Custom software is all the rage these days – and for good reason. Custom enterprise software is one of the best ways to grow a business in the modern world for tech and non-tech businesses. When you develop your own software in PHP, you create a new tool to help your SMB expand globally. Custom software has many clear advantages over prepackaged, or “off-the-shelf” software. The first one is obvious – it’s in the name: customizable. When you design your own software, it’s your software, made to fit your needs. This is opposed to prepackaged software that is designed to fit the needs of a wide swath of possible consumers. It’s tailor-made to fit a particular need and solve a specific problem. It’s cheaper. It may cost more in the short run than buying off the shelf, but it will save you money in the long run. Any entrepreneur will tell you about the time they spent $500 on a non-refundable piece of software, only to not have it do what they need. That doesn’t happen with custom software because your developers design the program to your exact specifications. Buying multiple iterations of prepackaged software becomes a thing of the past. When you combine custom software with other enterprise solutions, such as cloud computing, you can save even more money by eliminating the need for an in-house IT department. Instant updating, maintenance, and repair is another excellent feature of custom software perfect for the SMB owner. When you buy off-the-shelf software, you’re on the timetable of whoever owns the software. Updates, repairs, even routine maintenance is all done on someone else’s schedule. With custom software development you own the software, so things are done when you want them done. Cloud-based applications make the repair, maintenance, and updating even easier and near-instantaneous. Heck, SDI offers a 6-month warranty to fix any bugs in the software we develop. What prepackaged software company offers that kind of deal? You’d have a hard time finding another custom software development that offers that kind of deal! So now that we have covered why custom software is built, let’s talk about how to build custom software and specific applications. It’s on the Cloud! We all know what the cloud is…or at least we all have some idea of the nebulous concept we call the cloud. It’s the weird internet thing that exists but not in the real world…right? Entrepreneurs & SMB you can now transform your business with Cloud. Well, basically. The details are unimportant here; suffice to say, the cloud allows users to store huge amounts of data that can be accessed from any internet-capable location. Including software – the relevant point here. Putting your custom software isn’t technically necessary; realistically, if you aren’t in the cloud you aren’t reaching your business full capabilities. Cloud computing is beneficial in three distinct areas: 1. As mentioned above, cloud computing makes updating, repairing, and maintaining your custom program simpler, faster, and cheaper. With cloud computing, a full in-house IT department becomes obsolete. With a good development partner, hiring a dedicated developer on a temporary basis is an inexpensive option that will more than satisfy any needs you have. 2. Contrary to popular opinion, cloud software is actually safer and more secure than previous options. While hackers target both cloud and on-site applications, they tend to attack physical sites more than twice as often. When it comes to security, how easily someone can get to your data storage (whether abstract or concrete) is more important than where said data is actually stored. 3. For entrepreneurs who have an in with a big enterprise business, cloud computing is the perfect option. It allows you to create a generalized software frame that can sell on a wide-scale, while still being easily customizable on the developer’s end (frameworks like Magento make this easier). More importantly, the cloud allows the software owner to charge clients on a subscription-based model. The best way to make money in a world of cheap or free applications is to charge based on subscriptions. It’s less money than an upfront price, but much, much more money in the long term. Your Software, Your Decision Clearly, when you requisition a piece of custom work, you should be aware of your needs. What kind of program will work best for you? SDI can help guide you through this process – we even offer a free business consultation for incoming clients – but be aware of options out there. At SDI, we have built custom software for a huge array of clients, including ERP SaaS for global Production and Shipping companies with multiple locations. One of the benefits of custom software is just such a thing: it’s a fantastic option for a business that has many locations. Cloud computing and digital communication centers provide instantaneous communication and digital workplaces. It also provides a digital room where employees can talk, no matter where they are – decreasing human error and the potential for miscommunication. PHP Coding PHP is the ultimate coding language. Any developer worth her salt can write PHP language asleep. Ensure that your development partner is well-versed in PHP and all that it entails. PHP has long been a favorite of developers for several reasons: • It’s open source. This means it’s free to use and undergoes hundreds of iterations. Multiple iterations are important in that they work out kinks, come up with new uses and lead to better programming overall. • It’s hugely applicable. Partially due to it’s open source nature PHP development is seen throughout all OS’, from Windows to Linux to Mac. If the Web is a foreign world, PHP is the Rosetta Stone that lets us translate it. • PHP is much more secure than many of its programming language counterparts. In 2013, less than 10% of the U.S. Vulnerability Database was tied to PHP – and less than 1% of the entire language had security flaw issues! Because PHP is a server-side program language, hackers have a harder time breaching and redirecting the code, as opposed to client-side programming languages. Ready to watch your profits soar with a custom software package built specifically for you? The software development experts at SDI are ready to get started on your dream today. After the development of your project is completed we hand over the source code to you, ensuring you are 100% owner of your software. We can continue to maintain and upgrade your software as per business requirement. So, give us a call at 408.805.0495 or email us at team@sdi.la for a free consultation and to discuss further.