MAIWALD.SYSTEMS — COTS REPLACEMENT

Stop paying for software you've outgrown.

We replace off-the-shelf software with custom-built solutions — cutting your licensing costs by half while removing the limitations that hold your team back.

THE HIDDEN COST OF "OFF THE SHELF"

Your Software Vendors Are Compounding Against You

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Paying for 100 features, using 10

Enterprise SaaS is priced for the full feature set. You're subsidizing capabilities you'll never touch — and the vendor knows it.

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Annual price increases you can't control

SaaS renewal inflation hit 12.2% in 2024 — 5× general CPI. Your $10M portfolio becomes $15.6M in four years with zero added value.

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Vendor lock-in makes switching painful

Your data, workflows, and integrations are designed to keep you captive. The switching cost is the product.

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Rigid workflows that don't fit

Off-the-shelf means one-size-fits-all. Your team builds workarounds on top of workarounds — the real TCO is hidden in their time.

THE NUMBERS

The Cost Reality

Enterprise software spend is growing in ways that cannot be justified by value delivered. 2024–2025 market data — not projections.

12.2%
SaaS Renewal Price Inflation, 2024
Vertice SaaS Inflation Index
$9,100
SaaS Cost per Employee / Year
Vertice, 2025
30–50%
of SaaS Licences Go Unused
Gartner 2024; Zylo 2025
2–3×
Actual TCO vs. Stated License Cost
Salesforce benchmark, 2-year

Compounding Against You

A 12.2% annual price increase is a structural cost multiplier. A $10M software portfolio at SaaS inflation becomes a $15.6M obligation in four years — with no improvement in value delivered. And 60% of vendors deliberately obscure these increases through AI feature bundling.

The Waste Hidden in Plain Sight

30–50% of enterprise SaaS licences go unused — representing $18–21M in average annual waste per enterprise. Total cost of ownership reaches 2–3× the licence cost within two years when implementation, admin, and customisation are counted.

COMPARE THE ECONOMICS

Ticketing / ITSM — 5-Year TCO

Large enterprise, 3,000 seats. Sourced vendor pricing. Total cost of ownership — not just license fees.

COTS — ServiceNow Enterprise

License (3,000 seats, 5 yr)$18,720,000
Implementation & rollout$2,000,000
Admin team 5 FTE + AMS$3,750,000
Enterprise integrations$1,100,000
Training & refreshers$400,000
Annual uplift + audits$1,560,000
5-Year TCO$27,530,000

AI-Native Custom Build

No license fees$0
Build team (10 FTE × 12 mo)$2,000,000
Sustain team (4 eng + PM + SRE)$4,900,000
API integrations$800,000
Onboarding & docs$150,000
Vendor lock-in costs$0
5-Year TCO~$11,700,000

57% savings — $15.8M over 5 years

YOUR TARGET

50%

Reduction in Recurring IT Spend

The total cost of COTS is more than the license fee. Factor in support, integration, workarounds, and training — the real number is 2–3× what's on the invoice. We target a 50% reduction in that total recurring spend within the first year.

THE MATH

What You're Paying For vs. What You Could Pay

Today — Recurring COTS Costs

  • License fees (per-seat, annually)Recurring
  • Support & maintenance contractsRecurring
  • Implementation & customizationYear 1 + ongoing
  • Integration middlewareRecurring
  • Workaround developmentHidden cost
  • Training & re-trainingPer release
  • Annual price increases (5–12%)Compounding

After — Custom Replacement

  • One-time build costOne-time
  • Hosting & infrastructureMinimal
  • Optional maintenance retainerYour choice
  • No per-seat fees
  • No vendor lock-in
  • No forced upgrades
  • Full IP ownershipForever

WHAT WE REPLACE

Any Software Where You're Overpaying or Hitting Limits

ERP Modules

SAP peripheral modules, Oracle edge functions

Not the transactional core — the reporting, workflow, and coordination layers built on top of it.

CRM & Sales Tools

Salesforce (non-core), HubSpot

TCO reaches 2–3× license within 2 years. The non-core layer is the highest-ROI target.

Project & Workflow Management

Jira, Asana, Monday.com

Bounded scope, well-understood data model. Fastest custom replacement cycle.

HR & People Management

Workday modules, BambooHR

High per-seat cost; many features unused. Custom HR tools matched to actual processes deliver more for less.

Ticketing & Service Desk

ServiceNow, Zendesk

Well-documented process logic, bounded integrations. High-confidence replacement candidate.

Reporting & BI

Tableau, operational dashboards

Among the fastest custom rebuilds — data model is known, user surface is controlled, ROI is immediate.

OUR APPROACH

Audit. Plan. Replace.

01

License & Usage Audit

2–3 weeks

We analyze what you're actually using vs. what you're paying for. Feature utilization, seat analysis, integration mapping. Most companies are surprised by the gap.

02

Replacement Roadmap

2–4 weeks

What to build custom, what to keep, what to sunset. A clear plan with realistic timelines, cost projections, and risk assessment. Board-ready.

03

Custom Build

6–16 weeks per system

Purpose-built software tailored to your actual needs. Short sprints, measurable milestones. No feature bloat, no license fees, full ownership from day one.

HOW WE WORK

Principles

Fixed Price

No hourly billing. Audit has a fixed price. Each replacement is scoped and priced before we start. No surprises.

Full Ownership

Everything we build is yours. Source code, infrastructure, documentation. No recurring fees, no vendor lock-in, no dependency on us.

Measured Savings

We track the before/after on every replacement. License costs eliminated, processes streamlined, team time recovered. Real numbers.

THE FIRST STEP

Curious what you could save? Start with a license audit.

A 2–3 week audit that maps what you're paying, what you're using, and where the biggest savings opportunities are. Fixed price, no commitment beyond the audit.

Book an Intro Call

ole@maiwald-systems.com