How to Answer: What are some of the factors involved in deciding between SaaS, 3rd party solutions hosted on-premises, and custom developed solutions?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an IT Business Consultant job interview.
23. What are some of the factors involved in deciding between SaaS, 3rd party solutions hosted on-premises, and custom developed solutions?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
IT business consultants are required to make recommendations for technology purchases and custom-developed solutions. Interviewers ask this question to ensure a candidate understands the factors involved in making an educated recommendation their clients can trust.
Written by Karrie Day on March 8th, 2022
What to Avoid
Avoid going into detailed technical considerations for a specific recommendation you were involved in. For example: "I need to ensure that the solution is compatible with XYZ browser version 123." This question is intended to ensure candidates understand the high-level business and technical factors that need to be considered.
Written by Karrie Day on March 8th, 2022
Answer Example
"There a number of major factors to consider when deciding what type of solution is the best fit for a client's needs. The level of importance of each factor depends on the specifics of the business, but I feel it is important to consider factors such as: how well the business and technical requirements align with each solution, whether or not a competitive edge is to be gained from customization, development and implementation timeline requirements, overall budget, the scalability of each solution, how the solution will be handled from an accounting perspective, the in-house technical staff expertise and availability to develop and support a solution, and how well the solution aligns with the company's current technology stack."
Written by Karrie Day on March 8th, 2022