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Differences between Tailor-made Software and Off-the-shelf Applications

Tailor made software is very different from off the shelf applications that can be bought at any software store nearby and someone that is in the process of choosing a software application for their home or business use will be often faced with a dilemma as they go about the process of selecting the best application that they can use. The tailor-made software is known to be designed from the requirements that are put in place by the people that need the software and it is built to their exact specifications. It includes only what the user requires having in the application and in many situations, it will also be branded with the identity of the company that requested for the software in the first place. This makes the tailor made application very specific to the company or business that asked for the software to be developed and all the features that are in the application are specific only to the company that needs and uses the software.

Off the shelf applications, in contrast, are always in use across many companies and online businesses usually ask for these applications in order to target their specific company activities and practices. For instance, they might be required to take care of record keeping with a spreadsheet application and general spreadsheet application software is more than enough to take care of this. The users of the software that is bought off the shelf usually prefer the application for the sake of processing their information and carrying out business activities such as managing large projects and ensuring that any tasks that the company has been given to undertake is completed successfully. Such applications are general in their nature and are designed to be used by any company, business or individual that has a need for the applications. The users of these applications also prefer them for the reason that they are not only easy to use, but are alto included into the basic training courses that are undertaken by the staff members and this makes it possible to delegate tasks and duties to their members which means that it will be very easy to handle all kinds of information using the applications. Additionally, the software applications that are known to be off the shelf are also used to make business processes much easier and take care of the mountains of tasks which need to be completed in order to keep the business in good books.

The tailor made applications are therefore very different from the off the shelf application from their very design to the way in which they are used at the work place. Brands that are keen on keeping and maintaining their identity have been known to look for the tailor made applications in order to include specific features into the applications and make sure that they only serve their individual needs as well as streamlining their business operations in a manner that sets their organization ahead of the rest of the competition.