The Digital Battle — Best in Breed or Integrated Suite?

 Innovation is consistently driving new tools to the market, but which ones are the best fit for your company? Or would an integrated suite be the right answer? In the latest digital battle, Thom Singer and Craig Brown are joined by Digital Enterprise Society Trustee Mark Pendergast for their most agreeable battle so far.  Together Craig and Mark dive deep into best in breed and integrated suite tools, the benefits of each, and how to determine which one is the best fit for an organization. After going the rounds, they reveal that there is in fact a bottom line that can help you determine which direction your company needs to go first and why.    On today’s podcast, you will learn: Defining best in breed and integrated suites  The best in breed strategy allows companies to select the best tools for each function they perform.  Best in breed highlights the productivity of engineers and enhances their ability to work effectively and make good decisions rather than focusing on data sharing with the entire organization. Integrated suites offer an overall system but don’t always offer the best quality that gets the job done.  Integrated suites focus on ensuring that information flows as seamlessly as possible throughout the entire organization.  The vision here is that if data is integrated well, information will flow from tool to tool more quickly and efficiently.    Do companies have to choose one or the other? Most companies have a combination of best in breed and integrated suite.  When tools become obsolete, best in breed allows for an easier transition to an updated tool.  Integrated suite owners are more likely to hold onto tools long after they no longer best serve the processes.  If flow of data is a problem in your organization, best in breed is most likely your best option.    Key factors to help you choose the right one Step one- can you find an integrated suite that aligns with your needs?  Simple needs lean toward a simpler integrated suite option.  Complex systems are more likely to benefit from competing best of breed tools.  Best of breed should be used when it offers a competitive advantage, not when it’s just another tool that you have to have.  Best of breed tools tend to follow technology more closely initially, and are then adapted into integrated suites eventually.  Investments in tools tend to decrease over time as tools are integrated into suites.    Securing best of breed in its place Turn over of tools is something that best of breed vendors continuously do.  Cutting edge tools have to be replaced as often as necessary to stay at the industry forefront.  Best of breed focuses on the impossible, and moves on as soon as something becomes more mainstream.    Handling the overlap between the two Acquisition tends to bring best of breed and integrated suites head to head, but doesn’t always require that one win out over the other.  If money is being made, there is no reason to force a change.  Best of breed tools need to be kept around because it might be the direction business goes next.  Product awareness and map tools are essential to determining the best of the two choices.    Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org. Digital Guideposts Blog