Sometimes, for some reason, the software that your company uses simply dies. It may be your fault, or it may not. Whether it becomes too bloated and slow, its arteries clogged with excessive, ill-managed data, or underutilized until support became much more trouble than it was worth, the fact remains: you can no longer use it to solve your problems.

Your options at this point may seem fairly limited. You can either buy new software to replace the old, regress to an earlier state of doing things, or maybe you will try your hand at building an in-house version of the software. All of these options are potentially viable, but consider this: there may be an alternative.

Often the problem that “killed” your software is very specific. Just like a living thing, if an essential process stops working, it will shut down the entire system. However, unlike a living thing, it is possible to revive your software, often by incorporating a third-party solution.

For example, if you are using a comprehensive software system such as Microsoft Dynamics you may be incredibly satisfied with the entire package, but one key issue -- possibly difficulty aggregating data or providing a tailored project management solution -- stops you from using it in the long-term. Software that specifically addresses these needs can patch over the problem, optimizing it for your company to an even greater extent than even a shiny new system. This can require some homework on your part, but the benefits can far outweigh the costs of buying and transitioning to a new system.

If you think your software is dead, why not spend a little time playing the modern day Frankenstein and seeing if there are some key pieces of third party software that will bring your system back to life?