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Enteprise Mobility Customization Hypothesis 1
eViewMobile and MFSCombo are 2 examples of case studies that show development of custom enterprise mobile apps is more cost-effective and improve efficiency better compared to off-the-shelf generic solutions.
EVIEWMOBILE ENTERPRISE APP DEVELOPMENT
- The client company was trapped with a generic, inferior app that has become outdated and increasingly time-consuming to use.
- The case study states "Moreover, the vendor they had hired wasn’t responsive, but continued to nickel and dime them and charge for estimates."
- AllianceTek, an IT solutions provider, worked with the company to develop a customized enterprise mobile application.
- The agency started by reviewing the existing code and application, then created a roadmap for the development of the new customized app.
- AllianceTek also made sure the new custom app was cost-effective through technology analysis and recommendation.
- The case study also reports the client benefited from improved efficiency: "As a result of AllianceTek’s mobile app solution, the client’s business processes were vastly accelerated and they no longer had to rely on slow, outdated technology to access their system and data."
MFSCOMBO
- Mindfire Solutions, an offshore small team software development agency, reported that it bought a license for a combo plug-in software component for a client project.
- To exclude involvement from third party suppliers of generic components, MindFire decided to develop a customized combo plug-in in-house.
- The case study states that "This custom combo developed named MFSCombo, provided a cost effective solution to the client without any dependency of third party control" as well as increased efficiency by taking less time to load.
- By developing a custom solution, the team was also able to make the combo control lightweight and re-usable for its internal purposes.
CUSTOM VS OFF-THE-SHELF
- PCD Group, a digital solutions provider for the finance industry, determined custom application/software development as being superior to off-the-shelf options due the following reasons below.
- While off-the-shelf apps/software has lower upfront costs, custom solutions potentially has the greatest return of investment as well as the least interruption to a company's business model.
- Off-the-shelf apps/software may fit the business' needs for a time but can be eventually outdated (as illustrated in the eViewMobile case study) as these are not designed to accommodate future needs.
- Generic apps/software also tend to include a lot of features which are not necessarily needed and out of sync with the company's business vernacular.
- On the other hand, custom enterprise and software can be started with the core essentials and upgraded anytime with new functions and features.
- Customized software and applications can be leveraged for competitive advantage as it is tailored to business needs and processes.
- Company staff can easily adapt to customized enterprise application and software as it matches the business practice and vernacular.
- Custom solutions are by nature more agile, less prone to obsolescence, free from additional licensing fees, and 100% controlled by the enterprise itself.
RESEARCH STRATEGY
We have provided 2 case studies that illustrate the advantages and cost-effectiveness of custom enterprise application/software development over generic, off-the-shelf solutions.
However, as enterprise mobile apps and software in general widely vary in costs to build and maintain, we could not make a direct comparison of any individual enterprise app development case study to an average total cost of ownership of an off-the-shelf deployment solution. This data point was also not preexisting. BuildFire states that the cost to develop an app depends on features, rate per hour, expertise, and other factors. A small app costs $3,000-$8,000 while a more complex app can cost $5,000 to $150,000. These cost ranges can also differ significantly between types of businesses and industries.
Therefore, to address the request scope and criteria, we researched extensively for case studies that featured these characteristics: a direct comparison or migration from a generic off-the-shelf app from a third party vendor, custom enterprise mobile or software development as the solution, and cost-effectivity, efficiency or savings as a result. We found 2 case studies that fit these criteria and outlined their details above. We also provided additional information on the advantages of custom enterprise mobile app or software development over generic, off-the-shelf products. These have been outlined above along with the case studies.