Let’s make one thing clear: nobody has to write software from scratch nowadays.
The beautiful and unique frontend of a website relies on multiple JS libraries, the most custom backend application relies on multiple open-source or proprietary microservices and products, and the entire application is, probably, hosted in the software universe of a cloud provider.
Still, how do you stay unique and differentiated in design and functionality if all is off-the-shelf microservices? How can you shine with a strong digital strategy, how do you become future-proof and less dependent on one single monolithic vendor?
Well, Build versus Buy is a range. All strategies are somewhere in-between.
There are software elements that may be core to your strategy, product, or brand that have to be customized and unique (e.g. the appearance of your digital property). And there are elements that merely assist you (e.g. your CMS, your payment solution). They are not your core capability and should not be created or maintained by you.
If we look into the content management world, there are three distinct strategies: a monolithic solution (a vendor gives you the frontend and the backend), a custom-built “homebrew” CMS (you create and maintain both frontend, and backend), and a customizable API-first, headless CMS (you create the frontend, a vendor gives you a very configurable backend with a content API).
This ebook reviews the three CMS strategies: monolithic, custom, and headless. We will compare these three options and examine the factors organizations overlook when making their selection. Caveat: no-code page-builder tools for small organizations are not under review in this guide.