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I am looking for a word to describe a system or solution that has been put together from pre-existing parts. For example if a computer company gets software from 3 different software houses and sells it together as a complete solution maybe with some integration work on their part. The company might even white-label the system/solution and the customer may not even be aware that the system has been put together from constituent parts. The word could be IT industry specific but it doesn't have to be.

I always thought the word 'turnkey' meant this but I have found that 'turnkey' really means the opposite (ie an off-the-shelf system) and bespoke is a closer word but a bespoke system implies to me that it has been created entirely from scratch to the customer's specifications whereas the word I am looking for is more like 'assembled' really but that seems a bit weak.

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    I think a kit is somewhere around the right zone but I'm really not sure.
    – SF.
    Nov 6, 2012 at 15:11
  • @SF hmmm thanks, it is certainly in the ballpark but I was hoping there is something a bit more fancy. A kit system/solution doesn't sound so great.
    – Caltor
    Nov 6, 2012 at 15:14
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    Well, I beg to differ. Kits are perfectly nice and very sophisticated on occasion. You could even invite them home to dinner without embarrassment.
    – Kit Z. Fox ♦
    Nov 6, 2012 at 15:24

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Usually custom adds a bit of flair and it conveys the idea that the package has been tailored in some fashion.

You could say a custom-tailored software package, a customized system, or perhaps an integrated solution. All of these imply that there were pre-existing parts that were tweaked in some fashion for the particular customers needs.

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  • Integrated software solutions is the jargon I've heard, and a web-search brings up a company named that as well as the phrase used in many company blurbs.
    – ghoppe
    Nov 6, 2012 at 15:54
  • I've come to.the conclusion there isn't a word to perfectly describe what I mean but I think integrated is the closest, thanks.
    – Caltor
    Nov 6, 2012 at 23:49
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Kludge comes close—the original root meaning "clever", but it has developed into a pejorative term. I used the term in an article showing how existing parts could be assembled in ways to solve problems for studio photographers. There was no new research or design, just repurposing of existing components.

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    +1 for the etymology but I definitely can't tell my customers "this system is a kludge" haha
    – Caltor
    Nov 6, 2012 at 23:47
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Assembled is usually the word of choice for hardware. It might perhaps be incongruous with software. A better choice might be streamlined or integrated.

The thesaurus entry for assemble might provide a few more choices. Systematize and (re)constituted caught my eye.

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I've heard the phrase software package used for software systems that contain more than one softwares. If it's an integrated package of softwares and hardwares, then you could either use the term computer package or roll your own name.

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