Top Custom Software Developers in Portland

Custom Software Development Companies in Portland

Portland is an economically promising and growing city in Oregon, attracting developers from all over the United States. And this article will tell you why.

To begin with, it's worth noting that industry, agriculture, tourism, mining, and lumber production are all rapidly growing in the city. Their development has a positive effect on the state's economy as a whole, making Portland a favorable place to live.

Silicon Forest, the cluster of high-tech companies based in the Portland metropolitan area, is home to manufacturers of electronic devices and software. Among them are the famous Epson, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and many other popular brands. Is it any wonder that Portland software companies and their services are so much in demand in the US and around the world? Definitely not.

Why Portland?

A huge number of US-based development companies can help build software of any complexity for any brand. However, there are three major reasons that make businesses focus specifically on Portland-based firms as follows:

• Reason #1. Highly competitive environment. Portland is rapidly growing in the tech sphere, which is confirmed by many studies. This results in the following conclusions: a huge number of employees with higher education concentrate in the city; technical universities produce top-notch specialists; the average salary level in Portland is comparatively high. The city now competes with Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. in technological talent, which motivates local professionals to get more productive, creative, and efficient in software development;

• Reason #2. Hospitality. Portland is great for building a career. This opinion is based on the facts of the growing job market and high quality of life in the city, which is home to many tech companies. So if you're wondering if your project can be implemented here, the answer is yes, absolutely;

• Reason #3. Industry. Portland software company specialists have gained tremendous experience in high technology, manufacturing, healthcare, athletics, outerwear, and others. That’s why the city has firms with professionals who understand business problems in the above-mentioned niches better than anyone else.

About Services

An agency that develops software has much more to offer to brands. Here's what you can outsource to them:

• Software development. Each Portland software company offers services to businesses in a particular niche and industry and creates high-performance software systems for them. This way, they help brands optimize and automate their business processes;

• App development. You can order solutions for any platform, of any complexity, and be sure that you will get a first-class application that will consider all the nuances, requirements, and risks;

• Web development. There are many types of websites on the market - one-page websites, corporate websites, blogs, online stores, and so on. Any website type can be implemented according to all the rules and standards by a professional team of developers from Portland. Moreover, along with website development, most Portland companies will also offer custom design, integrations, content writing, and much more;

• Audit and consulting services. All projects require analysis and audit to determine their effectiveness and prospects. Firms that employ developers will give you the opportunity and then make recommendations on how to implement your project in the best possible way;

• Integrations. Businesses often use several ready-made solutions to cover their needs in certain business tasks. This causes a lot of inconvenience for both company employees and customers. Portland custom software developers offer a single system development to be as efficient as possible;

• Testing. Testing solutions help ensure quality and security. Service providers examine every software product produced, making sure it meets all the necessary standards and requirements.

Once your product is ready, you can also order post-launch maintenance from the agency. This will mean that experts of the agency will regularly monitor and update your solution to improve its performance. They will also monitor failures, fix bugs, and ensure security.

Some companies, along with other services, will also offer website optimization, SMM promotion solutions, paid advertising, game development, blockchain, and more.

Custom Software Developer Portland | Hourly Rates

Company reputation, experience, industry focus, project complexity, and deadlines all affect the cost of development. If a business requires additional services, e.g. promotion, then the cost will increase significantly. Therefore, it's quite difficult to talk about a certain budget since individual features and requirements are of great importance.

On average, specialists in Portland charge $100 per hour, and the entire project can cost more than $250,000. To know the total cost of your project, you should address your chosen company directly. Once they know your business requirements, goals, and other nuances, they will be able to inform you about the cost.

Why Hire a Portland Software Company

The question may seem rhetorical if you clearly understand why you need to order software development on an individual basis. Otherwise, if you consider other options, e.g. ready-made solutions, the question is still relevant though.

