How to Choose The Right Enterprise Software - 8 Tips

Modern technology solutions help you stay competitive and productive in a constantly changing business landscape. Enterprise software development is vital in shaping the daily operations of your company and streamlining the entire workflow. Hence, choosing an enterprise solution that best suits your business is often a tricky task. 

Check Out the Below Tips to Find the Best Enterprise Software Solution for Your Business:

Check Software Provider’s Experience and Portfolio

The enterprise software development partner you’re working with must have a proven track record of delivering quality IT solutions. Check their past projects, client satisfaction rate, testimonials and team members experience in the software development field. Enquire about the custom software cost from its team. Work with a software provider who understands your business processes and implements them quickly without the need to explain tasks again and again. Go through these checkpoints to hire a software developer.

1. Consider Your Business Operations and Processes

Companies often ignore the sustainability and long-term continuity aspect when purchasing any software. Make sure - custom software you’re using aligns with your businesses workflow and day-to-day activities. Analyze things like how many basic business activities you can perform this new tool? Is the software compatible with other business systems or applications? Is the software easy to use and learn for your staff? Ask these questions to yourself for more clarity. 

2. Choose Your Industry-Specific Software

Ane enterprise software is of no use if it doesn’t adhere to your industry standards, process and compliance requirements. So, always seek a software solution that meets the needs of the market you operate in. Check whether this software eradicates all the pain points of end-users or employees who will use it in future. Also, check if this software can help you in reducing costs, streamlining activities and minimizing errors during your company’s digital transformation process.

3. Software Cloud Compatibility is Essential

Usage of cloud computing services is a must for modern enterprises today. It helps you streamline your business activities and improve operational efficiencies in the long-run without increasing costs. Using cloud-based solutions like mobile apps or software enables your workforce to access critical business data anytime, anywhere from any internet-connected device. 

4. Seamless Integration with Other Business Systems

It is vital that the custom, cloud-based mobile app or software you choose - sync up with other IT systems of your enterprise seamlessly. What this means is a flexible API entry point in your chosen tool - which ensures easy data sharing between your business applications or IT systems. This will help you improve collaboration and exchange data without any disruption.

5. Consider Staff Training Requirements

Learning a new software solution or mobile app can consume a significant amount of time for your staff. So, make sure the custom software you request is easy-to-use and learn for your employees. Ask for a user manual and training guide from your software development consulting company. Also, request your development partner to provide specialized training programs to your staff - so they can learn the tool quicker. 

6. Ask for References

Take advantage of your industry experience and knowledge by asking your business partners to recommend reputable software solutions providers to you. You can consult your business partners before picking any software. Make extensive analysis and evaluation to ensure your chosen software passes all your business requirements. Always trust strong references. 

7. Look for Customization and Scalability

Can the software be tailored to suit your business processes? Will it be able to scale as your business grows in future? Ask these questions to yourself before you choose an enterprise tool. Remember, one size fits all doesn’t always work. Every business has different needs or demand- so it’s important to pick a partner who offers flexibility in configuration. 

8. Don’t Forget About Security

Any technology security loophole in enterprise software can cost you heavily. So, make sure the system you use is well protected and not accessible to outsiders. System-wide security is what you should target while ensuring zero data leakage or loss. Remember to modify access permission for users as per their availability. For example, when an employee leaves your company, make sure to erase his credentials from the software database to prevent unapproved access.

7 Steps Guiding You Through Enterprise Software Selection Process

Finding the right enterprise software development company and implementing the best solution is a daunting journey. How to start the selection process, where to start, what to prioritize- all these questions can be intimidating and confusing. Any ill-informed decision can leave you spinning your wheels and burning money. Our experts understand the crannies and details of the process and will be happy to assist you. They have provided a step-by-step guide to help you make an informed decision:

1. Determine Your Business Goals

No software development company can deliver the perfect solution to meet your needs until it knows what your exact requirements are. Before you begin your search for the top software vendors, identify your business objectives, prioritize goals, and determine the functions you need in the software. Commit enough time and resources to evaluate all the features accurately that you want in your custom software product. 

