After custom software launches, the work is not finished. The first 30 to 90 days are a warranty period where the development partner fixes bugs for free. After that, an ongoing maintenance agreement covers security updates, dependency upgrades, and minor fixes. New features are scoped and built as separate phases based on real user feedback. Budgeting 15 to 20 percent of the build cost annually for maintenance ensures your software stays secure, reliable, and evolving with your business.
This guide explains what to expect after launch and how to plan for ongoing support. See our process page for the full development lifecycle.
What Is the Warranty Period?
The warranty period is the first phase after launch. During this time, the development partner fixes any bugs at no additional cost. This covers defects in the software: features that do not work as specified, errors under normal use, or issues discovered during real-world operation.
What the warranty includes:
- Bug fixes: Any defect that prevents the software from working as specified is fixed for free.
- Configuration adjustments: Minor tweaks to settings, permissions, or workflows that were part of the original scope.
- Monitoring setup: Ensuring monitoring and alerting are working correctly.
- User support: Quick answers to user questions during the transition period.
What the warranty does not include:
- New features: Anything not in the original specification is a new scope item, not a warranty fix.
- Issues caused by external changes: If an external API changes or your hosting provider updates something, fixing the resulting issue may not be covered.
- Changes to requirements: If you decide the software should work differently than specified, that is a change request, not a bug.
Duration: Typically 30 to 90 days, defined in the contract.
What Is the Ongoing Maintenance Agreement?
After the warranty period, an ongoing maintenance agreement ensures your software stays secure and functional. Software is not static. Dependencies update, security patches are released, and occasional issues arise. Without maintenance, software degrades and becomes a security risk.
What maintenance includes:
- Security updates: Applying patches to the framework, libraries, and dependencies your software relies on. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides guidance on vulnerability management that applies to all UK businesses.
- Dependency upgrades: Updating libraries and packages to their latest versions. This prevents compatibility issues and security vulnerabilities.
- Bug fixes: Fixing issues that arise during normal use, after the warranty period.
- Minor improvements: Small adjustments to workflows, reports, or interface elements that do not warrant a full feature phase.
- Monitoring: Monitoring the software for uptime, performance, and errors. Alerts notify the team of issues before users notice.
- Hosting management: Managing cloud infrastructure, scaling, backups, and performance optimisation.
Cost: 15 to 20 percent of the initial build cost annually. For a 60,000 build, that is 9,000 to 12,000 per year.
Response times: Defined in the agreement. Typical: critical issues within 24 hours, non-critical within 3 to 5 days.
How Do New Features Get Added After Launch?
After launch, new features are built as separate phases. This is how custom software evolves with your business. The process for each new feature phase:
- Identify the need: Based on user feedback, business changes, or new requirements. Prioritise by value.
- Scope the feature: Describe what it should do, how it fits with existing functionality, and what integrations it needs.
- Estimate: The development partner provides a cost and timeline for the new feature.
- Build: The feature is developed, tested, and deployed following the same process as the original build.
- Launch: The feature goes live, with training if needed.
Most UK SMEs add features every 3 to 6 months. The advantage of custom software is that you control the roadmap: you decide what to build next, not a vendor. See our services for ongoing development support.
What Monitoring Should Be in Place?
Monitoring catches issues before users do. The monitoring that should be in place after launch:
- Uptime monitoring: Alerts if the software becomes unavailable. Target: 99.9 percent uptime or higher.
- Error monitoring: Automatic capture of errors and exceptions, with alerts for critical issues.
- Performance monitoring: Tracking response times and identifying slow queries or processes.
- Security monitoring: Logging access, detecting unusual activity, and alerting on potential security events.
- Resource monitoring: Tracking CPU, memory, and disk usage to catch capacity issues before they cause problems.
- Backup monitoring: Verifying that backups are completing successfully and can be restored.
For most UK SMEs, cloud hosting platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) provide built-in monitoring tools. The development partner configures alerts and dashboards as part of the deployment and maintenance agreement.
What About Security After Launch?
Security is an ongoing responsibility, not a one-time setup. After launch, the security practices that must continue:
- Patch management: Applying security patches to the operating system, framework, and dependencies promptly after release. The NCSC provides guidance on vulnerability management.
- Access review: Periodically reviewing who has access to the software and removing access for former employees or contractors.
- Data backup verification: Regularly verifying that backups work by testing restoration. A backup you cannot restore is not a backup.
- Security audits: Periodic security reviews, especially if handling personal data. The ICO requires appropriate technical measures under GDPR.
- Dependency scanning: Automated scanning for known vulnerabilities in the libraries your software uses.
- SSL certificate renewal: Ensuring SSL certificates are renewed before they expire.
For most UK SMEs, the maintenance agreement with the development partner covers these security practices. The key is ensuring they are included in the agreement, not assumed.
How Do You Budget for Post-Launch Costs?
Post-launch costs to budget for:
- Annual maintenance: 15 to 20 percent of build cost. For a 60,000 build: 9,000 to 12,000 per year.
- Cloud hosting: 200 to 500 per month depending on usage and performance requirements.
- New feature development: Variable, based on what you need. Budget 10,000 to 30,000 per year for typical feature additions.
- Domain and SSL: 50 to 200 per year.
- Third-party services: Email sending, payment processing, AI APIs. Varies by usage.
Total annual post-launch cost for a 60,000 build: approximately 15,000 to 25,000, including maintenance, hosting, and some feature development. This is predictable and budgetable, unlike SaaS where price increases are outside your control.
For the full cost picture, see our guide on custom software costs. Ready to discuss your project? Book a free discovery call.