Software systems that are open to the public have a standard set of functions and parameters. In most cases, their power is not enough to fully cover the needs of the business. This leads to the fact that brands are forced to buy licenses for other solutions to satisfy their needs, which is not always financially beneficial, although many expect to get a profitable program.

Off-the-shelf software solutions themselves are more vulnerable to hacker attacks and their features can change at any time, without the licensee having any control over them. That said, with custom software, businesses have more possibilities as follows:

• Customization. All functions of the software product are connected to the needs of the business in a single system. In addition, developers conduct a number of integrations, which greatly simplifies the automation and optimization of business processes;

• Control. At any time, the business will be able to connect/disconnect any functions, make the necessary upgrades, and more;

• Prospects. Custom software products allow brands to achieve their goals faster and more effectively.

What Does It Take to Choose the Right Partner

Considering that every business will have its own requirements for the project, highlighting the main parameters of the best candidate for cooperation would be a great idea. With that said, here are five steps that will help you make the right choice:

• Step 1. Technical expertise. Different types of services, solutions, and technologies are what differentiate software development agencies in Portland. The list of top firms above definitely includes those that best suit your business needs and values in terms of services and technology. Better yet, you want to find a developer that has great experience in your niche/industry;

• Step 2. Reviews. How do you evaluate the work of any organization? That's right, by reviews and recommendations from former clients. Also, the opinions of the experienced ones can provide more information than content on the official website of the agency. You can reveal the pros and cons of the firm, as well as subtleties of internal communication, and more;

• Step 3: Security. Cyberattacks are a frequent phenomenon in today's world. Moreover, every year more and more software owners lose money because of hackers' activities and poor security solutions. Therefore, when hiring a software development firm, specify what guarantees they give regarding the protection of your future software product;

• Step 4: Specialization. Each development model has its advantages and disadvantages. Find out what methodology your chosen team uses and determine if it fits your needs;

• Step 5. Team. Highly qualified specialists are the key to the success of any organization. Don't hesitate to ask the agency about each employee that will be involved in the project to make sure the entire team is competent. To ensure harmonious collaboration on the project, you also want to know how employees of the agency communicate with each other.

Face-to-face Meetings with Candidates

Once you have a list of the best potential partners at hand, it's important to interview each of them. The purpose here is not only to get to know the company in general but also each of its team members, values, and experience in your niche. It's also important to ask the chosen companies the following questions:

• How does your company achieve success?

• What are your business values?

• What methodology/approach do you use?

• What are your most recent projects?

• Do you have contacts of your former clients?

• Who will work on my project?

• How do your team members stay in touch during the project?

• What will be my role in the development process?

• What additional services do you offer?

Major Mistakes in Software Development

It's a good time to break down the biggest mistakes business owners make when planning to create a software product. The most common ones are as follows:

• Hiring freelancers. Yes, working with one developer is tempting but it can play a nasty trick on the owner. When you hire a software development company, you get the experience and knowledge of an entire team, who intelligently distribute tasks among and walk confidently toward the goal. Freelancers are more suited for small projects and additional services of any kind;

• No clear objectives. Surely you want to get what you expect. If your objectives and goals are vague, though, expecting positive results hardly makes any sense. Therefore, at the beginning of the development process, you need to get into the process as much as possible and together define all the requirements, prospects, and risks of the project;

• Lack of experience in the niche. Software development agencies have different experiences and work with a certain type of business. It's recommended to choose a company that has already worked with similar projects. Otherwise, you will get a sad "expectation-reality" picture;

• No hypothesis testing. The most advantageous option, which will help save time and money, is an MVP. Meaning software development with the minimum set of functions to determine its prospects. An MVP is released on the market, and by collecting customer feedback, the dev team can understand which functions are better to implement and which ones to skip. The same goes for design, security, and other project requirements.

Conclusion

There are many different companies in Portland that are already willing to offer their help with software development for businesses. Dozens of firms turn to them every day, all because software developer services are a prospect of a guaranteed success in the city. We hope that you will find a perfect company for your project on this page. Good luck with your business growth!