COTS
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Software
| Stands for | Commercial off-the-shelf |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
COTS stands for Commercial off-the-shelf, a software abbreviation.
Ready-made software or hardware bought from a vendor rather than custom-built, such as Microsoft Office or standard servers. Government and defense procurement often prefer COTS products to cut cost and development time.
Example: The agency chose a COTS case-management system and configured it instead of writing one from scratch.
Usage notes
COTS products are cheaper and faster to deploy but may need workarounds where requirements differ. Variants include GOTS (government off-the-shelf) and MOTS (modified off-the-shelf). US federal acquisition rules require agencies to consider commercial items before commissioning custom development.
Related abbreviations
More software abbreviations
- CAL – Client Access License
- CC – Creative Commons
- CC BY – Creative Commons Attribution License
- CC0 – Creative Commons Zero
- CE – Community Edition
- CLA – Contributor license agreement
- DAW – Digital audio workstation
- DCO – Developer Certificate of Origin
- DLL – Dynamic-link library
- DRM – Digital rights management
- EE – Enterprise Edition
- EOL – End of life