Custom business software development: at last, a tool that works the way your teams do

Tailoring brings several advantages:

• it fits the way you work, with no useless features or workarounds;
• it connects your existing tools, so each piece of information is entered only once;
• it evolves with you, at the pace of your priorities rather than a vendor’s;
• it belongs to you, with no subscription that rises with the number of users;
• it makes the most of your expertise, turning your methods into a tool nobody else has.

On the other hand, it requires an upfront investment and your teams’ involvement during design. That is why it is mainly justified when your processes are specific, or when no off-the-shelf software handles them properly.

A spreadsheet is a good tool to get started. Several signs, however, show it is time to move on:

• several people edit the same file, and different versions are going round;
• nobody dares touch the formulas any more for fear of breaking everything;
• the same information is copied into other tools;
• you no longer know who changed what, or when;
• sensitive data is sent around by email with no access control;
• the tool relies on a single person, the only one who really understands it.

If you tick at least two of these boxes, business software will probably save you valuable time.

The budget depends mainly on four factors:

• the number of processes the software has to cover;
• the number of user profiles and approval rules;
• the connections to your existing software, often the largest share of the work;
• migrating your data, depending on its volume and condition.

AI-assisted development has significantly lowered the cost of a first version. Also think about the cost over time: hosting, maintenance and changes. Compare it with the price of the subscriptions the software replaces, which often rises with every new user.

At Kreante, business software starts from €3,900 excl. VAT, with a budget agreed before we start.

A first version, focused on your main processes, can be up and running within a few weeks. More complete software, with many connections and several types of users, takes more like a few months. The most effective approach is to move step by step: your teams start working with a first version, and the software grows according to their feedback.

Yes, and it is sometimes the best solution. When ageing software still works, it can be modernised gradually: first replacing the most problematic module, adding a simpler interface, or connecting it to your new tools. A complete rebuild is rather justified when the technology is no longer maintained, every change costs too much, or nobody understands the code any more.

Under French law, software is protected by copyright, and its rights stay with the provider who developed it until they have been assigned. The Intellectual Property Code requires each assigned right to be set out separately in the contract, with its scope, purpose, territory and duration^[2].

Before launching your project, check three points: the written assignment of rights to the software, the handover of the source code and documentation, and the option of handing the next phase to another provider. At Kreante, the code is hosted in your own GitHub repository from day one.

A custom solution often holds sensitive data: customer information, employee data, contracts or financial figures. The GDPR requires their protection to be built in from the design of the software, and only strictly necessary data to be processed by default^[3].

In practice, this means access rights set for each profile, a change history, regular backups, hosting suited to how sensitive your data is and security updates followed over time.

By involving them from the start. Software that teams helped design is software they want to use. A few good practices make all the difference:

• interviewing future users before drawing a single screen;
• having them test a mockup, then each new version;
• starting with a pilot team, which then champions it with the others;
• migrating their data so they immediately feel at home;
• planning a short training session, and someone to ask questions to in the first weeks.

Yes, profoundly. AI coding agents can now write a large part of the code, which sharply reduces the time and cost of a first version. Custom software, long reserved for large accounts, is thus becoming accessible to SMEs.

But AI does not replace experience. Code generated without review can contain security flaws or architecture choices that will prove costly later. The right approach combines the two: AI to go fast, senior developers to design the architecture, review and approve every step. Your software can also include AI itself, to read documents, make estimates or hand certain tasks to AI agents.

Yes. Software lives: the systems hosting it evolve, security flaws are discovered, your connected software changes version and your needs grow. Regular maintenance ensures your tool stays secure, fast and suited to your business. It often takes the form of a block of hours, covering both fixes and small changes.

Business software is the work of a small team with complementary skills:

• the project manager, who gathers your needs and coordinates the project;
• the UX designer, who designs simple, pleasant screens;
• the architect or senior developer, who chooses the technologies and ensures the whole is robust;
• the developers, who build the features, increasingly supported by AI agents.

In an SME, these roles are often entrusted to an agency or an IT services company rather than an in-house team.

In some cases. In France, the innovation tax credit (crédit d’impôt innovation) lets SMEs recover 20% of certain expenses incurred to design the prototype of a new product intended for the market, up to €400,000 of expenses a year, until 31 December 2027^[4]. A purely internal tool is generally not eligible, but software you plan to sell may be. Your accountant can check whether your project is eligible.

The market brings together development agencies, specialist studios and IT services companies.