This blog post is LONG and fascinating (unfortunately, it’s no longer online!). It’s written by the CEO of an AMS company explaining why associations should not build their own AMS product.
Sure, he’s got a vested interest in associations buying off-the-shelf software, but he has an interesting perspective because prior to running his own AMS company, he was actually hired by an association to build a custom solution for them.
His experience underscores what I’ve told my clients for years: Associations should not be in the business of designing their own database.
Wes, as always, your post is one-sided. Naturally, you have a vested interest for associations not to build custom solutions. I liken you to a financial adviser who pushes products based on their commission rate. You clearly peddle products that benefit you. In the real world that’d be a conflict of interest. If you think an out of box solution is the end all be all, I feel sorry for your customers.
And yet here you are, at my blog! Funny that.
The analogy is wrong, too. I take no money from vendors. In one sense it makes no difference to me which vendor they choose. But I stand by my position on the value of off-the-shelf products versus custom-built software. I’ve written and spoken about it at length.
As for be-all-end-all, I’ve never written or spoken those words.
Wes, name one off the shelf provider that has a cms, custom reports, certifications, chapters, exhibits, magnet mail integration,outlook integration, fundraising built into their product ?
Why do you ask?
This article makes several excellent points about buying a license, or a subscription, to a commercial application software package, versus building a custom application from scratch.
There is one additional reason for selecting a software package: the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). If you calculate the total cost of a software solution over a 7 to 10 year period, which is a standard, the cost of the maintenance of the custom software solution will likely exceed the cost to build the original system. This TCO alone will make the packaged solution a much more attractive decision, from a financial justification perspective.
That’s a great point, Dave. TCO should be considered for any technology purchase and as you say, it’s likely that a custom solution will have a higher TCO than off-the-shelf software.
Dave, if price sells everything , then, Wes, would not have to spend time writing this blog.