In this day and age, any business that you may choose to run implies using a piece of technology of some kind. Skipping this step will probably put your company behind competitors, so for most of us it is not an option.
We refer to this trend as business digitalization, or the process of integrating technology into business endeavors. And, if you haven’t guessed already, software applications play a large part in this process.
In this article, we decided to explore:
- How business digitalization happens;
- Why it is effective;
- When it may be time to get in touch with a software development company.
Why Business Digitalization Matters
The motivation behind integrating technology in business is rather simple: it makes things easier. Having a digital database for storing information is infinitely easier to navigate than a paper-based one.
Having automatic calendar applications is cheaper than hiring an assistant (and less prone to human error). And, more obviously, having robots perform physical labour is more effective than hiring workers.
In short, business digitalization optimizes the process of developing products and services, and its widespread nature means that, oftentimes, you can get the software you need with just a couple of clicks.
However, what is important to note is that there are 2 levels of software solutions for digitalization:
- Widely available software;
- Custom-made software.
Depending on the level of digitalization your business has, you may want to look into either one or the other.
Widely Available Software Solutions for Digitalization
The first step toward business digitalization is to solve the most common issues in your business process. These can refer to communication, project management, financial management, data storage, and many others.
But the keywords here are “most common.” Because most businesses encounter these problems, general-purpose software solutions are available on the market.
Here, we can name examples such as Trello, Slack, Liveplan, FGO, and many others. With a couple of clicks (and money in your bank account), you can implement these solutions seamlessly.
That being said, some businesses choose to have general-purpose software solutions for digitalization tailored by a team of developers instead. This way, they make sure that the software is optimized for their own processes and that any specific needs are resolved in the application’s architecture.
Custom-Made Software Solutions for Digitalization
In this article we talked about the way software applications are created. At the second level of business digitalization, things get a bit more complicated. With the most common issues already solved, businesses start looking for software solutions that are specific to them only.
For instance, software that automates a specific task, or that gathers a specific type of data, all fall into this category. In this situation, companies must reach out to software development firms, or try creating software solutions in-house.
However, the latter is generally less desirable, as in-house specialists are not as connected to the latest technology and innovations as a specialized business. So, most companies go with the former. Knowing what the process of software development looks like can also be useful, making sure that you communicate effectively with the development team.
Conclusion
In the end, business digitalization can appear complicated at first, but becomes rather easy to understand after grasping the basics. All that non-technical decision-makers need to know is why they should invest in software development, and what functionalities they want their new app to have.
