Bespoke software is alive and well.

In a recently posted article on the Business Computing World website, Haseet Sanghrajka of ST Consulting writes under the byline "How Application Platforms Are Killing Bespoke Software'.

Now, I can only assume that the title comes from a bit of over-enthusiasm for his offering because this is certainly not what Mr Sanghrajka succeeds in demonstrating. What he does argue is that application platforms are the best way forward for companies needing software solutions, as opposed to either package or bespoke solutions.

Let's tackle the package argument first, as it is the easiest. I would certainly agree that more complex business software, when taken in package form, is limiting for any business. However, there should be allowance made for packages such as QuickBooks or MS Office: there are times when a package solution is entirely appropriate.

His argument against bespoke software seems to be related to development time, cost and maintenance. So, let's return to those arguments after we've had a look at what Mr Sanghrajka is proposing, which is an 'application platform'. Although this is not particularly well explained in the article, in his terms it consists of some packages - that is, Microsoft Dynamics, Office and Outlook - plus a bespoke development language, .NET. (Packages and bespoke development are, of course, precisely what he is campaigning against.)

Those of you who have any experience of Dynamics will be aware of its eye-watering price tag (although MS have now introduced a cheaper version to try and encourage take up in smaller businesses). Microsoft themselves are pleased to tell their resellers that they can anticipate many times the cost of the package in terms of consultancy fees. Readers of Mr Sanghrajka's article won't be surprised when they reach the end to see that his company sells precisely this type of consultancy.

But back to our argument. Dynamics is more commonly known as Dynamics CRM and it is for this purpose - customer relationship management - that the product is most commonly sold. Extending the product out to cover other functions takes us into the territory of square pegs and round holes, and it is for this reason alone that I struggle to see how this particular application platform can compete with bespoke software.

So, to pursue the argument, perhaps the article is only really supposed to be about CRM. One of the touted benefits of Dynamics is just how powerful, configurable and flexible it is. I don't disagree with that. But you can deduce from those features that it is a complex piece of software, which is why companies such as ST Consulting can make a business out of configuring it.

It is this complexity and the cost of the consultants needed to maintain it that is seeing organisations move away from Dynamics (and SAP, as well) to simpler, bespoke solutions that do exactly what their companies need and nothing more. Certainly any bespoke provider worth their salt can provide a CRM for less than the cost of a configured Dynamics solution.

So, the argument was that bespoke software is too expensive, takes too long to develop and needs maintenance. But Dynamics will frequently be more expensive as a whole, takes time to configure and is too complex for organisations to manage themselves, resulting in ongoing consultancy costs. What's more, working with a good software house - with business and systems analysts, experienced developers, and a strong testing and change management process - will lead to cost-effective software being delivered to spec, on time and on budget.

I'd like you to indulge me in a couple of very specific ripostes, too. Quite apart from the fact that the argument has not been raging for decades (two perhaps, which is technically plural, I suppose), Mr Sanghrajka has it plain wrong when he says "Unlike traditional bespoke development that relies on software coders, application platform technology allows organisations to build on the underlying relational database using point and click development tools. Key concepts such as database fields, data relationships and workflow are automatically handled by the underlying application platform layer." This is disingenuous, at best. Building and maintaining relational databases requires good understanding and experience. Whilst a casual user may be able to add an attribute here and there, by the time they are creating entities and connecting them, they are only a short step from having to call those Dynamics consultants back in to sort out the ensuing problems with performance, reporting and data integrity.

Secondly, Mr Sanghrajka states that "it is estimated that an organisation can create a new solution from scratch in the same time frame it takes to deploy a traditional packaged application." Does this need much more than common sense to disprove it? Unless the new solution is, perhaps, a VAT calculation and the package is, say, Microsoft Dynamics.

My argument here is not with Mr Sanghrajka, who has a business to run and who no doubt has a lot of belief in Dynamics. What I dislike is the false argument. By Mr Sanghrajka's own admission, bespoke is the best solution. However, his arguments against it are flawed and actually apply more acutely to Microsoft Dynamics. Or the 'application platform' if you prefer.