Commercial Off The Shelf Software Means
What is COMMERCIAL OFF-THE-SHELF? What does COMMERCIAL OFF-THE-SHELF mean?
There seems to be some confusion in the Software Engineering community about what COTS actually stands for. COTS commonly means Custom-off-the-shelf, i.e. Tailoring and customising existing off-the-shelf software for a specific need. Looking for the definition of COTS? Find out what is the full meaning of COTS on Abbreviations.com! 'Commercial Off The Shelf' is one option - get in to view more @ The Web's largest and most authoritative acronyms and abbreviations resource.
COMMERCIAL OFF-THE-SHELF meaning - COMMERCIAL OFF-THE-SHELF definition - COMMERCIAL OFF-THE-SHELF explanation.Source: Wikipedia.org article, adapted under license.SUBSCRIBE to our Google Earth flights channel -Commercial off-the-shelf or commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) is a term used to describe the purchase of packaged solutions which are then adapted to satisfy the needs of the purchasing organization, rather than the commissioning of custom made, or bespoke, solutions. A related term, Mil-COTS, refers to COTS products for use by the U.S. Military.In the context of the U.S. Government, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) has defined 'COTS' as a formal term for commercial items, including services, available in the commercial marketplace that can be bought and used under government contract. For example, Microsoft is a COTS software provider.
In this lesson, we will examine and define Commercial Off-the Shelf Software (COTS) and the various advantages and disadvantages of using such.
Goods and construction materials may qualify as COTS but bulk cargo does not. Services associated with the commercial items may also qualify as COTS, including installation services, training services, and cloud services.COTS purchases are alternatives to custom software or one-off developments – government-funded developments or otherwise.Although COTS products can be used out of the box, in practice the COTS product must be configured to achieve the needs of the business and integrated to existing organisational systems.
Extending the functionality of COTS products via custom development is also an option, however this decision should be carefully considered due to the long term support and maintenance implications. Such customised functionality is not supported by the COTS vendor, so brings its own sets of issues when upgrading the COTS product.The use of COTS has been mandated across many government and business programs, as such products may offer significant savings in procurement, development, and maintenance.Motivations for using COTS components include hopes for reduction system whole of life costs.In the 1990s many regarded COTS as extremely effective in reducing the time and cost of software development. COTS software came with many not-so-obvious tradeoffs— a reduction in initial cost and development time over an increase in software component-integration work, dependency on the vendor, security issues and incompatibilities from future changes.
What is Commercial Off-the Shelf Software (COTS)? As the name suggests this is software that is sold 'off the shelf.' The 'shelf' normally means the shelf of products in any store, accessible to anyone who walks into the store. Commercial off-the shelf software is therefore defined as the software that is commercially produced and sold in a retail store or online, ready to use without any form of modification by the user, accessible to everyone. Advantages of Using COTS Accessible and Easy to Use COTS is usually very easy to find since it is mass produced for the general public and thereby advertised to the public. It is not custom-made for any group of individuals or organization.
These are usually easy to install, need no customization and are accompanied by simple step by step instructions which can sometimes include videos and illustrations, making installation as simple and as smooth as possible for the user. Customer Care Availability Unlike freeware, which is free software accessible to everyone and downloadable via the internet, COTS usually offer software support to their customers to address and help users with any issues or questions they may have. In the event that there are errors in the software, a patch may be delivered to correct such errors. Freeware offers no such support. Quality at Relatively Low-Cost Because COTS is mass produced, the relative cost is much lower when compared to custom-made software. Producing for the general consumer means making the software as accessible as possible, which means low price points.
In addition, the software has been put through many test scenarios and complexities making it highly reliable. Frequent Improvements and Software Updates Keeping abreast of the competition in the software market requires that software vendors make constant improvements. As there are no contractual ties with users, it is just as easy for users to pick something else 'off-the shelf' as it is to purchase their product in the first place. These improvements are rolled out to the various users by triggering regular software updates.
Diversity Off the shelf software normally offers a diversity of products addressing every conceivable need of consumers. As such many day-to-day applications may be obtained by purchasing COTSs.
Applications such as anti-virus programs, word processors, database development applications spreadsheets and more are available off the shelf. Developers have the advantage of tapping into the immense research and information needed to develop the most common and needed applications requested by the masses. Limited or Trial Versions Available This is one of the biggest advantages of COTS.
Users may have the option of trying every aspect of the software and analyzing its suitability before committing to a purchase. You may be able to test-drive the software before you buy. Disadvantages of Using COTS Security Security takes priority in any organization. Off-the shelf software may have security vulnerabilities that users are unaware of and which could be used to target the wide populace of users of that software. Missing Requirements All organizations and individuals tend to have a number of unique requirements dictated by their systems and procedures. Off the shelf software, although covering general processes, may fall short where unique organizational of individual requirements are concerned.
Being off the shelf, tweaking or modifying the software is practically impossible and, over time, users may have to rethink their current situation in terms of software requirements and organizational needs. New purchases or software mitigation steps may be inevitable. No Modifications Off the shelf software is restrictive. There is no room for modification. Any improvements or updates have to come from the vendor. If a user's needs are not met they are either stuck with the software or may have to purchase something new.
Commercial Off The Shelf Definition
Migrations Time Consuming or Impossible There are many software vendors and many development platforms. The ease of integrating different technologies is determined by the flexibility of the platforms and compatibility of the data formats in use.
These two factors could be very challenging when users of COTS decide to migrate to applications that better suit their needs. Format incompatibilities can result in a time-consuming migration process. Terminated Customer Support As technology advances and trends change, software vendors could terminate their customer support for legacy applications and users.
Unfortunately, this leaves the user in limbo. Since the software is not modifiable there is no way users can acquire further upgrades, resulting un-patched operational defects and security vulnerabilities.
Lesson Summary Commercial off the shelf software is mass produced software accessible by everyone. Such software caters to the everyday needs of the masses and ranges from anti-virus programs, word processors, and database development applications to spreadsheets and much more. It is convenient and easy to access and has other advantages including low comparative cost, easy installation and use, diverse application options, and trial version testing. Its disadvantages include missing user requirements, security vulnerabilities, and terminated customer support.