Perhaps the most common question we get asked when it comes to SCA software is how to choose between going for in-house development or outsourced expertise. Since the Build vs. Buy debate is heavy and multifaceted, in this blog, we discuss a few of the pros and cons to help you and your team make the best decision.
Should we build in, or should we buy in? When it comes to software, this is one of the oldest questions management teams have to answer.
And obviously, there is a clear temptation from some organisations to contemplate the former option. Perhaps they have an R&D team, an engineering team, the programming skills, and the time and resources readily available. So, why not build it?
Yet, we believe that this should be less of a question about whether or not an organisation can build it. Rather, the right question organisations should be asking themselves is why they should build it.
SWOT analysis comes in handy when identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that come with business planning. While strengths and weaknesses are frequently internal, opportunities and threats are more commonly external. In the case of Buy vs. Build, a quick SWOT analysis should help answer the following:
We understand that these questions are a bit generic and can therefore apply to any kind of software development. However, it becomes a bit trickier when talking about SCA because SCA is not just about technology - it sits somewhere between software and regulation.
If you cannot answer the fundamental questions that accompany a good SWOT analysis well and with confidence, yet you choose to proceed with building your own SCA, you might be facing the following risks:
At Okay, we’ve worked hard to develop a state-of-the-art SCA solution that delivers consistent benefits to our customers. Years of combined research, development and industry experience have sped up time-to-market delivery and helped us avoid SCA project pitfalls. The constant discussions we have with our customers also drive our roadmap so that any new development is industrialised and avoids lock-in.
As one of the best-of-breed SCA vendors, we solely focused on SCA and have solved the tech, regulation, and even UX equation thoroughly. For subjects where we do not have the complete answer, we have built up an ecosystem of partners that can step in with pre-integrated solutions. All in all, our job is about simplification by taking the integration complexity away from our customers.
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Buy vs. Build will always be a tricky question to answer. And when it comes to SCA, the topic is complex because of the layer of regulation. Therefore, it makes sense that for SCA, a company would be better off buying rather than building. It all comes down to quantifying the 5 basics values of:
Although, if you have a few million euros to spend, why not test out the field of in-house development? After all, more competition means all the more innovation for our industry!