infoTECH Feature

April 30, 2015

Appian Finds that Business Execs and IT Disagree on Custom Software Investment

Custom software drives businesses across all markets, and both business executives and IT decision makers appear to know the value of such software. Both groups, according to a recent study by Harris Poll on behalf of business process management software developer Appian, believe that custom software is driving innovation in technology and allows businesses to easily make software enhancements, deliver better customer service, and run efficient operations. Where they disagree, however, is in how to invest in custom software.

Appian's study, the “Business Executive Omnibus Survey” which surveyed 301 business executives and 306 IT decision makers, found that 70 percent of its surveyed IT decision makers noted that investment in cloud-based applications as a way forward concerning the production of custom software. On the other hand, only 58 percent of surveyed business executives showed that they understood the value of investing in the cloud.

The two groups come back together in their support for tackling the problems of legacy custom software such as building and maintaining those programs. It just appears that they do not share support for investment in the cloud and do not have the equal amount of optimism for what the cloud can help deliver.

Such deliveries may result in easier initial setup of programs for clients, better management and updates of that software as clients scale, and ease of troubleshooting for customer support teams. It is clear that there are a number of industries which can benefit from custom software. The Appian announcement and overview of its study cites the financial services, retail, telecommunications, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, energy and utilities, and manufacturing markets as the top picks among both surveyed groups. They also both reported a belief that custom software has the ability to transform those markets by addressing their unique needs and making operations better through software enhancements over time, improved customer service capabilities, and ease of use by company employees.

Appian notes that custom software can give businesses an edge over the competitors and separate leaders from followers. In order to achieve that overall goal, business executives and IT decision makers will need to be in lockstep to make sure their investments are directed to the proper places.




Edited by Dominick Sorrentino
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