Benefits of Custom Made Applications
Developing a custom made application has many advantages over an “off the shelf” solution. In addition to it being fully customisable to suit your business needs, the uniqueness of a custom built application can be a source of competitive advantage, setting you apart from your competition. Furthermore, enlisting the services of Vigilant Solutions to develop your application means that you have access to around the clock local support, the possibility to fix and enhance your software in a timely manner, and full control over your development budget. However, developing custom made applications to suit your business needs doesn’t always guarantee a return on investment. The team at Vigilant Solutions understands that in order for a software solution to be deployed successfully, alignment needs to exist between your IT solutions and your short-term and long-term business objectives.
Importance of Achieving IT and Business Alignment
Achieving alignment between IT solutions and your business objectives is one of the most important factors needed to create and capture value. Executed properly, alignment can guarantee a solid and sustainable profit combined with an improved business performance (Chan & Reich 2007; Santa et al. 2010). In Vigilant Solution’s experience, alignment does not only impact your internal business operations but it can also have an effect on your industry performance as a whole. Therefore, it is no wonder that achieving alignment between IT solutions and business objectives is one of the main concerns of business executives today.
The team at Vigilant Solutions can assist your business in achieving successful alignment by helping you overcome three major obstacles:
· The first obstacle is technology itself. It is no secret that we live in an era where technology is moving at a very rapid pace, rendering recently developed applications obsolete shortly after their release. Our team can help your business stay current with new technologies by developing a software update plan that suits your needs, assisting with the installation of hotfixes as soon as they become available, and developing scalable applications that can be easily updated and enhanced at a minimal cost.
· The second obstacle is bridging the gap between business executives and IT. Let’s face it, most business executives lead a very busy lifestyle which makes it hard for them to keep up with new technologies. The team at Vigilant Solutions can bridge this gap by providing IT consultancy and training to your business executives helping them make informed IT decisions that can give your company a competitive advantage.
· The third obstacle is your employees’ resistance to adopting new technology. Your employees may be reluctant to adopt new technology for a number of reasons such as: fear of change, lack of support, negative past experience with new technology, worry about the new system quality, and lack of understanding of the benefits of the new system. Our team can address your employees’ concerns by running training sessions, developing easy to read system documentation, and providing around the clock local support.
Why not give Vigilant Solutions a call today to find out how we can help you make the most out of our custom made application?
References
Chan, Y.E.Y.C. & Reich, B.H.B.R. 2007, 'IT alignment: what have we learned?', Journal of Information Technology (Palgrave Macmillan), vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 297-315.
Santa, R., Vemuri, R., Ferrer, M., Bretherton, P. & Hyland, P. 2010, 'Understanding the impact of strategic alignment on the operational performance of post implemented technological innovations', Proceedings of the 11th International CINet Conference: Practicing Innovation in the Times of Discontinuity, CINet, pp. 902-16.