Q. Isn’t custom software expensive?
A. A Custom Software Solution
is often less expensive in the long run than a standard off the
shelf software. Off the shelf software has to be generic enough
to fit all kinds of businesses instead of one specific business.
Unless the prewritten software solution matches your needs perfectly,
you will need to customize it to fit your business. Every moment
you use software that does not match your business, you could be
losing valuable time and money.
NDS considers the cost of a custom software solution as an investment
in your business’ future and it represents a substantial competitive
advantage. When comparing costs between a custom solution and off
the shelf software, we advise you to look ahead and consider scalability,
and the costs of maintenance, upgrades, bugs, errors, etc.
Q. Do most custom software projects fail
or run over budget? 
A. Most custom software projects
fail due to poor communication, lack of clear specifications,
and sometimes due to internal politics. Often times, the customer
is expected to know everything and the programmers are just supposed
to "execute" the client’s orders.
From the beginning of the project, NDS maintains a very close
relationship with our clients ensuring that all necessary communication
takes place. We learn how you do business so that we can create
a system for you without having to be told every single detail
to succeed. We show you what the software will look like as it
is developed, so there are no surprises at the end. When working
with NDS, you talk directly with the people who are designing
your software solution, rather than a salesperson that may over
promise and under deliver. We have the experience to ask the right
questions that help you get the most out of your software investment.
Q. What is unique about NDS software development
process?
A. First, we don’t start
from scratch on every project. Our clients benefit from our framework
of prewritten software, modules and components. This allows us to
deliver more value to each customer in less time. We will carefully
study your business processes and when needed, we make suggestions
based on years of experience simplifying and improving business
processes. We don’t expect our clients to have all the experience
and foresight that we have.
Our approach has been developed from years of consulting with businesses
on similar projects and designing their software. We come up with
ideas, suggestions, and useful features to help you save money now
and down the road. All you have to do is present us with your list
of problems, dreams, and the things that make your business unique.
We tend to error on the side of over-delivering and producing very
happy customers.
Q. Why not buy software and then customize
it to fit my business?
A. When you buy an off the
shelf software you may experience a lot of frustration. After
you spend your money, you will begin to realize that it does not
fit the way you do business. The problem is that off the shelf
software is written for everyone, but not for any one business.
With an off the shelf software you will waste your time either
working around extra features or adding the missing features that
your business needs. If you choose to customize an off the shelf
software, you will be forced to redo all of the customizations
every time you upgrade to the latest version.
We believe that what makes your business unique is your competitive
advantage. Why not have "smart software" which works
the way your business works and enhances your competitive advantage.
When you decide to have NDS design custom software for your business,
you will instantly get the features that you need and all the
upgrades will be done automatically.
Q. Why not buy a vertical solution
software?
A. A vertical solution software
is a program that is written for an entire industry, not your
business specifically. If you can use a vertical software solution
successfully it can be much more rewarding than a generic off
the shelf software. We tend to work with companies that can’t
use a vertical solution, or are struggling with one. We have replaced
them with our solutions. If you’re in a new industry, or
are an industry leader, there may not be any vertical software
written that can handle your business. However, if after performing
a needs analysis NDS finds a vertical software that matches your
business well, we will recommend that you buy it.
Q. Can I try out the software to see if
it matches my needs?
A. There is too much configuration
and labor involved in our custom systems to economically provide
a trial. The best way of trying out the software is to look at the
existing systems written by NDS. After you see our existing software
and how we have solved problems for others, you will gain an understanding
of what we do, and how we can help you. Then we can talk about the
unique aspects of your business that and how we will approach a
software solution for you.
Q. What is the typical price range
for a NDS custom solution?
A. Our average cost to design
and fully implement a custom software solution can range between
$25,000 and $400,000. Obviously, the size and complexity of the
project greatly affects the cost. We charge license fees for our
existing software modules and then we bill hourly for programming,
project management, training and other labor components to complete
your solutions. After we do our need analysis we prepare a detailed
quote showing the estimated amount of licensing fees and labor
hours needed to design and implement your system. When hosting
your software application with us, we can convert some costs into
a monthly rental fee.
Q. What types of Companies does
NDS typically work with?
A. Our clients are often too
limited by an off the shelf software because their business process
has a substantial amount of complexity or uniqueness. Some of our
clients save money by automating a high number of business transactions
per day. Others benefit from standardizing very complicated transactions.
Sometimes, our clients are companies that have outgrown their old
systems, or are tired of the excessive hidden or obvious cost of
their existing systems.
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