirements with all of them. A good software development company will always help you and guide you with your discovery phase and analysis requirements. At this stage since the requirements are discussed, the software development company will ask you too many questions to further understand your requirements. A good company will also suggest you to improve the idea. As the software company have a lot of experience and they can more accurately predict the outcome. Here another thing to consider is to check the software development companies’ behavior. Check which company is more supportive and helpful. The software development company’s representatives will give you suggestion to improve your idea in terms of efficiency and cost as well. Then finalize the scope of the work, get the formal proposals and quotes and compare them on the bases of cost, delivery time, support and maintenance terms and licensing, etc. At this stage the business can easily get into an agreement with a customer software development company to kick start the project.

Wireframe and UI Designs

For any software the main objective is to support the users in their daily routine tasks or in a certain transactions or work. The human users can interact with the software through a UI or user interface. The user interface is a kind of control panel which can present information and take user’s command to run the pre-defined algorithms to produce a result the result might display information or it can further update various other systems and databases that are linked to the software. That is what we called a UI. The UI or user interface of any software tool is the key to its success. The software are used to boost the employee efficiency and to make their work easy. Which can only be achieved if the UI is user friendly and the users can easily perform the required task or function on it. The first step of any software or app development is to prepare the wireframes. The wireframes is a rough work flow or a presentation of the software or app. For a custom software the wireframes are important as it will provide the complete picture about how many steps or screens are involved in a particular functionality. Once the wireframes are finalized then the creating the UI is fairly simple. The graphic designers and UI designers can then design the UI which will be the actual software interface.

Custom Software Development Process

The custom software development process is the phase where the software development company works on the programming and develop algorithms. The development process should be smooth, flawless and efficient to ensure maximum quality and cost-effective product. The custom software development or any other project depends upon the performance and capabilities of the development team. And despite having a well-experienced team if the requirements are not clearly communicated to them they won’t be able to produce a good quality product. The custom software development phase is divided in smaller stages which can be taken as the project milestones. At each milestone the progress should be shared with the customer and any feedback or suggestion should be considered. It is the responsibility of the customer software development team to communicate right information so the customer don’t get confused. Any software development is a very complex process. It should be divided into various steps and the software development team should decide whether the progress should be shared with the customer or not. Once the development phase is complete the software team will do the debugging and the quality assurance team will ensure the flawless operation of the final product.

UAT and Security Testing

The UAT or user acceptance test and the security testing or penetration testing is the final stage of the customer software development project. Normally the security testing and penetration tests are carried out by a third party. But the depending upon the complexity of the software the customer software development company and the customer can decide the mechanism for the security testing. If a customer have in-house IT team with relevant experience they can conduct the security tests. The customer software development company should also do all the basic security testing to ensure the data protection and safety of the software. The UAT or user acceptance test is the pre-launch phase. For UAT the software is deployed in the live environment without making it accessible for the public/users. This is done to check the software’s behavior in the live environment. The UAT tests can include a small number of users from all user groups, the management, IT experts and relevant personals. These users will be the actual users in future that is why their opinion is also important. At this stage different business processes can be tested and the users can also request for some changes or tweaks, which can further improve the efficiency and user-friendliness of the customer software.

Launch

The customer software launch is a pretty much standard launch practice. It starts with a soft launch. During this stage the customer software application or tool is made available for all the users. All the data is transferred to the system and the user training sessions are also conducted at this stage. Once this is complete the final step is full launch or going live. From launch and onwards the staff will be only using the customer software for their relevant regular tasks and operations.

Post-Launch Activities

The post-launch activities are also very important. The most important thing is the maintenance contract and SLAs. The business should have maintenance contract, SLAs and warrantee of the custom software. Another important part of post-launch activity is the user feedback collection which is often neglected by most of the businesses in Dubai and all around the UAE. However, collecting user feedback is very important it help businesses to evaluate and assess the efficiency and productivity of their customer software tool and it also help them identify the areas of improvements. On later stages the business can improve the software and user experience on the bases of the feedback.

Conclusion

Any businesses needs some kind of digital solution. In the modern era of IT and digitalization, businesses are compelled to utilize various different tools and solutions to support their operations. Each business has its own unique way to tackling problems. Most of the time an off-the-shelf solutions or a ready-made software application doesn’t help with very unique and specific requirements. That is why businesses develop custom software tools and applications to fulfill their unique needs and requirements. The biggest advantage of a custom software development is that the business can mold it as per their need and requirement. It means they don’t have to make any change in their current business processes and business practices, as the software is already designed to boost the efficiency of the existing mechanisms and methodologies. This makes it extremely easy for the businesses to integrate a new system without disturbing anything. In this blog we have discussed key points to consider while developing a customized software application or tool.

