Build versus Buy? Escalating Risks with Building Your Own Platform & Application

It’s difficult to imagine in this time of high employee turnover and retiring subject matter experts that we would still deliberate Build vs. Buy.

 

Who will be around long enough to deploy, let alone maintain, custom (yikes!) software platforms and applications?

 

But, imagine that your company is evaluating Build vs. Buy.

 

Here are four factors to consider when trying to answer the question of whether to Build vs. Buy a software platform to support your company’s growth – now and in the future:

 

• Cost
• Control
• Connectivity
• Maintenance

 

Have you looked at the total costs of ownership (TCO) related to custom?

 

Analyst reports and industry news are filled with reasons for Buy and COTS including examples of companies that started in-house projects that took longer than expected and cost far more than estimated.

 

Upfront investment includes training the “extended” teams, developing specifications, and dedicating hundreds (or more) of hours to implement the solution.

 

Sure, your IT teams can build complex tailored software – with heavy prioritization, funding, and time. However, experience has shown that it is an expensive and unnecessary distraction from more meaningful work.

 

Partnering with GE frees up time, letting you align with your core competency and focus on what you do best: create great products for your customers.

 

Uncertainty and the associated risk are not only about measurable costs but the hidden costs of building your own platform.

 

As an example, expensive downtime and product launch delays are far more costly than the software itself.

 

Do you really have more control with a custom solution?

 

A common mistake when building a custom platform is to develop specifications against an unrealistic scenario thinking that you have greater control over your implementation.

 

This easily results in unexpected delays and cost increase.

 

Our software is designed with the user in mind – for “human-centric” operations, delivering great UX for remote monitoring & control and mobile workers. Proficy software can be tailored to your needs by our experts but also by the local owners, so you don’t have to rely on a third party for minor changes or updates.

 

Our Proficy solutions are designed to empower people, from the connected worker to the quality team.

 

What if your local engineer can adjust the application and gain insights without a data scientist? That’s the kind of empowerment we provide.

 

At GE, we have 100+ years of experience delivering results and solving challenges across similar industries and in our own plants. Our customers tell the story best – see some of their successes.

 

Do you have time to overcome connectivity issues with custom?

 

Connectivity is paramount. Data collection and management are the foundation of any Digital Transformation journey. From a platform perspective, it means connectivity to myriads of existing systems, including machines, legacy databases, SCADA, MES, IT systems, and more.

 

Building your own platform exposes you to risk. Poor connectivity might result in poor data quality or even missing data. Yet, meaningful analytics require a holistic view of your processes.

 

Our Proficy software solutions can deliver superior connectivity, from the plant floor to the cloud, capable of aggregating data from heterogeneous systems in real time. Because we use standards such as OPC UA, MQTT, and more, our drivers, data collectors, and off-the-shelf interfaces can be deployed with minimal effort and deliver efficient and reliable connections.

 

And, our cloud strategy is changing the game for more cost-effective, easier to manage solutions and better support.

 

Who will maintain custom builds?

 

Building your own platform might give a false impression of independence, not having to rely on an external team to develop new features or roll out upgrades.

 

Unfortunately, most internal teams do not have the same availability or expertise as a dedicated and focused out-of-the-box software engineering team when dealing with complex architectures, OT requirements, and security needs of typical industrial companies.

 

Furthermore, we all know that workforce retention is an issue. Do you realistically expect your team to be able to manage a custom solution for the long term? Who will be able to do it in one year, two years, five years, ten years?

 

Our Proficy software provides flexibility for scale – on-prem, at the edge, and in the cloud. From multi-tenancy to data compliance, our teams are armed with best practices and the latest technology insights, better equipped to handle maintenance for enterprise-scale software over the entire lifecycle of the application.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Whether you are using an iPhone or an Android-based smartphone, it’s fun to think about the apps that you might program for them. In the end, there are reasons why we all go to the App Store.

 

Keep this in mind when considering a custom software platform that will require massive investment, time, and workforce consistency that you might not be able to afford – today or tomorrow.