Custom software for SMEs: what changed with AI

For a long time, developing custom software was seen as something expensive, slow, and reserved for large organizations with enterprise ERP software budgets. Today, with AI-assisted development tools, Vibe Coding, and more accessible APIs, the landscape has changed radically for Portuguese SMEs.

This does not mean that every company should build everything custom. It means that specific, repetitive, or differentiating processes may justify more tailored internal solutions — especially when standard ERP software does not cover the company's real operation.

AI reduces the development time of custom software, but does not replace architecture. Fast software without a clear process can turn into technical debt faster than any traditional ERP software.

When does it make sense to build custom software instead of standard ERP software?

Custom software makes sense when the company has a process that does not fit well into standard tools like generic ERP software, when it needs to integrate several data sources (CRM, invoicing, BI), or when it wants to build its own operational capability that is a real competitive advantage.

Good use cases for custom software in SMEs

  • Replace critical Excel spreadsheets with internal applications connected to the ERP or CRM.
  • Create customer, supplier, or employee portals integrated with Bitrix24.
  • Integrate ERP software systems with e-commerce or invoicing platforms.
  • Automate very specific administrative processes of the operation.
  • Create Business Intelligence dashboards with custom logic and operational alerts.
  • Develop internal tools for sales, support, or operations teams.

Vibe Coding and AI: how they accelerate custom software development

Vibe Coding — AI-assisted development — makes it possible to write code faster, suggest data structures, speed up prototypes, create interfaces, and connect APIs with less effort. For SMEs, this makes custom software development more accessible than ever.

But speed is only good if there is direction. Without clear requirements, a mapped BPM process, and business validation, AI merely lets you build the wrong thing faster — and the cost of fixing poorly specified custom software is high.

Before AI
Custom software development that was slow, expensive, and more dependent on large teams.
With Vibe Coding + AI
Faster prototyping, but it still requires systems architecture and process validation.
Main risk
Building fragile solutions if the BPM process and the data are not clear before developing.

The BPM process still governs custom software

The question should not be "what application can we build with AI?". The question should be "which process in our SME needs custom software to work better than with standard ERP software?".

Before developing any solution, you must map BPM steps, rules, exceptions, permissions, data, integrations, and success indicators.

Before writing custom software code, define:

  • Who uses the application and what permissions they have.
  • What concrete operational problem it solves.
  • What data comes in, is processed, and goes out.
  • Which systems need to communicate (ERP, CRM, BI).
  • Which actions should be automatic via BPM.
  • Which indicators will prove the value of the solution.

Integrated custom software — not just another technology island

An internal application developed to measure should be part of the company's ecosystem. It should connect to the CRM (such as Bitrix24), to the invoicing ERP software, to the Business Intelligence dashboards, to documents, or to communication channels whenever that makes operational sense.

If custom software does not integrate with the rest, it risks becoming yet another technology island — exactly the problem that systems architecture should avoid.

The value of custom software lies in its integration with the operation. An isolated application can be elegant, but an application connected to the ERP, CRM, and BI generates measurable returns.

Starting small is smarter for SMEs

Not all custom software needs to start big. Often, the best path for an SME is to build a small module, test it with one team, measure impact, and evolve incrementally — unlike a large-scale ERP software project.

This approach reduces risk and avoids overly large investments before validating the real usefulness of the solution.

A good first version of custom software should:

  • Solve a concrete and measurable operational problem.
  • Have few initial users for quick validation.
  • Measure time saved or errors reduced compared to the previous process.
  • Integrate at least one relevant data source (CRM, ERP, or BI).
  • Allow rapid improvement with real feedback from the team.

Conclusion: custom software with AI only creates value when it serves a real process

Vibe Coding and artificial intelligence open up a real opportunity for Portuguese SMEs: to build custom software faster, with less friction and without the costs of enterprise ERP software.

But it should not be used to satisfy technological whims or to replicate tools that already exist well on the market. It should be used when there is a specific process, a critical integration with ERP or CRM, or a clear operational advantage that standard software cannot offer.

The right technology is not the most customized. It is the one that makes the SME more capable, more integrated, and more in control — with or without AI in development.