When you’re considering taking on technology to create efficiencies and stay competitive, you may be thinking about building your own collaborative work management software.
Here we look at 3 reasons you should seriously consider leveraging the strength of SaaS and subscribe rather than build.
1. Building my own software means I can get exactly what I want.
While it’s true that by definition software that you build yourself is fully customisable, unless your requirements are exceptionally simplistic, you will be prioritising functionality from the start. In a business with many stakeholders and competing interests, this can be a messy, political process.
The SaaS alternative:
Building great software takes time and teams with diverse expertise. SaaS platforms are designed to do one thing really well and they incorporate all the best ideas into their software. Often these solutions come from ideas your designers would never have even thought of.
2. I can add features whenever I want
No you can’t. Internal teams are often allocated on a project-by-project basis and once the initial scope is delivered the team is disbanded or reassigned. Even when there is a dedicated team, every upgrade is a mini project in itself so while it sounds like the dream, adding features isn’t as simple as writing a few lines of code and turning it on.
The SaaS alternative:
Competitive pressures keep SaaS companies on their toes. They must continuously improve their software to thwart competition and survive, and smart SaaS companies listen to their clients and deliver functionality that answers their needs. Consider what your team is capable of building v’s what a team 100% focused on this over a number of years is able to build.
3. I can build a system in a couple of months. It won’t cost much
If it doesn’t cost much, it won’t do much. It will be six months minimum before anything useful is delivered. Much more likely – it will be years. How many people can you spare for the project? One? Three? At a minimum of $100,000 a year for a mid-level software developer, this is going to add up fast and there is no guarantee they will deliver anything of substance.
The SaaS alternative:
It’s available right now. There’s no waiting, no hoping for an outcome that may not eventuate. You are able to evaluate before you make the investment and determine that a platform is right for you. SaaS companies have only one aim – to produce software that is useful and that provides value for money. When you subscribe to a SaaS platform, tens of thousands of hours ( and millions of dollars!) have already gone into developing the application and working out the kinks. Development costs are distributed across all customers, meaning your costs as a client are much lower.
Building simple technology is easy. What’s difficult is building enterprise software with a big back end that works reliably at scale, has an intuitive user interface, and functionality that crosses production stages and business units.
Lumi Media is 100% focused on delivering secure, next-gen technology for collaborative work management
To date, we’ve spent millions of dollars over six years developing a TV and entertainment industry-specific enterprise solution that powers the centralization and end-to-end workflow of casting, recruitment and crewing, production, and development.
Before you start – ask yourself – is software development part of your company’s core competency? How deep does your IT department’s experience really go? Are you better off trusting the software experts to worry about the build so you can all get on with your jobs? Walk in, sit right down!
