Sharad's Insights

One of the first questions a new client typically asks is: Should we build a tech solution ourselves—or should we buy a solution that’s already on the market? Here are five questions to consider that can help you make the right decision.

 

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1. Do you have in-house expertise?  Do they have capacity? 

Creating your own tech solution requires team members who have expertise in the technology, who know how to build and manage the development and deployment of the solution. Do they have enough time to do this properly? Building a new solution requires time and energy often equivalent to being a person or team’s full-time job. Taking on building an in-house solution can take away from their regular role and primary responsibilities. And what is the project timeline? This leads us to the next question. 

 

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2. What is the criticality and urgency of the project? 

Can you afford to have your app or system go down for more than 24 hours? If you can afford to have that system offline for more than 24 hours, you have less urgency and more time to build. If the system is mission-critical, it’s a reason to push toward “buy.” 

 

Your existing contracts and licenses will also determine urgency. When is the expiration date for your application’s current contract? Do you have enough time to properly plan and implement a transition? If your wireframe contract expires in six months and it’s become way too expensive to renew, the urgency of implementing the new solution becomes much more significant. A six-month timeframe does not give you enough time to build from scratch. In that case, considering a migration of the system or application to the AWS Cloud may make sense.

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3. How much functionality do you need? 

If the solution you’re looking for does not already exist in the marketplace, you may have to build, though it’s rare that this is ever truly the case. With the sheer number of solutions available in the market today, there’s usually something already out there! Which brings me to the next consideration: functionality.

 

When it comes to a solution: do you need the Ford or the Ferrari? They both get you to the same destination but at vastly different price points. If you buy an existing solution, be aware that many out-of-the-box solutions come at the “Ford” level and then require extra expense to customize, potentially bringing your costs to something closer to the Ferrari. Do you truly need that customization, or can the out-of-the-box or minor configuration fit the need? Having a thorough understanding of your needs and priorities will help you make this decision. In the end, you might not need the Ferrari. 

 

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4. What is your current infrastructure?

Sometimes, your existing infrastructure makes the “build versus buy” decision for you. Will your current environment support a new solution or additional required features, and do you have room for expansion? Is your datacenter’s lease up for renewal, or hardware support facing end of life? Does your current infrastructure support the addition of certain out-of-the-box solutions—like artificial intelligence tools? Maybe not if your current infrastructure is not yet on the cloud. With these limitations within your on-prem datacenter, giving strong consideration to a cloud migration would be wise.

 

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5. How will you implement?   

The final key question - how will you implement the new solution? Ultimately, whether you decide to build or buy, you must be able to implement—and operate—the new solution. In either case, working with an experienced partner can make a huge difference. Here’s how:

• Buy: The AWS Marketplace can be overwhelming. A partner can help you decide which solution is best, saving you time and money. Your partner can also help you implement the solution in your infrastructure, integrate it with other systems, and help your team learn to operate it. 

• Build: A partner can provide you with the expertise you need to custom-build your own solution—and make sure it integrates with your current systems and infrastructure. 

 

As an experienced system integrator, ScaleCapacity has been helping customers in the public and private sectors build, buy, and customize their applications in the AWS Cloud for 7 years. Got more questions? We’re here to help. Contact us at sales@scalecapacity.com.