Andrew Sirianni

With the technology landscape reaching maturity in a number of markets, there are a number of off-the-shelf solutions or frameworks that can help you get started with your next business/technology requirement. However, while there are many good applications available, choosing the right one for the right job is key in ensuring the success and manageability of your software solution.

Of course, choosing the right tool for the right job goes without saying, so here's some examples of what I am referring to.

If you're looking to start selling online, then eCommerce platforms/solutions will be great at helping you to get started. Systems like Squarespace, Shopify, BigCommerce and Magento can really help you start up quickly while at the same time helping you to leverage best practice. These systems were built for selling products on line and hence can help you get up and running with ease.

But if I were looking to setup a document management solution, or a quoting system, or business management solution, then choosing any of these eCommerce platforms would be a far from ideal solution. While they are good examples of software for eCommerce, adapting them to custom systems/processes can often be a laborious task and in many cases may negate any of the benefit in using them in the first place. In this instance, you will seek a better result by defining your objectives and then using a system that is closer aligned with these objectives.

The same principles can be applied when choosing they architecture/type of software to be used for your platform. Some setups are more aligned with requirements than others - for example, Microsoft .NET works better within a Microsoft environment but is a costly solution that requires licences. Conversely PHP/MySQL is often a more cost-effective solution that can make easy use of a wide range of plugins/adaptors.

We certainly haven't addressed EVERY permutation of what software is suitable for which business case, however I hope that you can start to see that different software can be used for different purposes. And ensuring you choose the software that best meets your requirements will ensure that you get the best results.

Here at DCODE, we specialise in providing custom-built, web-based applications: be it a website with specific functionality; a mobile website; or an internal system that provides management, marketing or functionality. We're more than just web designers/web developers; but at more manageable rates than the larger consultancies. Our team consists of staff that are both IT consultants and IT developers - ensuring that we can provide an analysis and review of requirements; and then deliver the technology from within the same company. Every staff member has both consulting and development experience - ensuring that you're speaking with people who have a sound understanding of the technology that will be used to provide your solution.

If you need assistance in building a website or building an online solution, contact us to find out how we can be of assistance - we're always keen to work on new projects.

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