Why does software need maintenance?
Software doesn't wear out like a machine, but the world around it keeps changing. Even if you change nothing in your application, it ages. There are a few reasons for that.
- Security updates: vulnerabilities are found regularly in frameworks, libraries and operating systems. If you don't update, you leave the door open to known attacks.
- Dependencies: modern software relies on dozens of external building blocks. They get new versions, and one day old versions stop receiving updates.
- Hosting: servers, certificates and domain names have to be looked after and renewed. An expired certificate takes your application down just as surely as a bug.
- Backups: without regular backups, stored separately, one mistake or one attack is enough to lose data.
- Monitoring: you want to know when your application slows down or goes down, ideally before your clients notice.
That work is barely visible while everything goes well. Which is exactly why it often gets skipped, until something goes wrong.
What belongs in a maintenance contract?
A good maintenance contract makes clear who is responsible for what. At the very least, check that it covers these points:
- Which parts are maintained: the application itself, the servers, the database, the integrations.
- How and how often updates happen, and who tests that everything still works afterwards.
- Where your software is hosted, and where your data lives.
- How backups are made and stored, and how they are restored when needed.
- How you ask for help, through whom, and within what time you get an answer.
- Whether small changes and further development are included, or charged separately.
- Who owns the code, and how you end the contract.
If one of those points is missing, ask about it. What isn't on paper often turns out to be nobody's responsibility in practice.
Which levels of maintenance are there?
Not every application needs the same thing. An internal tool used by a handful of people needs less follow-up than a client portal that grows every day. That is why we work with three levels, as our page on maintenance and continued development also explains:
- Maintenance keeps your software safe and online: hosting in Europe, security updates, backups and monitoring. A helpdesk is not included.
- Support adds a helpdesk through a dedicated contact, with a reply within one business day and small changes.
- Partner adds a fixed number of development hours per month and a quarterly review of your roadmap. That way your software keeps growing with your business.
Every level can be cancelled monthly, and you move up or down when your needs change. That also applies to software we didn't build ourselves: we then start with a free code audit, so we know what we are maintaining.
What drives the monthly price of a maintenance contract?
A maintenance contract is usually a fixed amount per month. How high that amount is depends mainly on three things.
- The size of your application: how many parts, integrations and users there are, and how much data has to be stored and backed up.
- The level you choose: maintenance only, maintenance with a helpdesk, or a partnership with fixed development hours.
- How much continued development you want: if you want to add new features every month, you need more hours than if you mainly want stability.
The state of the software plays a part too. If it runs on outdated technology or documentation is missing, maintenance takes more work at the start. With us you know the price upfront: in your quote, or in a separate proposal. If you want to know what custom software itself costs, read our article on the cost of custom software.
Which questions should you ask a supplier?
When you compare maintenance contracts, don't look at the price alone. These questions tell you more about what you actually get:
- How quickly do I get an answer when something goes wrong, and who do I go through?
- Who owns the code? Are the source code, the servers and the access in my name?
- What happens if I want to stop? Do I get everything, and what notice period applies?
- Can I cancel monthly, or am I tied to a contract of several years?
- Where is my data, and how are backups stored?
- What falls outside the contract, and how is it charged?
Be careful when a supplier stays vague about ownership or about the terms for leaving. A good partner doesn't hold on to you with a contract, but with the quality of the work. With us the code is always yours: if you stop later, you take everything with you.
What if you don't have a maintenance contract?
Without a contract your software usually just keeps working, for a while. The risk grows unnoticed: updates are left undone, a certificate expires, a backup turns out not to have run for months. And when something does go wrong, you first have to find someone willing and able to look at your software, at the worst possible moment.
Has your developer already left, or does your vendor no longer respond? Our article on what to do when your developer leaves explains what to secure first. Do you have software that deserves proper maintenance? Ask us for a tailored proposal. We look at what you have and suggest the level that fits, with a price you know upfront.