When it comes to implementing a business solution, a common question routinely pops up: Should it be built in-house or should we find a solution that already exists?
Making this decision isn’t easy. Different camps will have strong arguments for both approaches. This decision has to be made after thorough investigation into both the obvious and hidden costs, the benefits of each choice and the risks associated with each option. Therefore, technology leaders need to understand specific business processes and take into account strategic goals, external partners, and required systems support. They also need to evaluate common business factors—such as project and business validation—before choosing the right solution approach.
Like other business processes, this question also comes up whenever there is a need to evaluate a security solution. Every organization has to take into account the following factors to help them decide between the two approaches:
- What are the direct, indirect and opportunity costs related to each option?
- Will a COTS product be mature enough, and flexible enough to meet my organization’s needs?
- What are the short-term and ongoing risks in each solution?
This whitepaper aims at establishing the advantages of implementing a COTS physical identity and access management (PIAM) solution over building an in-house solution by looking into the key factors that help make this decision.