It might be that your event-management platform doesn’t quite fit your meeting process, or that your organization’s commitment to virtual conferences has you wondering if your online platform is right for the long term: At some point, you’re likely to face the question of whether to use an off-the-shelf software product, build your own, or work out some hybrid solution.

There’s no doubt there are outstanding meeting technologies on the market. However, given the costs of these systems and executives’ desire for efficiency, meeting professionals should be ready for these should-we-or-shouldn’t-we conversations with the IT department and the C-suite.

In general, custom software tends to be more expensive than an off-the-shelf solution, but the latter may not have the features you’re looking for. To be ready for the conversation, it’s important to be able to outline the features needed, including security, and the total cost of your current system. A recent article in Forbes outlines many of the issues that will be on the table, including functionality, development resources, security, costs, and time commitment. It doesn’t provide the answer as to whether building or buying is the right way to go, but it can help you know the right questions to ask.