Given all the costs associated with custom application development , it’s too easy to overlook application support and maintenance expenses — but if you do, you’ll blow your ROI.
That’s why it makes sense to engage an application development services provider with app support capabilities that are both comprehensive and flexible. These capabilities — from database and application maintenance through the entire life-cycle of updates and enhancements — need to be customizable.
And I’ll say it again, since it simply cannot be repeated too often: Your provider’s application support team should include developers who are proficient in all of the most common development languages and platforms .
In addition to critically important application security testing skills and expertise, you need to pay attention to three provider capabilities, which I’ll lay out in a bit more detail in my next blog. These are (1) database performance and stability monitoring, (2) beta and test environment architecture, and (3) documentation solutions.
Right now, though, here are the elements that make for a comprehensive, flexible array of application support services — and your provider should be able to boast about every one of them:
- Document, diagnose and recommend solutions
- Application maintenance and defect resolution
- Performance diagnostics and enhancements
- End user administration and training
- Issue tracking lifecycle
- End-user and development team technical support
- Flexible and dynamic support hours
- 24×7 case submission and results tracking
- Live technical support team options
- On-shore, off-shore, and hybrid options available
- Permanent and virtual bench support
