What is included in software development services?
Software development services cover a range of solutions, from strategy and design to deployment and maintenance of digital services and products. Some of the most common services include:
Custom Application Development
Custom software solutions or applications developed for web or mobile devices, designed to address specific business needs and objectives.
Enterprise Software Development
Software, solutions, systems, or platforms intended to serve multiple functions critical for an enterprise’s internal and/or external operations. This includes CRMs, ERPs, SCMs, and HRMs.
Digital Product Development
End-to-end software solution and/or digital product creation where the development company takes almost complete ownership of the software, from ideation and market research to post-deployment modification.
Cloud-Native Development
Development for one or more specific cloud environments, leveraging the full potential of cloud capabilities. This entails specific framework and tool capabilities, cloud-native development, and migration expertise.
AI Development
Developing software around foundational or custom AI/ML models to leverage AI capabilities for a specific business environment or use case. This can also include model retraining and fine-tuning to improve alignment with development goals.
Embedded and IoT Development
Developing solutions and interfaces for IoT devices, sensors, and other specialized hardware, as well as integrating them into an organization's IT infrastructure and operations while ensuring robust security.
Modernization Services
Middleware and API development to surface data and functionalities from legacy systems. This may also involve a complete overhaul and rewriting of legacy code in modern languages and frameworks for better scalability and interoperability.
System Integrations and APIs
Integration of custom-made and off-the-shelf solutions into existing workflows, as well as developing APIs to improve interoperability and third-party integration capabilities of existing systems.
DevOps
Building, deploying, and maintaining DevOps pipelines to streamline the entire software development and deployment lifecycle, enabling easy maintenance and modification of software within an organization.
How to select a software development firm for your business
Choosing a software development partner is a strategic decision that will affect and shape many aspects of your business. The right partner leverages industry expertise, proven methodologies, and innovative thinking to translate strategic vision into technical solutions that drive measurable growth and operational efficiency.
On the other hand, a mismatched partnership can lead to project failure, budget overruns and solutions that are not aligned with business objectives.
Identify Your Software Needs and Requirements
Clearly identify and flesh out your goals and requirements from a strategic business perspective. This can be as simple as what you want the software to do and as granular as identifying exact internal processes you want the software to interact with and transform.
Define Project Scope
Start by identifying all the business units your software may interact with, the requirements of critical stakeholders, and relevant compliance and governance dimensions. Identifying and setting long-term business goals that the project is expected to serve, desired outcomes (and relevant KPIs), and future business needs is critical as well. Collectively, both constraints and aspirations can help you define and shape an outline of the project's scope before you evaluate it from a technical lens with a development partner.
Evaluate Internal Capabilities and Bandwidth
Consider leveraging outsourced developers to fill resource gaps if you have an in-house development team.
If you don’t have the required internal resources, you should look for software development companies offering end-to-end services.
The following factors are important to consider both when searching for and shortlisting development partners:
- Regional Presence: Evaluate the costs and benefits of onshore, nearshore and offshore development options to determine which is best for you. While onshore development offers cultural, time zone and linguistic alignment, it may also mean fewer options at higher costs.
Seeking services from nearby regions (nearshore development) can provide better alignment at a lower cost in addition to access to a larger talent pool.
Offshore development often provides top-tier technical capabilities at comparatively lower cost, but you will have to vet them for communication and work-culture compatibility, and time-zone availability.
- Portfolio and Track Record: Select a development company with a strong portfolio of completed projects and a reputation for reliable and timely delivery. Review potential partners' case studies and client feedback to identify relevant experience on projects similar to the ones you want to develope.
- Industry Experience: Industry experience is often essential for businesses operating within compliance-heavy industries like finance and healthcare. For others, it is an additional positive aspect to consider. It indicates that the software development partner understands your industry’s pain points, practices, regulatory landscape, and customer expectations. This reduces the learning curve for the development partner, accelerating delivery, and resulting in a more value-aligned product.
- Recommendations and References: Reach out to peers and partners for recommendations of software development companies they have had good experiences with, particularly for projects similar to what you are looking to develop. They may be able to provide candid information relevant to your decision-making and accelerate the selection process considerably.
- Technical Expertise: This is particularly relevant when you require the use of specific technologies and frameworks for regulatory reasons, legacy infrastructure compatibility, or industry trends.
If you don’t have tech stack preferences, it is still important to gauge whether a potential partner is nudging you towards what they have expertise in, or actually focusing on technologies best suited for your project. Their justification or criteria for technology selection can help you evaluate that.
- Security and Compliance Methodology: Prioritize software development companies that take a security and compliance-first approach to development instead of tacking them on later and treating them as an afterthought. This approach leads to more stable, scalable and secure software.
- Collaboration and Communication: A good partner should accommodate your preferred collaboration structure and level of involvement. When working with offshore development teams, ensure linguistic alignment and time zone overlap for key resources. Evaluate communication practices early to prevent problems later on. Teams in different time zones should provide points-of-contact and developers available during your hours. Choose partners experienced in cross-time zone collaboration who can accommodate your preferred communication channels and frequency to maximize project effectiveness.
- Transparency and Visibility: Look into reviews or talk to past clients to get a clear picture of how transparent a potential software development partner is. Development companies that focus on clarifying your needs and goals before closing the deal and explain their process thoroughly, instead of pushing contract signing, are likely to be more transparent down the line as well. Other good signs are companies that allow you to connect with all members of the team working on your project and give you access and visibility to code (and changes) early in the process.
- Testing and QA Processes: Look for development companies that offer rigorous and time-tested QA processes and practices but are not rigid. They should have processes in place to modify their QA based on your project’s performance, compliance, stability, scalability and other needs.
- Digital Infrastructure and Integration Support: Some software may require middleware, APIs, and tweaks to existing digital infrastructure to operate properly within your business environment. It's smart to work with development companies that have these capabilities and experience with legacy systems in different industries.
- End-to-End Capabilities: Software development partners that offer comprehensive end-to-end support across the project lifecycle are especially valuable when you do not have the internal resources to handle certain aspects or phases of the project. Even if you do, partnering with companies offering end-to-end development gives you more freedom to reallocate internal resources away from the project if needed, without causing disruptions or delays.
Which industries do software development companies serve?
Software development companies provide services to businesses from all sectors and industries, though specific compliance knowledge, market understanding, and industry
specific expertise may vary. Common industries that most software development companies provide services to include:
- Financial Services
- Healthcare
- Retail
- Education
- Energy
- Logistics
- Telecom
However, software development services are not limited to these industries, so even if your business does not fall within those listed above, you can still reach out to them to discuss and determine whether or not they can work with you.
