3. 1  Business opportunities with software

Both individuals and corporate environments have software needs that generate multiple business opportunities.

The basic task involved in meeting these needs is to create this software, the task of development per se. However, the needs to be met do not end here; this is only the beginning. Once the product is made available, a number of related needs arise, such as consulting, installation, configuration, maintenance, support and training, for which certain customers (mainly other companies) are willing to pay.

Throughout the process of technology adoption, from the identification of needs to the decision to build or buy, right up to the end of the useful life of the technology, multiple needs are generated that can be met by many different companies:

Moreover, the process of software creation itself can be interpreted in two ways: as the creation of a product or as the provision of a service. The choice between the two will be critical for defining the company's operation and its potential generation of revenue, which will result in very different business models.

This choice – developing software as a product or a service – also reflects the first issue that a company that consumes software will need to evaluate when adopting a technological solution: whether to purchase a standard, packaged product or to obtain a tailored development.

We can therefore distinguish between the following business activities in relation to software:

This classification is intended to be neither exhaustive nor exclusive, that is, many companies will implement hybrid models allowing them to provide integral solutions to their customers.

The features of software companies and their business dynamics will vary greatly depending on the activities that they focus on, as we shall see later, but any of the models has the potential to generate both viable and highly profitable businesses.