A freelance software engineer or software developer can do the job for you. Most of these developers are employees of top or fortune IT companies and just left their jobs to go on full time as a freelancer. They are not less competitive as some may think; they know the procedure for software development process from scratch to end.

The only thing you must do to know that you've got the best developer is to look for his portfolio; do not give too much emphasis on his education. Most of the best software developers are not even formally educated from prestigious IT schools. You will be amazed that they are just self-taught coders who are extremely gifted to understand the syntax and language of even the most obscure programming language. His portfolio will tell you whether or not he could actually do software development services for you.

Now, as a small or medium sized business, you will want to specifically look for applications that will work well for your particular setting. These applications could run the gamut from things such as inter-office programs, which would include human resources development filing systems, id systems, accounting systems, and payroll systems; to more complex server side applications, such as intranet and content management systems. Additionally, you could consider employing more advanced things, such as tracking programs.