When to build your own website or database solution

Every post I read from Idealware has me firing off messages to contacts who are involved in delivering IT solutions to not for profit clients. The latest post about when to build your own content management system is no exception. It's simple, straightforward and opinionated - what's the point of blogging if it's not all of those things?

This is good stuff for people like me who sit between supplier and client - offering advice and support to people who say 'I want a database that I can update myself, with x, y or z specific functions' and tryin to work with our team of web developers and programmers who don't know whether to build their own solution or jump on the latest open source or Software as a Service [SaaS] solution.

The conculsion from this post?

"From my perspective, exhaust all of the "buy" options: open source/proprietary/SaaS out-of-the-box, customized open source/SaaS, or integration of already existing components, or building modules on top of open source tools, before you take on building something new from the ground up. You'll save money and time, as well as be able to take advantage of an upgrade path as web software changes and improves, meaning you won't have to build whole systems again."

Idealware