Custom Software vs Off-the-Shelf: A CTO's Decision Guide Engineering Strategy CTO

Custom Software vs Off-the-Shelf: A CTO's Decision Guide

The average enterprise now runs 200+ SaaS subscriptions — and still builds custom software on top of them. Somewhere between "just buy it" and "just build it," most CTOs are making six- and seven-figure decisions on gut feeling.

This isn't a build-vs-buy checklist. It's the actual scoring framework Litslink uses with clients before recommending either path — including the hybrid option most teams don't consider until it's too late.

If you're facing a decision on a critical system in the next two quarters, this session will save you from the two most expensive mistakes: building what you should have bought, and buying what you should have built.

WEBINAR

Custom Software vs Off-the-Shelf: A CTO's Decision Guide

  • Wed, Sep 16, 2026
  • 6:00 PM CET
  • 1 hour

Registration closes in: 00d 00h 00m 00s

Format Zoom
Language English
Duration 1 hour
Level Leadership

WHY ATTEND

What you get out of this hour

  • Scoring rubric The exact build-vs-buy framework used with our clients.
  • Three case studies Real client decisions, anonymized with numbers.
  • Deck & recording Full deck and recording after the session.

DESCRIPTION

What you'll learn

This session is for founders and CTOs facing a build-vs-buy decision on a critical system. We share the exact scoring rubric Litslink uses with clients, the questions that most often flip a decision, and three anonymized case studies where the obvious answer turned out to be wrong.

Agenda

  • Signals it's time to build in-house
  • Signals off-the-shelf is fine forever
  • The hybrid model most teams underuse
  • Total cost of ownership over 5 years
  • Live audience Q&A

SPEAKERS

Meet your speakers

Mark Petrenko

Mark Petrenko

Principal Engineer · Litslink

Mark architects custom software platforms with a focus on cloud-native systems, event-driven backends, and developer experience. Over 12 years he has helped 40+ startups go from MVP to Series B, with a soft spot for pragmatic architecture.

Anna Kovalenko

Anna Kovalenko

Head of AI · Litslink

Anna leads Litslink's AI practice, delivering production ML systems for fintech, healthcare, and logistics clients across 12 countries. She has guided dozens of teams through build-vs-buy calls on data and ML systems.

SAVE YOUR SPOT

Ready to join? Save your spot

Free live session. Recording sent to everyone who registers.

LITSLINK IN NUMBERS

Ten years of shipping software that scales

150+
projects delivered
10+
years on the market
50+
AI/ML experts
30+
client countries
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