Buy versus build judge yourself! I would think xRM as a way of accelerate application development.
Costs
Benefits
Buy (xRM)
Locked to vendor
Locked to vender schedules
Customizations to fill GAPs (if any)
Licenses
Configuration more than development
Faster go to market
Use vender enhancements
“Standard”
Shop GAP’s as modules or vertical solutions
Build (.Net or any other langauges)
Expensive
Longer delivery cycles
Harder to rapidly change
Innovation
Tailor application bit by bit
Re-use existing infrastructure
Better control over developer process
This is a very vage view, I fear...
If you habe to integrate the software in your existing enviroment, and you have to touch EVERY field (for exact length-limitations or checking for the right content, and have to build an interface and so on and so on), buying is MUCH more expensive !
So better look for a better framework with much less limitations than you have with a bought product.