1. Buy a Boxed Application

A boxed application from an SaaS (Software as a Service) company is one option for delivering applications to your company.

There are a few benefits to choosing this delivery option:

• It’s very budget-friendly, as off-the-shelf solutions have a low price point.
• It’s widely available. Chances are, you’ll be able to find a boxed solution that others in your industry have used before, without having to do a ton of investigating.
• It’s quick to deploy. This software is ready to go out of the box, so all that you need to do is install and configure it.

Boxed applications are often quite affordable, but they’re unfortunately not very flexible. They can’t be heavily customized, so you’ll receive a generic application that you’ll have to work to learn, rather than enjoying an intuitive platform that works for you. Just as well, licensing fees can be a pain.

2. Use Custom Software

Custom software is pretty self-explanatory. It’s simply software that a company makes from the bottom up, completely customized to your specific business needs. You can fully adjust this software to your business and your needs.

There are some benefits to using custom software:

• It can improve productivity since it is designed specifically for your organization and its tasks.
• You’re able to make decisions about what exactly you want your software to do by working directly with your developer.
• You’ll gain a competitive advantage by having capabilities that others in your industry do not have.

While custom software may seem like a better solution to boxed applications, it’s also very expensive-- and also takes a lot of turnaround time to complete. You may have to demo your software multiple times before it is tailored to exactly what you need. You also won’t get to enjoy the benefits of support and documentation, since there is no customer support for your program. This can also make it difficult or impossible to update or add new features to your program.

When it comes to choosing between boxed applications and custom software, it’s not really a “either or” situation. It all comes down to what departments require the software and its overall purpose. Maybe a unique value to your business could benefit from custom software, while one of your departments needs a simple cost-effective boxed solution.

Regardless, our third option could fit virtually any use case for your business.

3. Utilize Low-Code

Low-code is pretty much the best of both worlds. You won’t have the full configuration options of custom software, but you’ll be able to adjust well to the processes in your company.

Low-code platforms are applications that help businesses essentially build their own software, all without a ton of coding knowledge. Low-code takes a visual approach to software development by abstracting and automating every part of the application’s lifespan. This enables quick and efficient delivery of software solutions, all while breaking down traditional forms of information technology. Low-code is a much more collaborative approach to deploying software, and the demand for it is becoming more apparent as skilled developers are in short supply.

John Rymer, the principal analyst at Forrester, spoke about why low-code could be the future of business software in a write-up for Tech Republic.

“There are just not enough developers to go around, so by going low-code, you can get a lot done with ordinary developers that you can afford,” said Rymer, “Just because you can build something doesn't necessarily mean that you should. Maybe you should reuse something that somebody already built or take something somebody already built and customize it a little bit to meet your needs.”

The Benefits of Low-Code

There are a massive amount of benefits to using low-code, which include:

• Improved agility, since visual design over code can speed up how fast projects take to be delivered.
• Lower costs. Since you can build more applications in a lot less time, your costs will decrease.
• Better productivity. Low-code, again, makes it possible to make more apps in less time. Workforces will have more time to spend on the more innovative aspects of the business.
• Improved customer experience. Low-code helps out IT organizations, but it helps out customers too. Businesses that use low-code will be able to adapt to market changes and customer needs with quick responsiveness. This can also be a huge advantage in terms of competition.
• You’ll be able to change with more ease. Low-code makes changing and adapting apps much easier than before. Without the need for skilled developers and complex coding requirements, low-code can make it easy to change when it’s necessary.
• Better risk management. Regulations are always changing, and organizations can sometimes struggle to keep up. Low-code allows for faster change, so businesses can meet those requirements (and their deadlines) with little effort.

The Big Differences Between These Three Delivery Options

There are quite a few differences between these different application delivery options.

To start, we’ve already covered the differences between boxed applications and custom applications: Boxed products are ready to go, inexpensive, and quick to implement. However, boxed products have almost nothing in the way of customization, which is a big negative, as no two businesses have the exact same needs. Custom software is a solution to this, but it can be insanely expensive. Just as well, custom software doesn’t usually come with customer support or documentation, and upgrading the software can be impossible without the original developer on board.

One of the major differences between custom software and low-code software is that low-code solutions are developed as you go, while custom software is deployed all at once. Custom software can take months to finally be made into a working final product, which can be difficult to work with. Low-code is built as you go, and what you need can be built without having to wait on a development team.

Low-code can also be a superior option over boxed applications. Applications that are ready to go out of the box have little in the way of customization and maybe more of a hindrance than a help. You can add some flexible features as you go with low-code applications. You can also enjoy bells and whistles like monitoring, reporting, and cross-platform accessibility. Boxed applications will typically require additional licenses or payment to access special features.

Take Advantage of Low-Code Tools with GGS

GGS IT Consulting provides digital workflows and application delivery, all based around low code or no code platforms. Our goal is to help our customers reach their unique business goals by aiding them in total digital transformation. While we provide consulting and implementation services, we also provide automation, RPA, and BI solutions as well. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how our team can help you transform your business with low-code tools and solutions today!