Back in the mini-computer era (somewhere around the mid-1960s) our notion of software was that of custom-designed applications built to do a specific job on one machine, or perhaps one dedicated network of machines. But ever since the arrival of the PC in the 1970s we have been pushed towards using ‘boxed’ software that should supposedly be fit for purpose in any use case, in any market vertical.
Boxed software not working?
Business Process Management (BPM) software company Appian conducted a survey of 306 IT decision makers which may suggest that this notion of boxed software is no longer working and that firms have an increasing focus on custom-designed and custom-built software.
Custom software is defined as:
- Software applications that must be built by either a company's internal IT team or through outsourced development because the required functionality cannot be purchased through a packaged software offering.
Appian CEO and president Matt Calkins thinks this is justification enough for calling for industry change. "[As many as] 72 percent of IT professionals acknowledge that traditional solutions are too slow -- and this prevents them from infusing their companies with digital business innovation," he said.
But in the new era of cloud, software application services are essentially decoupled and commoditized. Application components are separated out and their functionality can be abstracted as they now exist as cloud-based services from which new software can be built. So surely this is still ‘boxed’ software in a sense? -- even if it means employing enough software application developers to be able to connect up the 'boxed' components, isn’t it?
While Appian may be spinning the use of the term ‘custom-built’ to a degree, the point here is that even combining reusable cloud components takes more time than just installing what used to be a CD-ROM and before that a floppy disk.
As many as 87 percent of IT decision makers surveyed said they had a preference for custom software over pre-packaged software because it is designed to serve a unique need (51 percent) and has more options and ability to make enhancements (46 percent).
Surely cloud is still ‘boxed’ software in a sense? — even if it means employing enough software... [+]
According to Appian, when considering the industries that will most benefit from custom software, financial services (48 percent) and manufacturing (41 percent) top the list. They are followed closely by telecommunications (39 percent) and the healthcare/pharmaceutical sector (38 percent). Nearly half of the IT decision makers surveyed (46 percent) report their companies are in the process of migrating to a cloud-based application development platform, with 24 percent reporting that their companies have already migrated and 15 percent reporting that their companies will migrate in the next 1-5 years.
"With more of today's enterprise IT decisions motivated by business growth, we are seeing widespread adoption of a mobile-first approach for every day, core business processes in order to boost performance," said Calkins. "[Mobile access from cloud-based resources] is what allows custom software to drive such efficiency and innovation. It is also why there is such an enormous opportunity for a new type of application platform that delivers modern apps more quickly, at lower cost, via the cloud as a service."
Survey methodology
The Nielsen/
