A software maintenance company is a specialized IT company that optimizes software products to ensure they remain agile, functional, and aligned with the latest technological advancements. Its core focus is maintaining software quality by eliminating bugs and glitches, improving user experience, and supporting product growth and scalability. 

As part of its software maintenance and support services, this agency also helps businesses resolve some of the following challenges: 

• Crashing and poor-performing software 
• Low user engagement and high user churn rate 
• Inability to integrate with operating and data systems, API versions, and communication protocols 
• Incompatibility with newer devices and their operating systems 
• Reliance on legacy code, which can incur higher maintenance costs and hinder integration with modern technologies 
• Inability to comply with the latest international regulations 
• Limited in-house expertise and resources for software development, testing and maintenance  
• Frequent cybersecurity incidents across existing software 

Valued at $209 billion in 2023, the software maintenance service market is predicted to reach $807 billion by 2031, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.45% from 2024 to 2031. The market is projected to grow due to the increasing need for operational efficiency and evolving customer demand for digital solutions.

Success story 

For a more concrete understanding of what software maintenance companies can do for businesses, we selected this case study from ELEKS: 

• Challenge: Network solutions provider Medusabusiness partnered with ELEKS to re-engineer and update its flagship product, Medusa, that was approaching the end of its technological and economic lifecycle. 
• Solution: ELEKS reworked Medusa's architecture on the cloud and updated its traffic routing. Then, it produced a minimum viable product (MVP), performed quality assurance, and implemented self-service functions. ELEKS also provided continuous support and maintenance, integrating off-the-shelf solutions to support the client’s evolving needs. 
• Results: Through its specialized expertise in network routing and software engineering, ELEKS ensured zero issues for 90% of Medusa’s upgraded features, which saved Medusabusiness 40% on operational costs and 20% on support efforts. Moreover, the enhanced product led to a 10% customer growth. 

Software maintenance companies modify and update websites, applications, and other systems to resolve issues that have manifested post-launch and improve the product’s overall performance. This allows the solution to stay effective, competitive, secure, and adaptive to evolving technologies and industry standards. 

Key software maintenance services include: 

• Software audit 
  Analyzing the software to assess overall quality, test for issues, and measure it against a business’ envisioned objectives and the latest standards and regulations 
• Hosting and infrastructure maintenance 
  Managing servers, databases, and other software infrastructure components to ensure undisrupted operation and scalability 
• Bug/Corrective software maintenance 
  Repairing minor software defects that impact the app’s overall functionalities, like bugs, glitches, errors, and faults 
• Preventative software maintenance 
  Taking premeditated measures such as documentation updates, code optimization, and data backup to safeguard against potential issues and vulnerabilities 
• Perfective software maintenance 
  Amplifying functionality to fulfill the users’ needs by adding new capabilities, implementing user feedback, and removing outdated and ineffective features 
• Adaptive software maintenance 
  Implementing software changes to adhere to new business policies, changing regulatory requirements, or software and hardware updates 
• Backup and disaster recovery 
  Backing up software data and establishing processes to quickly restore operations in case of a disaster or emergency 
• Quality assurance 
  Conducting rigorous tests to identify and resolve functionality defects and ensure the software aligns with the latest practices, regulations, and quality standards 
• Product migration 
  Transitioning an existing product to a new platform or technology while maintaining data integrity and functionality 

Success story 

To showcase software maintenance services in action, we have selected this case study from iQuasar: 

• Challenge: A commercial process improvement company engaged iQuasar to migrate and update its existing application, originally built with an outdated version of VC++ and C#. The application faced several critical issues impeding its scalability and maintenance, including fragmented and overly complex code, inefficient workflows, incomplete documentation, incompatible external library dependencies, outdated UI/UX, and outdated technologies and plugins. 
• Solution: iQuasar upgraded VC++ and C# to the latest version, including the attached components. It also consolidated and organized the codebase, enhanced code readability, optimized the code image, implemented a stable and adaptable workflow by decoupling select modules, and audited and upgraded the external library. Moreover, iQuasar focused on producing a modern and user-friendly UI/UX design and provided comprehensive project documentation that followed the industry’s standardization practices. 
• Results: The collaboration with iQuasar led to a more robust, stable, efficient, and future-ready application with increased performance longevity and user satisfaction. 

The difference between software maintenance and support lies primarily in their scope of work. Software maintenance involves ongoing improvements and updates throughout the entirety of the software development lifecycle to ensure long-term product value in the long term, including bug fixes, performance optimization, and feature enhancement. In contrast, software support addresses immediate user issues, provides quick fixes and troubleshooting, and helps end-users effectively use the product. 

Other key distinctions include: 

Software maintenance services cost between $5,000 and $50,000 per month. Enterprise software maintenance fees can reach up to 70-90% of the total cost of ownership, while fees for mobile and web app maintenance amount to 15-20% of the original development costs.  

The range of these costs can vary significantly, depending on several factors: 

• Type of maintenance 
• Age of software system 
• System complexity 
• Hardware stability 
• Number of new features, functionalities, and integrations 
• Number of internal and external users 
• State of documentation  
• Length of agreement 
• Agency location and expertise 

You should hire a software maintenance service to resolve software issues, scale your software product, and ensure that it remains valuable to your target users, ultimately, contributing to your business continuity and profitability. Outsourcing such a service allows you and your team to focus on core business activities while you rely on an expert team to optimize your software. 