RSI Concepts is a leading name in the custom software development and app building in Dubai, UAE. If you want our help with a new project or if you want to learn more about the topic, feel free to reach us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.

Check out this blog: Importance of Custom Software Development in Dubai

April 15, 2021April 15, 2021

Importance of Custom Software Development in Dubai

Custom software development and personalized solutions are very important for SMEs and large corporations in Dubai, UAE. The custom software is cost-competitive, easy to integrate within the existing infrastructure, the operational cost is less, the modifications and upgrade cost is low. If an enterprise or business is seeking a very unique solution for its specific needs, then custom software is the only option. The off-the-shelf commercial software and solutions are very expensive, the operational cost, integration cost, upgrade and subscriptions are expensive. The biggest problem with all popular off-the-shelf commercial tools is that they are ready-made and you will have to adjust as per their features, it might require certain changes in the routine processes and tasks of the employees as well. Else you will have to pay a hefty amount to customize it and above all the integration with other tools is difficult. You might end up purchasing and using multiple tools. Whereas the custom software development enables you to have a unified information centre and above all, an all-in-one solution can be implemented. Which not only hugely impact the cost but also improves the usability of the system and the performance of the organization.

More often the business that is using the readymade or standard software face some unique problems that require customization and/or integration with other tools or inputs. It is very difficult with all standard enterprise and commercial tools to integrate them or modify them and it is also very costly. Sometimes the problem could be temporary, or for a short period of time, in such cases, the standard software and tools are very difficult to cater for the needs of the customer. However, custom software is software that is designed for a particular organization or business or set of users who are intended to perform certain functionalities. This is the biggest advantage of custom software development.

Why should Businesses in Dubai chose Custom Software Development?

First of all, we need to understand the market of Dubai. Dubai and even the entire country UAE is considered a hub of technological advancements and business activities. The country is home to the head offices of thousands of multinational enterprises and their operations are not only limited to the local market but all of Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East is being operated from these head offices. This makes the market very modern, advance, and extremely competitive. The competitiveness raised the standards and expectations of the customers as well, which force the business and organizations to divert their expenses and investments in customer satisfaction. This cause the organizations to be more cost-optimistic when it comes to internal solutions and tools, but even then the usability and overall efficiency of the system is required to be at the highest to support the organization to work on their maximum potential. This all scenario led to a big concern of the cost as well as some of the very unique needs which requires a completely customized solution. That is why custom software development is extremely important for businesses in Dubai, UAE to ensure cost-effectiveness, scalability, and maximum efficiency of the commercial and enterprise solutions.

Here are some key benefits of custom software development:

Greater Efficiency

The problem with the standard software and systems is that they are built on a very bookish standard, their framework, user interfaces and business processes are being used for decades and haven’t been updated much. However for most organizations when they implement that software they have to make changes in their business processes to align with the software functionalities. This not only results in extra work for the employees but so many other processes got slower due to that, which in its entirety can slow down the pace of the organization which affects from the production to profits and everything in between. While with the custom software development the software is specifically designed for your organization to provide you with a personalized experience and to sort out your unique and unordinary problems. There is no need to change your business processes and as the entire software is built for your organization so it will significantly improve the processes and reduce the workload of the employees as well which will result in better employee performance.

Easy Scalability

All readymade or ready-to-deploy business software does support scalability but it is not as easy. First of all the modifications and changes cost is too high and the modifications are also allowed in a very small framework, where only certain types of modifications can be done. And usually these all these modifications and changes are provided on the basis of their market research and the requests made by their existing customers. But when it comes to a unique and never seen before kind of scenario these all tools are helpless. This is where custom software development is required. The customized software is very easy and convenient to modify, change and upgrade. The cost is low the process is quicker, and there are no a limitation or a predefined structure to follow while doing modifications like the standard and readymade software. The custom software is tailored made for the specific needs of the businesses and are very flexible towards after-deployment customizations. The customization is also cost-effective and quicker than the standard software tools.

Easy Integration

All commercially available standard enterprise solutions and software claim to provide simpler integrations with other corporate tools, systems and software. But in reality, the integration process is very complex, time-consuming and expensive. Above all, there is always a limitation that bound the user to compromise on some of the features as well. In case a unique requirement comes, then only the integration cost could go from 5 or 10 per cent to more than 50 per cent of the actual software. Which is enormous. Even in some scenarios, you might end up purchasing an entirely new tool to address the problem or to meet your needs. However, custom software development makes it extremely easy to integrate the software with various other software for data synchronizations and a lot of many functionalities. The software can easily be customized to be linked with various corporate tools and system simultaneously. The integration process is quicker and very cost-effective. Here one thing is worth mentioning that without integration, the business will have to use multiple systems. New modules can be added to aid those integrations and all those new modules can be customized to ensure maximum performance and agility of the processes.

