Lately we've been perplexed with something at the office. Is it better to find a vendor with a web-product that is close to what we need or develop the code from scratch and have it be exactly what we need.
There are strong opinions that could fight for either side of the argument. Here are a few:
PRO - USE A PRE-PACKAGED SOLUTION:
They already have some core competencies in the arena.
They probably have some sort of support structure.
You can leverage future dot-revisions.
They've already overcome a lot of the obstacles.
CON - USE A PRE-PACKAGED SOLUTION:
Sometimes you can't get exactly what you want.
If you want customization you'll pay handsomely for it.
Your competitors have access to it and you may lose your competitive advantage.
PRO - BUILD FROM SCRATCH:
You get what you design.
You can keep your competitive advantage.
You can own the code and make modifications whenever you want.
In the long run you'll probably save money.
CON - BUILD FROM SCRATCH:
You get what you design. (You sometimes don't have the wisdom of others who have crossed this bridge before you.)
You have to maintain it and support it.
You have to wait for it to be developed. If you need it fast, this isn't the best option.
I've had good experiences on both sides. It really depends on your personal willingness to design and manage the process of building something from scratch, plus the timeliness of your project needs.
I'm in the process right now of creating a webinar tool that is custom built for my needs. In the short term it's been a lot of work. But once it's done, it will be built precisely for the vision that requires it. (I'll blog about it another time.) Plus, over time as we make dot-revisions and add functionality, it should be an amazing tool.
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