Which statement about COTS software is true?

Which statement about COTS software is true?

• A. It eliminates the need for customization in all cases.
• B. It can reduce development time.
• C. It cannot integrate with existing components.
• D. It always requires more maintenance than custom software.

Answer: (B)

COTS software provides ready-made, commercially available functionality. Because those core features are already built and tested, implementing it can significantly reduce the time needed to deploy a system compared with building everything from scratch. You still configure the product, adjust workflows, migrate data, and set up integrations with existing systems, but the heavy development work is largely already done. The other statements aren’t typically true: you often need some customization or configuration to fit your processes; many COTS products can integrate with other components via APIs or standards; and maintenance needs depend on the vendor model and environment, so it isn’t accurate to say it always requires more maintenance than custom software.

COTS software provides ready-made, commercially available functionality. Because those core features are already built and tested, implementing it can significantly reduce the time needed to deploy a system compared with building everything from scratch. You still configure the product, adjust workflows, migrate data, and set up integrations with existing systems, but the heavy development work is largely already done. The other statements aren’t typically true: you often need some customization or configuration to fit your processes; many COTS products can integrate with other components via APIs or standards; and maintenance needs depend on the vendor model and environment, so it isn’t accurate to say it always requires more maintenance than custom software.