Platform Considerations for Bespoke Software Development

When embarking on a bespoke software project, one of the first things you need to decide will be the platform you or your developer uses to build the software. In the days of traditional desktop software this was relatively straightforward. You would choose Mac or Windows and develop with their tools to create a bundled version of the software or application, and that might connect to some database held in the same building.

Today it is a lot different. There are many more devices around which may show the data which is contained in your application, many more ways in which that information is portrayed, and also many ways in which information can be input and collected. There is also the fact that the internet has transformed how people work and interact with data, to a point were building a piece of software which doesn’t include internet technology is almost unthinkable.

So here is our small checklist when developing software for our clients which help us with selecting the right platform;

  • What is the purpose of the software?
  • Who will be using it?
  • How will data come into the app?
  • How will data be presented from the app?
  • What are the different devices you expect to use with the app?
  • Will you always have an internet connection when using the software?
  • Does the software need to talk to other software which you use within your business?

Once we have answers to these questions then things do become a little clearer, and more often than not the answer has been made for you (particularly when you have a need to transfer data from and to other parts of the business)

When it comes time to actually choose the platform you need to balance the answers you got from above with the skills of the team you are employing and the budget you have for development, not only the financial budget, but also the time budget.

 

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