Support Innovation

The readymade or ready-to-deploy software are very rigid and limited in their features and functionalities. This software is not a seasonal purchase but are meant to last for decades and are considered the backbone of the digital infrastructure of the organization. Everyone knows innovation is the soul of success. Without innovation, you cannot compete in the market. Similarly, the digital world is rapidly growing and changing, things could get old in months rather than decades. The business might have purchased ready-made software and after just a few months a new feature is launched, but your software manufacturer is not yet ready to provide these new innovative tools or functionalities. Either you might have to request customization, which will incur more cost and time. Or you might end up purchasing altogether a new software. Whereas custom software development has no such obstacle in the way of innovation and modernization. Businesses can easily incorporate new features, modifications and complete module with comparatively very low cost and very quickly. This is what makes custom software development superior to ready-made software.

Better User Experience

The standard software comes in standard packages with a standard dashboard. Although you may customize so many things, this could increase the cost a lot and even then you will end up having so many unrequired or unnecessary features. You have to train your employees and in most cases, you will also have to modify your various business processes. Which results in a lot of confusion and chances of a lot many errors and problems. This also impacts the overall efficiency of the organization and the slower work pace and repeated work also add to the human resource cost. Custom software development enables businesses to have custom-designed user interfaces along with features and functionalities that your employees are already familiar with. This not only improves the system usability and performance but also improves the user experience of the software. Your employee can effectively utilize the custom-designed software to improve their work efficiency and various business processes. This not only helps improving employee performance but also helps organizations execute operations more quickly. The customization won’t cost you much and if you compare the cost to the readymade software’s customization it would be just a fraction of it.

Improved Security

As the standard software is mostly publically available, their internal structure and a lot of other information are accessible publically. The data privacy and data security is a major concern. Businesses have to pay a lot more to ensure security. However with the custom software development as each software is exclusively designed for the client, the software structure and other details are hidden from everyone else. And the software is not publicly available which makes it even more secure than the off-the-shelve or ready-to-deploy software solutions. The custom software development also allows the software developer to take innovative security measure which is hard to crack and difficult to understand, this reduces the possibilities of a data breach or data leak. On the other hand, custom software development is also very flexible towards updates and upgrades, the security patches and other protective measures are easier to take and cheaper to implement. Which makes the software more secure and ensures better data privacy and protection.

Cost

Cost is one of the major appeals for businesses located in Dubai, UAE. Especially for SMEs, they cannot afford costly enterprise tools and solutions. Also for large corporations and business entities, the cost cut is a major concern while purchasing any software or solution. Custom software development is generally very cost-effective comparing to any readymade corporate tool, software or solution. Furthermore, the businesses are not bound to purchase the full package, which usually includes a lot many unwanted tools or any subscription or fee or any kind of other subscriptions are involved. For example, some readymade corporate tools require the businesses to purchase the cloud along with the tools, but for the custom software development there is no such limit or in fact, there is literally no compulsion, you will pay for what you need and what you want. This makes custom software development a lot cheaper than readymade solutions. The upgrade, changes, integration, and maintenance cost is also very low. These things make the customer software more cost-effective than any available readymade or ready-to-deploy solution.

Conclusion

In Dubai, UAE the businesses are and corporate sector is always seeking ways to minimize their operational cost and to reduce the cost and billing of their digital assets. This is why the custom software development industry is flourishing here. Custom software development is far superior to the traditional ready-to-deploy software available in the market. There is two major difference between the standard software tools and custom software tools. One is the cost, and the second is the system efficiency. The standard software is very rigid and only comes in pre-defined infrastructure, the customization is extremely expensive and in some cases cannot be done at all, and the business will have to purchase new software. This not only increases the cost, but it also reduces employee efficiency, as now the employees will have to rely on two systems to perform a single task. However, in custom software development there is no such limitation or boundary. The software is built and designed exclusively for the customers, the business has full control over establishing the businesses process, user dashboard and the entire structure and functionality of the software.

This not only significantly boost the organization’s performance but also reduces the cost in terms of software deployment, maintenance, upgrades, modifications and regular fees or subscriptions. Custom software development enables organizations to invest less and achieve more. RSI Concepts is a leading custom software development company in Dubai, UAE. If you are tired of paying a hefty amount of fees and maintenance or upgrade expenses, feel free to reach us out through our Contact Us page.

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