Introduction
In today’s world, where everything is result-driven, it becomes very hard for an upcoming business to retain its spot in the market. With everything going digital, it becomes all the more tedious to understand the market for some people. In this regard, the right type of software is indispensable when it comes to the business of people. The businesses have two types of software development options: they are either custom solutions or are open sources. The use of both of these software depends upon their use for the person or business.  Â
Both the software has their merits and demerits, and their productivity value depends upon the requirement of the business. Thus, we can only compare them on the basis of the features they provide.
Open Source
The emergence of Open source in the field of software development has been a blessing for the business and entrepreneurs across nations. With the help of open-source, people can meet the requirements of their business in a much faster way. The program comes with a lot of merits.
Merits of Open Source
- Cost-Effective- Open source is quite cost-efficient when it comes to spending money on the development of software. It helps to save money in not compromising on quality. As the very nature of this source is to keep the code open for different developers and users to improve on the code. In recent years the popularity of this program has gained momentum. There are so many emerging technologies that run on them—for instance, Linux and Mozilla Firefox. The source is easily accessible, and in most situations, it comes with zero cost. Different developers may build several products on them.
- An exhaustive list of seeded features-Â The System of open source programs comes with different standardized packages having a wide range of in-built features with the application. This makes the program quite user-friendly. After installation, it is good to run. One does not have to do much.
- Wider Community-Â it has a wider community base as the applications are in use by a large scale of people. As they have millions of users, the problems faced by people are resolved easily because someone will solve them, and the solution is available for everyone. Users do not have to search much to resolve their issues on open source.
- Security Enhancement-Â as the open-source has a large number of users on its interface and so many different developers contribute to the platforms. To maintain security, there are periodical developments in this area. The updates are regular and frequent. It is done to ensure that the interface is stable and secure for its millions of users.
- Open to Customization-Â different businesses can customize a piece of software and alter it as per their convenience. It is one of the best features of open source. As the code is open, the user can simply modify it as per the functionality the business or user wants. It also helps people to explore the exhaustive list of its features and functions with the help of add-ons.
Custom Solutions
Custom solutions are always in vogue and are a popular choice for many businesses and companies. Every business works in a predefined way, and it is very helpful for the business to have software that is specifically for the business. This adds to the brand value and uniqueness in the business. The popular technologies for custom solutions are Java and PHP. The cost of using a custom source will depend on its utility. It is one of the most trusted technologies and has certain merits such as.
- Unique Features-Â the main objective behind a custom solution is to have an easy implementation of one of a kind custom-made features that are specific to a particular business only.
- User Friendly-Â the admin of this program gets a better set of tools, specifically when people use back-end features. The features are custom made, suiting the needs of different businesses. The developers are able to organize the system so that the user or business of the system will work on a simple interface. The simple interface will add to the user-friendly nature of the system, and people can easily access the website.
- Secure code-Â the developers working on custom solutions can keep their code secure and clean. It goes for both front-end and back-end. Because the developers in custom solutions have full control of HTML output. The website or page accessible by the user is much faster to browse and is tidy. Hence, adding beauty to the website.
- Security-Â Custom solutions are quite secure when it comes to the protection of their data. This reduces the chances of getting hacked. The features in a custom solution are built specifically for a particular business or for a small group of users. Hackers do not target this system often, and there is less spam which in turn leads to less vulnerability in the system. Custom solutions also have a robust base of applications that makes it easier for developers to add custom features in the future.
- Adaptable-Â open-source software is convenient as the user can download it without wasting much time on it. They are not adaptable to the constantly changing needs of the market. For this purpose, the productivity of custom solutions is far superior to open source, and various businesses would like to adopt software that is adaptable to the changing needs of the business and goes with the unique nature of the enterprise.
Here are some of the key factors that help in deciding which solution to choose:
- Cost: Getting an open-source solution will save a lot of money as there won’t be any extra which comes with exorbitant mandatory software. However, custom builds can cost you more.
- Customizations required:Â Open-source software could be taken by the developers and tailored according to their needs. The code is open, so modifying it according to your requirement is easy.
- Server Requirements/Hosting:Â Due to diversity of the software, you will be able to host it anywhere you want.
- Scalability/Security:Â The platform gets regular updates as there are various developers and SMEs contributing to it. Whereas, custom solutions are made with utmost care, keeping the code clean both front-end and back-end.
- Long term plan:Â For long-term it would be suggested to use open-source solutions as they are always updated by the community and are secure. The myth that custom solutions are virus-proof is long past busted and the fact there is no guarantee of updates makes it not suitable for long-term goals.
Conclusion
After thorough consideration, we can conclude that both custom solutions and open source have their share of merits and are not perfect in making a website. The choice will be dependent on the user and the requirement the user has. Both of the systems depend on the needs of the developer and hence have no right or wrong approach in the selection of the platform.
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