Why you should consider software maintenance

Nowadays, more and more companies are undergoing digital transformation in order to automate repetitive tasks and support their day-to-day business operations. One of the vital things which businesses should acquire in order to stay ahead of the competition is software, either bespoke or off-the-shelf. However, if they want to keep up with emerging technologies, they should remember that the process is continuous and that every software solution requires regular updates and improvements – which is why software maintenance is a must for every company. After all, the important thing about software, which was pointed out by Robert Glass, one of the most popular software engineers, is that 60% of software’s cost is maintenance and about 60% of the maintenance cost is an improvement. In this article, I discuss how software maintenance can improve the workflow of your company.

What is software maintenance

Most customers focus only on the benefits of their future system rather than on necessary improvements that follow its implementation, which is understandable given many of the struggles they deal with and even more repetitive tasks they must perform manually on a daily basis, all solved by a bespoke software solution suited to their exact needs. Its development usually takes several months, however, the product is never finished as its maintenance can last up to 20 years.

Put simply, this term includes all of the activities which take place once the development is done and which ensure the continuous improvement of your business operations. When your company needs to adapt to a new business environment or overcome a new challenge, there is no need to acquire another system as software maintenance allows you to adjust the product to your requirements. What is more, it detects and corrects any errors in the existing solution.

Benefits of software maintenance

Implementing a bespoke software solution is likely to have a tremendous impact on the workflow of your company but it is software maintenance which enables endless business growth. Software support and maintenance is important because it allows you to:

1. Ensure continuous work

Make sure your business never stops and that you can always enjoy the benefits of your software solution. By detecting and removing bugs upfront, software maintenance prevents the system from experiencing any vulnerabilities and thus allows for a continuous operational improvement.

2. Fix bugs

Unfortunately, some bugs are still inevitable, that is why software support teams are always there to fix them and thus make sure nothing stops you from achieving success. Fixing bugs without engaging maintenance engineers is possible, however, it can hurt other functionalities.

3. Gain flexibility

Your software evolves with use every single day. When growing your business, you can easily adapt the system to an evolving business environment instead of implementing a new solution and learning it from scratch. Thanks to its flexibility, it always remains up-to-date and thus saves you both time and money.

4. Get regular updates

It is easy to not only add new features to your bespoke software solution but also to remove the outdated and unwanted ones. They all occupy space in the solution and thus hurt its efficiency. By regularly updating your software and replacing useless elements with new functionalities, you increase the productivity of your company even more.

5. Improve user experience

When it comes to software development, it is the end-user whose feedback is the most valuable. If their requirements were not taken into consideration during the development process, it is still possible to improve the solution in order to meet the requirements of either your colleagues or your customers thanks to software maintenance.

6. Secure your data

Did you know that bespoke software is far less vulnerable to being hacked than off-the-shelf solutions? By having a software vendor take care of the technical issues, you can focus on your core business activities and protect your company from harmful activities like hacking at the same time.

No matter how good your software project may seem, it will require necessary improvements every once in a while in order to keep up with the challenging business environment. Software support and maintenance allows you to automate many business processes, make use of your data and thus stay ahead of the competition.