Software maintenance companies can also help you: 

• Improve product reliability by fixing arising problems, including bugs, slow-loading systems, and poor-performing features 
• Improve software efficiency by optimizing codes and retiring outdated functions 
• Elevate user experience by updating or adding new capabilities that meet users’ needs 
• Increase cost-efficiency, as software maintenance companies can provide you access to professional tools, software, and technology  
• Extend product lifespan by keeping it up to date with the latest hardware and software systems 
• Improve user adoption through application programming interface (API) integrations and software interoperability 
• Navigate the security and privacy regulations of different regions 
• Migrate legacy software without losing valuable data and key software functions  
• Safeguard against sophisticated cyber-attacks  

Success story 

To further emphasize the befits of hiring a software maintenance company, we handpicked a case study from Origina: 

• Challenge: Trustmark National Bank (TNB) faced a complex challenge in moving away from IBM after an unfavorable three-year agreement. With IBM proposing significant fee increases for renewed support, the bank sought to avoid a new multiyear commitment while maintaining essential support for its software. To manage this transition, Trustmark required a skilled maintenance partner to sustain its current software without extending reliance on IBM. 
• Solution: TNB entrusted Origina to manage and support 85% of its systems. The agency maintained all versions of TNB’s IBM software, provided expert guidance on software licensing, and helped TNB migrate away from IBM’s support while ensuring compliance with financial industry regulations. It also produced custom software for products that TNB decided to discontinue in the long term and implemented robust cybersecurity to all systems. 
• Results: TNB secured over $5.5 million in savings, gained control over its software lifecycle, and increased operational efficiency and security. 

You can choose the best software maintenance company for your business by following these steps: 

1. Evaluate your needs  
   Check your system reports and user feedback to identify areas of improvement and assess whether your internal team has the capacity to address these shortcomings. 
2. Define project goals and timeframe 
   Specify your objectives for outsourcing software maintenance and support services, align them with your long-term business goals, and ensure they’re SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound). 
3. Set your budget 
   Define a feasible budget you can allocate towards the service. Consider investing in a regular retainer fee as software maintenance is an ongoing process that isn’t limited to quick patchwork fixes. 
4. Research for potential partners 
   Explore agency directories like DesignRush, marketplaces, and publications to find reputable agencies. You can also ask colleagues and business partners for referrals. 
5. Verify their credibility 
   Look into the agencies’ portfolios, case studies, client testimonials, reviews, certifications, and recognitions. Seek providers that are transparent, provide excellent customer support, and have the necessary experience for your project. 
6. Review their technical expertise 
   Examine their list of tools, technologies, coding languages and styles, platforms, and specialties, and shortlist software maintenance companies that have experience working on products similar to yours. 
7. Send a request for proposal (RFP) 
   Attach your project scope, budget, timeline, and technical software details and submit them to the shortlisted agencies. Compare their proposals and costs and select those that offer the most value for money. 
8. Inquire about their security and quality assurance practices 
   Ask about the quality and security measures they undertake during and after maintenance. Seek agencies that are familiar with the latest practices, like balancing automated and manual testing and enabling multi-factor authentication. 
9. Assess their cultural fit 
   Evaluate how the agency communicates with your members at every interaction, as this can give insight into their soft skills. Select agencies that are professional, responsive, organized, and aligned with your culture and values. 
10. Choose your partner 
    Settle a service level agreement, payment terms, goals and KPIs, a detailed timeline, and a contract with your chosen partner. Make sure the contract includes stipulations about data privacy and confidentiality to protect your assets. 

Struggling to find a software maintenance company that meets your specific needs? Explore our Marketplace and send us a project brief. We’ll connect you with five leading agencies according to your requirements, free of charge. 

Before hiring one, you should ask software maintenance companies the following questions to gauge their capabilities and see if they can provide the expertise and tools that you need to upgrade your software: 

Its Relevant Background

1. Have you worked on a software project similar to mine? 
2. Can you provide me with case studies and client references so I can learn more about your work? 
3. What is your longest software maintenance project? How do you ensure its scalability and relevance? 
4. How does your team stay up to date with the latest development and maintenance tools, tech, and best practices? 

Its Services and Processes 

1. What tech stack and tools do you use?  
2. What software maintenance services do you offer?  
3. How do you address the different aspects of software upkeep? 
4. What is your process for handling compatibility, interoperability, and third-party dependency issues? 
5. What is your code review and quality assurance process? 
6. Can you walk me through your data backup and migration process? 
7. How do you formulate a disaster recovery plan? 
8. How receptive are you to user feedback and evolving project scope?  
9. Where is your team based? Can they work during my office hours? 

Related to Your Project 

1. Who will be on my team? What are their credentials? 
2. How will you communicate the project’s progress?  
3. Will your updates and maintenance procedures affect the end users and disrupt their daily usage? 
4. Who will own the intellectual property rights? 
5. Will you provide me with detailed documentation of the software maintenance and development? 
6. What security and privacy measures will you undertake to safeguard my product from cyber threats and attacks?  

The best software maintenance companies in the US are: 

1. Essential Designs 
   • 4.9 stars on DesignRush (34 reviews) 
   • 5.0 stars on Google (30 reviews) 
   • Top clients: Honeywell, BMW, Corona, Toyota 
2. ELEKS 
   • 4.9 stars on DesignRush (27 reviews) 
   • 4.7 stars on Google (561 reviews) 
   • Top clients: TAIT, AVG, Autodesk, States of Jersey 
3. UTF Labs 
   • 4.0 stars on Google (11 reviews) 
   • Top clients: Smart Vaults, AgriLive, TickrMeter, Petception 
4. InterSoft Associates 
   • 4.7 stars on Google (3 reviews) 
   • Top clients: Pearson Education, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Morgan Stanley 
5. Origina 
   • 5.0 stars on Google (1 review) 
   • Top clients: Capital One, Toyota, T-Mobile, Canon