Although a COTS product may not be the ‘silver-bullet’ promised by the vendors, there can be significant advantages for using them. As part of the decision on whether to follow a COTS or custom-built path, we may want to ask ourselves:
- Are our USPs or market differentiators dependent on unique information technology products?
- Does an investment in a large IT support facility contribute or detract from our corporate mission?
- Are our IT needs sufficient and complex enough to justify our own software development capability?
There will be many occasions that a COTS solution may be an effective and efficient aid to your business transformation objectives, be prepared for challenges along the way.
©Alan Mayfield 2022