The goals may seem obvious in broader terms, which most commonly is- enhancing the efficiency of your organization. However, you must be precise and specific about short and long-term targets, features to streamline processes, and support you want for custom software, and the relevant ERP Solutions to meet those needs. Enlist the features that will enable your business growth, increase revenue, and decrease costs. In addition, define the functions you want to eliminate from the system. Once you have a business plan and other factors in mind, it will be easier to share your vision with your developer 

2. Set a Comprehensive Budget

Budgeting for the enterprise software can be the most frustrating and strenuous part of the process as it involves analyzing a plethora of factors and considering different situations. It is quite common for a poorly planned software project to exceed the allotted budget, which can stall and delay the entire implementation process. Hence, you need a meticulously planned and defined project with an accurate forecast to stay on track even in case of unforeseen circumstances, such as changes in market trends or evolution in technology. Prefer overestimating the project rather than staying short-handed but avoid going overboard. 

For large-scale software projects, a phased approach for budgeting is the best solution. While deciding the budget, consider a few points- expected issues, costs of software, data transfer, possible downtime, and other expenses, license fee, etc. 

3. Create a List of Software Vendors

This was all for the stressful part, now begins the actual fun part that involves discussions with vendors and more. It’s time to explore the internet and research to find top software vendors that offer the services and solutions you need. As you are clear about your goals, requirements, budget, and problems that need to be addressed, it will be easier to filter the list and select the best agencies. Share your specifications and requirements with each of them so they can understand your vision completely. You can also ask for a demonstration to know how they will meet your needs. 

Narrow down your list based on offshore software companies and onshore solutions. Other points to consider are- the experience of the company in your domain, clients they have worked with, feedback & reviews, customer retention rate, updates & support policy, etc. 

4. Ask for Referrals from Trusted Partners

Although preparing a list after in-depth research provides you with the best options, it is still recommended to ask for referrals from your friends and peers. Your employees or colleagues who are well-informed about the enterprise software domain can share references thus, saving your time and effort. Based on your preference (offshore or onshore), budget, and other concerns, look for the best companies. Discuss with people in your network who have experience in the field and collaborated with software vendors. 

Referrals are an authentic and trusted way to seek accurate reviews as compared to your own research. It gives you first-hand information about quality, services, performance, and other key factors. 

5. Review and Compare Different Companies

The next step is to review previous work samples and portfolios of your potential software development partner. Invest a few good hours to go through past work and clients and have a brief meeting with vendors regarding offers, experience, and references. As you will evaluate the shortlisted companies, it will help you know more about their work culture and procedures. As you start reviewing and analyzing all the companies, consider the size of your project as well. Some software agencies only work with smaller clients while others collaborate with bigger projects for various reasons. Moreover, discuss your idea in brief with software companies to get insights into their technical knowledge.

Another important comparison is the estimated cost that different software development firms charge for their services. We know that cheaper ones tempt you to hire them but give it a thought and determine if you are overlooking risks. Compare the price with a company’s expertise, experience, quality of work, professionalism, size of the team, and if they have included QA and software testing services and support services in the cost. 

6. Evaluate Technology, Team & Security

Learn about emerging technologies to know what will suit your project the best. Ask vendors what frameworks and tools they will use for your custom software. Make sure to ask about their technical prowess in that particular framework and platform. You can check their certificates and documents to authenticate their claims. A trusted and credible company will be more than happy to disclose the technical skills of its team members. 

In the initial hiring stage, you will connect more with the sales team and consultants. However, they are not the people who will work on your project, you want to talk directly to developers and engineers who will build your product and deliver results. Although some companies don’t encourage clients to communicate with developers in the beginning, you must insist on it. Convey your vision, expectations, and idea to developers. Take their inputs to refine your product. 

Lastly, check that the company is not compromising data security and taking all the necessary measures to protect your sensitive data from employees and third parties. Sign a nondisclosure agreement before starting the project. 

7. Time to Make the Right Decision

You embarked on the enterprise software buyer journey with a problem that needed an effective solution. After going through these points, you are at the stage to select the right partner to resolve that problem. This is the time to hand over your project to a professional and dedicated development team that takes care of it hassle-free and achieves the operational efficiency that you want.  

Still, Have Doubts?

Partner with an expert enterprise IT consultation services provider to guide you in picking up the best enterprise software that suits your needs. The company IT experts will offer your best suggestions on how to choose an ideal software solution that helps you achieve better business results.