In our previous two articles, we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of both off-the-shelf software and custom software. Now, we’ll compare both of these options to the B3 hybrid custom software platform and explain why B3 can help companies gain the benefits of off-the-shelf and custom software while reducing the risks inherent in both.
But first, we should explain what we mean by B3’s hybrid custom software platform. “Hybrid” simply means that software built with B3 has characteristics of both full custom and off-the-shelf software. The B3 platform is a set of flexible software building blocks, independently scalable and customizable for any business and any process. You can choose which blocks you need and stack them to form a system tailored for your business. So, you are gaining access to pre-built software (like off-the-shelf) that can be fully customized.
B3 vs. Off-the-shelf
Like off-the-shelf software, B3 delivers a significant portion of desired functionality right away. In fact, up to 80% of any software solution is already built on the B3 platform and has been battle-tested. The same quality standards and development and testing processes are applied to the custom component of the B3 solution, providing companies with peace of mind knowing that their software is proven secure and stable, something that can’t be guaranteed with full custom software.
This model also results in large upfront dollar savings over full custom software, as the essential building blocks of the software do not have to be re-created each time for every application. Another benefit is speed of implementation. With so much of the total solution already built, customization moves quicker, meaning that like-off-the-shelf, companies can start benefitting from their new software faster.
But unlike off-the-shelf, a custom solution built on top of B3 software cannot be bought by your competitors. Due to its customization, a B3 solution provides differentiation against your competitors’ software and delivers unique value to your customers. B3 software also enables better alignment between your software and your operations that off-the-shelf cannot provide.
Another advantage of B3 over off-the-shelf is that B3 offers businesses more flexibility to own their software outright, if they choose, providing an alternative to the non-negotiable perpetual licensing fees commonly found with off-the-shelf software. And with B3, your data is yours. You’ll never have to worry about losing control of your data or protecting the privacy and security of your users and customers.
B3 vs. Full Custom
Like full custom software, B3 enables businesses to create unique value and strategic advantages in their software not found with off-the-shelf solutions. With B3, companies can better differentiate their product offerings and customer experience, encode trade secrets and processes, and enhance operational efficiency and productivity, making it difficult for competitors to replicate.
Also like full custom software, with B3 a business’s data is under their full control, enabling greater insights through custom business intelligence and reporting that can be used to identify new opportunities for productivity, revenue gains, and controlling costs.
But unlike most custom software, our solutions are fully scalable for any size need. B3 software is not built monolithically with glued together parts that make scaling the system difficult. Because B3 software is built on a flexible building block model, each component is independently scalable with practically no limit to how large systems can grow, on any cloud or on premises. This is important for companies whose future growth prospects will require their software to be able to grow with them.
Also because of our flexible building block model, our software is obtainable much faster and at a far lower upfront cost than full custom software. We can deliver custom software up to 500% faster than traditional software development models and at a fraction of the cost, as low as 20% of the cost of other solutions.
Is B3 what you need?
As we stated in our first article, we generally recommend using pre-built off-the-shelf software if you can. It can be a good place to start, but often companies find in the long-run that an off-the-shelf solution won’t meet their needs. That’s when B3 can help. Once you’ve identified that custom software is needed to get the job done, B3 is the solution you’re looking for. With 20 years of experience building custom applications for companies large and small across industries, we’re the partner that can take your business software to the next level – faster and at lower cost than others.
And remember – your new software is already up to 80% built with B3. We’re ready when you are.
