Build vs Buy: The Software Strategy Decision
Should your organization build custom software solutions or purchase commercial products? Two technology leaders present opposing views on this fundamental strategic choice.
Position For
Build Custom Solutions
Building Custom Software Creates Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Dr. Sarah Mitchell
CTO, InnovateTech Solutions
Building custom software creates capabilities competitors cannot replicate. Commercial solutions provide no differentiation.
Organizations accepting vendor roadmaps surrender control over technology destiny.
The Build Advantage
- Custom solutions deliver 3-5x better strategic fit
- Avoid $200K-2M annual licensing costs
- Development timelines compressed 60% since 2015
- Complete control over roadmap and data
Modern frameworks reduced development from 18 months/$5M to 6 months/$800K.
Netflix, Amazon, Spotify built competitive moats through custom technology.
Custom solutions enable perfect integration and eliminate vendor lock-in.
Position Against
Buy Commercial Solutions
Commercial Software Delivers Faster ROI with Lower Risk
Michael Chen
VP of Technology, Enterprise Solutions Group
Organizations building custom software underestimate complexity and maintenance burden.
Software development is not a core competency for most businesses.
The Hidden Costs of Building
- 70% of custom projects exceed budget 40%+ or fail
- Maintenance consumes 60-80% of budget annually
- Time-to-market delayed 12-18 months
- Risk of technical debt and talent dependency
Total cost includes eternal maintenance, security updates, compliance modifications.
60-70% of custom software initiatives deliver late, over budget, or incomplete.
Modern SaaS platforms deliver 80% of benefits at 20% of cost and risk.