Advantage of software package:
Advantages accrue from this situation. Some of these are mentioned below:
i) An efficient software package requires at least 4 to 5 man years of programming effort and is very expensive to develop. The investment cost for initial creation of the package is spread over many users and any one user pays only part of this cost.
ii) Since the package is to be sold, it must be visible in the market place. This implies that the package be well documented. User manuals with test data and guidance on the setting up of the systems employing the software must be readily made available.
iii) The supplier with a number of clients has sufficient maintenance income to justify the establishment of a sound service.
iv) Packages, which have been widely used will be thoroughly tested in different environments, and thus any weakness or fault can be quickly identified and. rectified.
v) Many desirable features will be incorporated into a commercial package, which has been refined after application in several organisations, but these features may not be apparent to the user. Such features will include security pass words, back up, restart and recovery programs and integrity checking and skilled and beginner level assistance.
vi) Existence of a 'user group allowing the organisation to compare its experience of using the package with others. This certainly provides valuable information, which can be utilized for developing improved strategies for using the package more efficiently as well as for extending the use of the package to new areas.
The above mentioned aspects are the advantages relating to the use of a commercial software package.