AP automation: specialized software or custom development?
To automate your accounts payable, two paths exist: have a solution custom-built (an IT firm, in-house code or Microsoft Power Platform), or adopt a proven specialized solution like Viridem. Both are valid, but not for the same situations. Here is how to decide, honestly.
Custom development: flexible, but demanding
Good Canadian IT firms design custom automations, application development and Power Platform solutions. It is an excellent path when your process is genuinely unique and no market software covers it.
But for accounts payable, this path has a cost: an analysis and development project (often several months), a dependency on the team that built the tool, and above all maintenance and evolutions on your shoulders over time. You are not just paying for development: you become responsible for a product.
The specialized solution: proven, fast, cost-effective
Accounts payable everywhere follow the same broad steps: invoice capture, validation (PO, receipt and invoice matching), approval, posting to the ERP. That is exactly what a specialized editor has already solved, and refined across hundreds of clients.
Viridem is a Canadian editor dedicated to accounts payable automation and document management since 2013, with expertise by trade and sector (construction, manufacturing, distribution, forestry, finance), native connectors to Canadian ERPs (Acomba, Maestro, Avantage) and an AI built for invoices. You go live in a few weeks, updates are included, and you keep control through human supervision.
Above all, the subscription is not an expense, it is an investment that pays for itself through the savings it generates year after year: ROI is typically reached in 3 to 12 months, then the net benefit compounds over the long run, with no project to maintain.
Specialized vs custom: the comparison
| Criterion | Specialized solution (Viridem) | Custom development |
|---|---|---|
| Time to go live | A few weeks, proven product | Several months (analysis, dev, testing) |
| Cost and payback | Predictable investment that generates lasting savings | Project cost + ongoing maintenance |
| Trade and sector expertise | Built in, refined at 300+ companies since 2013 | To build and maintain yourself |
| Canadian ERPs | Native connectors (Acomba, Maestro, Avantage) | To develop case by case |
| Updates and evolutions | Included, ongoing | On your shoulders |
| The right choice when… | Your AP processes are standard and you want to optimize fast | Your process is genuinely unique, outside AP |
The right reflex
The real question is not custom-or-not in the abstract, but: is my accounts payable process unusual enough to justify building everything? In 9 cases out of 10, it is not, invoices, approvals and ERP posting look alike from one company to the next. Buying a specialized solution saves you months, brings you proven sector expertise, and keeps you from becoming a software editor by accident.
And the cost of inaction is measurable: up to US$53 to correct a keying error (IOFM) and 15% of invoices with an error on average (CEPS, 2024). Done right, automation typically pays for itself in 3 to 12 months.
Estimate your return in 2 minutes with the Viridem ROI calculator.
Not sure which path fits your accounts payable?
A 30-minute demo, no commitment, with a Canadian team. We look at your processes and tell you honestly whether a specialized solution is the right call.