Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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.
