What happens when you don’t maintain your car or home? Simple: minor issues become major misfortunes and cost you a lot more in the long run. The same is true when it comes to maintaining custom web applications. 

Web application development is important to many organizations for achieving long-term company growth goals. But without routine maintenance, custom web applications stop performing as intended, which adversely affects these goals.

How does web application maintenance help the bottom line?

1. Routine Maintenance Prevents Setbacks 

Because your software applications support important business functions, if any of those applications fail — even for a short time — the downtime could have a major impact to your bottom line. Whether your applications are employee-, customer-, or vendor-facing, downtime means reduced team performance and productivity, and could negatively affect sales and revenue downstream.

If you don’t have the ability to perform your own updates, consider a maintenance retainer with a reputable web development partner. In this type of partnership, a specific number of hours are set aside each month for ongoing support and any emergencies that may arise — and you’ll have peace of mind knowing your bottom line is protected.

Work with a partner who can help you look at the bigger picture and align a maintenance program around all your integrations to ensure that all pieces fit together for success.

2. Python and Django Upgrades Provide Consistent Performance  

Language and framework upgrades are essential for keeping custom web applications performing as originally intended, and they also introduce new features to your applications.

Scheduled software upgrades to newer versions of Python and Django are important because:

• Updates include bug fixes that were not previously anticipated.
• Older versions will eventually no longer be supported and won’t receive security updates.
• New features and improvements are added.
• Future upgrades will be easier and less costly by keeping your code base up-to-date.
• Numerous small updates to Django web framework packages prevent major overhauls.

Check with your development team or partners and ask them to send you a list of updates in advance so that you can plan accordingly as you anticipate changes.

If you don’t have a dev team or an in-house expert, work with a trustworthy partner who offers upgrade services based on scheduled releases, allowing you ample time for planning and budgeting.

3. Fewer Surprises Mean Long-Term Savings

When it comes to custom web applications, investing in regular maintenance saves you money in the long run by eliminating costly surprises. A good partner helps you plan your budget in advance by scheduling software updates and offering a maintenance program customized for your application.

The cost benefits of an ongoing maintenance program include:

• Less downtime due to out-of-date applications
• Fewer emergencies
• Increased productivity and revenue
• Fewer budget surprises

The goal is for your software to always perform as intended for your audiences. A solid maintenance program will help you achieve this while also giving you more time to focus on your business — and this equates to long-term savings.

We build and maintain custom applications to support important business functions, so if you’re interested in learning how we work, let’s get in touch!