As a Salesforce partner, Vicasso is often confronted with the decision of whether to build a custom solution or buy a turnkey product. In our experience with Salesforce implementations, the right decision always depends on what’s best for our customers. In some cases, we’ll advise our customers to procure an app from the AppExchange, and in other cases it’s smarter to develop a custom solution.
The fact is, considerations for whether to build or buy a Salesforce app are different from other cloud or on-premise platforms. Salesforce has the advantage of native apps, which allow you to customize and build upon them with standard platform functionality (e.g., analytics, automation, business rules, and APIs). As a result, they can be aligned with your business processes without some of the challenges that come with building and maintaining a custom solution.
So how can you determine whether to build or buy a Salesforce app? Start by answering these key questions:
- What is the cost of waiting for a solution?
- Do you have the resources, and do they have time?
- Is your organization evolving?
- Do you have sensitive data?
- What is the best use of your team’s talent and time?
To help answer these questions, see our Build vs Buy infographic, which provides key considerations for each question.
