If your company has a new software project, you may find yourself facing the usual questions and concerns before you have even started.

• What software would be best suited for this project?
• How is our company set up to maintain this software moving forward?
• How expensive will it be to find the right pieces of the puzzle together to develop a satisfactory result?

There are some critical things to consider before putting together a team to develop your software, and more often than not a team-based IT resource can provide the best fit for your project Here are a few reasons why you should consider an external software partner before moving forward:

Get Honest Advice, Not What the Provider Specializes In

 
When shopping an IT project, it’s important to be mindful that any recommendations may not be based primarily on that particular individual or firm’s expertise. Too many times, a .NET shop will always recommend a .NET solution, a Java shop will always suggest a Java solution, and so on and so forth.

It is not common to find a company who is supports multiple languages, so it is even more important to find a partner who will provide this unbiased guidance. By aligning yourself with this type of partner, you will get honest advice based on the merits of the technology, and not just something that they know how to do.

Get Strategic Advice for the Long Term

 
Building version 1.0 of your software is just the beginning of the lifecycle. There will undoubtedly be ongoing upgrades, bug fixes, and modifications that will need to be made to ensure that you are getting the most out of your technology investment.

That’s where the broad expertise of a software partner comes in. If they are able to use a consultative and unbiased approach when helping you with your projects, they will evaluate the latest and greatest technologies all while keeping a business perspective on the value and cost of such technologies and the cost and impact of long term support. A partner that has expertise in a broad range of technologies is key.
 

This Company Tells me they are Experts

 
Some companies with only a single area of technical specialty may claim that this allows them to be experts and specialized in this one technology. While that may have merit if that’s the only technology you are interested in, they are hardly in a position to provide advice that is unbiased and transparent due to their limitations.

You are back to the same situation of being pressured into using a technology that you may not be able to support after they are gone which makes you even more tied in to their services. Ideally, you want to look for a partner that covers all major technologies, runs their teams into specialized practice areas of excellence for each technology and works with you to leverage your current investment. The right way lets you support your work easily after the heavy lifting is done.
 

A One Stop Shop

 
As the saying goes, Time is Money. The challenge, if you depend on many IT vendors limited to a single major technology is that each will push their own agenda, ultimately punishing you for using them. A partner that is able to provide support for all major technologies is unbiased in their support of you but even more importantly, becomes a one stop shop for all professional engineers.
How good would life be if you could just make a call and like magic, within 1-2 weeks you have the new engineers online. Even better, what if you were able to add and delete resources as you need, would that help? The decision to work with an IT partner becomes even more critical with so much at stake.

 
To review, a software partner should provide you with:

• An experienced and unbiased understanding and guidance for the best technologies.
• Solid recommendations for your long-term IT health and success
• All the development skill sets you will need to provide you with cradle to grave software solutions in one stop
 

For nearly 20 years, Softensity has provided the right people and the right technologies for a broad range of development projects for our clients. With our unbiased recommendations and extensive and deep skill sets, we are the ideal resource for your next project. Contact us today to learn why we are a software partner you can trust.