Over the past few years, businesses have clearly increased their expectations toward the software industry. According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company and the Sand Hill Group business professionals have come to expect the functionalities of software to fit their unique processes. This is a shift from the past, in which the consensus was that software was not adaptable, meaning the end user must adjust to a set of provided functionalities. Since all software was hard coded and finalized as one product to be used by a diverse multitude of people, it was not expected to fit the exact needs of any particular organization perfectly.

The cost of developing software was also once too high for most companies to fathom designing custom applications. Lately, it has become a more realistic option. Research indicates companies have increased their spending on internal development projects relative to packaged purchases over the past five years. Businesses want more control over their applications, and are willing to spend a lot of money to get that control.

Nevertheless, custom-built applications still have their own set of limitations. Unlike off-the-shelf software it is not readily available. The design process typically takes months, and is then followed by a lengthy implementation process and about a year of working all the bugs out of the newly-developed system. This poses a problem for companies searching for a time-tested, reliable system or a system that can be available in a short time frame.

After much trial and error in the software industry it is now apparent that what is really needed is a reliable, flexible, powerful and user-friendly platform for building custom business software. Business professionals demand functionalities that diverge from typical project management inquiries. They are presented with unique needs in the application process flow, user interface, forms, business rules, workflow and access control of the application. Often times, companies have a well-developed, proprietary business process, best practice or methodology providing a competitive edge, and seek to maintain and enhance it with custom business software.

Business professionals must control their applications' capabilities, evolution and lifecycle. This cannot be achieved with custom software developed by outsourcing, or even an IT Department. There is an enormous loss of knowledge when it is communicated from a business-minded individual to a developer. Industry journals are full of horror stories of failed custom development projects. It is too common to hear of a solution delivered much later than promised, and systems that do not fit the business users' needs. It is difficult for technical-savvy software developers to truly understand the needs of a business mind.

Over half a decade ago work began on the first platform to allow business users to fully customize and build powerful, fully-functional business applications. Today, Interneer Intellect fills the business user's need for control. Its Instant Application Framework empowers the business user to generate applications instantly, without programming. Just as DELL pioneered PC sales by providing mass customization by the end user, Interneer, Inc. allows even those with the most basic technical skills to create custom, changeable business software solutions. Developers refer to the concept behind business software platforms such as Interneer Intellect as the "Holy Grail" of software development: placing the power of the developer in the fingertips of the business user. We are witnessing a true evolution in the business software industry.

Lawrence Calmus, a sales representative of Interneer, Inc. can be reached at sales@interneer.com. Interneer Intellect is the world's most advanced platform for building custom business applications.

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