|
Related Links: Development tools and databases used frequently at DataCorp
What is Custom Software?
|
Custom software is:
|
- Designed specifically for your department or company
- Owned by you - not DataCorp
- Can incorporate features from other software
- Flexible and upgradeable
- Built with industry-standard development tools
|
Custom Software is a computer program or Web site written specifically for your company,
according to your company's way of doing business. The opposite of custom software is off-the-shelf software, also known as pre-packaged or pre-written software. One major difference between custom and non-custom software is that with pre-written software, you do not technically own the software - you are paying for the right to use the software (a license), and the amount of money you pay usually increases with the number of users.
With custom software, you own the rights to the software,
and you do not pay additional fees to add users. You are free to resell the software to any other party.
Software designed specifically for your company can revolutionize the way you operate and improve your bottom line - by maintaining precise records, eliminating repetitive tasks, sharing information, generating statistical data and much more.
Custom software can be used to combine features from other packages with the features that your company needs, or it can enable you to instantly access the information you need in a format that makes sense for you.
Types of Projects
DataCorp can approach a project in one of three ways:
- Write a new system "from scratch" for your organization
- Replace an older system with new software, while implementing the main ideas and business rules from the older application.
- Modify an existing custom software system with enhancements or changes.
Types of Software DataCorp Develops
| Type |
Accessed With |
Examples |
| Desktop Software |
Windows PC's |
- Custom Accounting and other business applications
- Multimedia programs
|
| Web Site |
Web browsers |
- Give customers access to data and reports they request
- Allow your customers to place orders
|
| Server Program |
Windows PC's or Web browsers |
- Generate email automatically
- Produce detailed reports that your customers download from a Web site
|
See also: Development tools and databases used frequently at DataCorp
Examples of Options and Features
- Data Conversion from your old application to your new one
- Compatibility with Microsoft Office®
- On-line help files or other documentation
[back to top]
The Benefits of Custom Software
There are hundreds of programs on the market that can do almost everything you will ever need to do. So why would you need custom software? Because there are so many programs, serving so many generalized purposes that it is almost impossible to find one program that does exactly what you want it to do.
Many computer users spend a great deal of time manipulating data on Excel spreadsheets, or manually producing Word documents, combining information from a variety of sources.
You send reports as attachments to your email, and receive reports in a different format that you might have to incorporate into your files in some way.
Perhaps you also incorporate Access or other program as well, and have to cut-and-paste from Word to Excel and back,
then somehow produce envelopes for mailings.
Replace several different programs with a single, integrated solution.
With custom software, we can incorporate all the elements you need in a single software package.
|
Automate repetitive computer tasks.
- Send hundreds of email messages to new customers
- Reduce hours spent with software such as Excel, Word, and Access
|
Automate special or hard-to-learn tasks
- Custom software also allows you to gather company-wide data and generate useful reports in an efficient manner. For example, if you have to file periodic reports with a regulatory agency, a powerful program can work in the background to gather and compile reports conforming to the agency's requirements. The reports can then be accessed, printed, and emailed or transferred to the agency at your convenience.
- Your custom software can alert you when weekly sales rise or fall, generate your monthly sales report, feed the figures into your accounting system, and print welcome letters for new customers and congratulatory notes to top performers.
|
Use data that already exists in other formats or software
DataCorp can write new software that accesses the data in other programs, such as those based on SQL Server.
|
Enforce your own business rules |
Give the program the look-and-feel you imagine
- The user interface (the visual aspects of the software) can be customized to suit your company's image and unique needs. There is no need for employees to be baffled by input screens that include confusing fields that have no relevance to your business.
- Different interfaces can be designed for various departments or locations so that input and reporting can be completed at the appropriate location instead of delegating those tasks to other employees.
|
No computer classes
- Your company will not have to go to classes to learn how to use software like Microsoft Access, Word, and Excel.
- Since the program will be designed specifically for your company, there is often very little to learn, especially when your employees are experienced in their line of work .
|
[back to top]
|
