Build vs. buy: A CIO's journey through the software decision maze

As CIOs, we face this question constantly: should we build custom software solutions or buy off-the-shelf products? Now, more than ever, with the hyper-accelerated development in AI, this decision has taken on new urgency and complexity. Do we adopt commercial AI offerings to accelerate time-to-market, or do we build custom solutions to create meaningful differentiation? Throughout my career leading IT in facility services and construction, I’ve lived on both sides of this decision, sometimes simultaneously. What I’ve learned is that the answer is rarely black and white — it’s about making strategic choices based on your specific business context.

When I built a custom solution — and why it worked

At Assetlink, I faced a significant challenge with our facility management operations. Our teams needed a comprehensive order-to-cash work order management solution that would seamlessly integrate with our unique business processes. After evaluating the market offerings, I realized none of them addressed our specific workflows without significant compromises.

We made the decision to build our own solution. This wasn’t a choice made lightly — it required substantial investment in development resources and time. But our business processes represented a competitive advantage in how we serviced our clients, and standardizing to fit commercial software would have meant sacrificing that edge.

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