Software Development
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Custom Software Maintenance: Types, Costs and Best Practices
Once custom software is deployed to production, it enters the same reality as a newly constructed building. To remain solid, secure and functional over time, it must be maintained. This is where custom software maintenance becomes essential. Without regular upkeep, bugs settle in like cracks, security vulnerabilities appear like leaks, and fixes end up costing far more than preventive care.
Software maintenance therefore goes beyond fixing errors. It extends the software’s lifespan, adapts it to new technologies and ensures continuity of business operations.
In this article, discover the types of maintenance to plan for, their average costs and best practices to put in place to guarantee the stability and longevity of custom software.
What does server maintenance involve?
Server maintenance aims to anticipate failures and keep the application’s server infrastructure in an optimal and secure state. It includes regularly applying operating system updates, security patches and server component updates. These actions are essential to ensure data security, application stability and overall system performance.
A server maintenance cycle is typically carried out weekly to anticipate failures and ensure a high level of availability. This preventive approach significantly reduces the risk of service interruptions.
Server maintenance also includes technology watch and continuous improvement. Monitoring updates, for example from Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure, new system versions and server security practices makes it possible to integrate the best components and continuously optimise the infrastructure. Regular monitoring of vulnerabilities and security issues ensures a robust, up-to-date environment.
A best practice: server monitoring
Server monitoring consists of tracking system activity and performance in real time to quickly detect any anomaly that could compromise service stability.
When an incident is detected, an intervention process is triggered. It typically includes the following steps:
Alert: the monitoring system sends a real-time notification as soon as an error or potential issue is detected.
Takeover: a rapid assessment is performed to determine the severity of the incident and prioritize the response. If an alert is not addressed within the expected timeframe, an escalation process may be initiated.
Investigation: an investigation is carried out to identify the root cause of the incident and determine the appropriate corrective actions.
Mitigation: if the issue cannot be quickly resolved, mitigation measures are implemented to restore the system to operational status as fast as possible.
Resolution: a permanent solution is implemented to definitively fix the problem.
Follow-up: it is essential to verify that the solution has been correctly applied and that the incident is fully resolved before closing it.
Post-mortem: before closing the incident, the details of its resolution are documented to improve future incident management and minimise the chance of recurrence.
This proactive approach reduces service interruptions, minimises user impact and ensures consistent infrastructure performance.
What does application maintenance for my custom software involve?
Application maintenance concerns the upkeep of the software itself. It helps prevent problems, ensures security and maintains code performance over time. A maintenance budget is typically allocated to update various system elements such as the framework, libraries and external modules.
An application maintenance cycle is usually planned every two to six months, depending on project complexity and business needs. Reducing this frequency may lower short-term costs but increases risks to security and system stability.
Typical application maintenance includes updating frameworks and programming languages, fixing errors detected by monitoring tools, applying security patches and fully validating the system before deployment. This regular maintenance work directly contributes to the software’s longevity. A well-maintained application can remain performant for more than ten years, whereas an unmaintained application can quickly become obsolete.
Technology watch is also part of the maintenance process. It involves tracking the evolution of languages, tools and development practices to integrate the most relevant innovations and maintain a high level of security.
A second best practice: application monitoring
Application monitoring works similarly to server monitoring. It consists of continuously observing the software’s behaviour and detecting anomalies in real time. For example, an alert can be triggered when a user cannot log in or when a feature becomes inaccessible.
As with infrastructure alerts described above, every alert is analyzed and followed by an appropriate intervention based on the severity of the issue. Urgent fixes are deployed without delay, while minor issues are included in the next maintenance cycle. This preventive approach continuously improves the software’s reliability and security.
Criticality level: minor maintenance and major maintenance
There are two main categories of maintenance in a custom software project: minor maintenance and major maintenance.
Minor maintenance consists of routine adjustments aimed at fixing bugs, slightly improving performance or applying security updates without deeply changing the architecture. These interventions are frequent, quick to perform and generally do not require major refactoring of systems.
Major maintenance, on the other hand, involves more significant changes such as upgrading to a new framework or operating system version (for example from 1.9.3 to 2.0.0, which may include breaking changes according to semantic versioning), redesigning part of the architecture or adding substantial features. It requires more planning and testing, but ensures the software’s long-term viability.
These two types of maintenance complement each other: minor interventions maintain day-to-day stability, while major updates ensure modernity, longevity and system security.
Table: Minor maintenance vs major maintenance
Criterion | Minor maintenance | Major maintenance |
Objective | Fix, optimise, prevent minor issues | Evolve the software or infrastructure |
Typical frequency | Weekly to monthly | Once or twice a year, depending on releases |
Examples of interventions | Security fixes, code optimisation, dependency updates | Upgrade from v1.10.40 to v2.0.0, refactor an obsolete module, add features |
Intervention duration | A few hours to a few days | Several days to a few weeks |
Risk of regression | Low | Moderate to high |
The cost of maintaining custom software
The annual cost of maintenance generally represents between 7% and 9% of the initial development cost. This percentage covers server and application maintenance cycles, monitoring and continuous support.
For example, for a project valued at $300,000, annual maintenance ranges from $21,000 to $27,000. This investment reduces the risk of downtime, ensures data security and extends the software’s lifespan, while avoiding the cost of premature rework.
You can compare software maintenance to maintaining an elevator in a building. It’s possible to decide not to maintain it for a few years without immediate issues. However, the day a breakdown occurs, especially if people are inside, the consequences and repair costs will be much greater. In the case of custom software, such neglect can even lead to a complete application overhaul.
Initial development budget | Average annual maintenance range (7% to 9%) |
$100,000 | $7,000 to $9,000 / year |
$250,000 | $17,000 to $22,000 / year |
$500,000 | $40,000 to $45,000 / year |
$1,000,000 | $70,000 to $90,000 / year |
Conclusion
Maintaining custom software is not limited to fixing occasional errors. It encompasses all actions necessary to prevent failures, secure data, optimise performance and ensure the system’s longevity.
By combining server maintenance, application maintenance, regular update cycles and continuous monitoring, it is possible to ensure stable and durable software operation. A well-structured maintenance strategy is therefore an essential investment to preserve the value and reliability of a company’s digital tools.
Contact the Exolnet experts to request a maintenance audit.
FAQ
What is the difference between server maintenance and application maintenance?
Server maintenance concerns the infrastructure, security and performance of the server, while application maintenance relates directly to the software’s code and features.
What is the difference between minor and major maintenance?
Minor maintenance fixes or optimises the software without deeply changing the code or system structure. Major maintenance, such as upgrading an application from v1.10.40 to v2.0.0, involves architectural changes or significant functional evolutions. This type of maintenance requires comprehensive testing to ensure compatibility and system stability.
How often should I schedule maintenance for my custom software?
It depends on the criticality of the software and the sensitivity of the data it handles. Application maintenance should be performed at least every four to six months, while server maintenance is carried out weekly. Highly critical security patches should be applied as soon as they are released.
How much does annual maintenance of custom software cost?
It typically represents about 7% to 9% of the initial development cost, including server and application maintenance. For example, for a $200,000 project, the annual cost is between $14,000 and $18,000.
