Ecosystems Matter

We are of the firm belief that when it comes to software, they are either an ecosystem or apart of one.  If neither, the software better not be too important to your business.

An ecosystem or platform simply means that other software companies can build on top of a given system to extend it with new functionality.

The original ecosystem is the operating system.  Whether your computer is running Windows, Mac OS, Linux or even something else, all the programs you purchase run on top of that foundation.

Over the years that concept has been extended further.  First with applications and today with websites.  Facebook is a platform.  There are games that run inside it.  You can "like" things from just about anywhere. 

Salesforce.com is one of the best examples in the corporate space of an ecosystem or platform.  An organization starts with the base CRM package but then can add all sorts of features from third parties that just "bolt on" to the base foundation.

Building your own ecosystem means choosing the right collection of platforms that work with each other. 

The small business needs to think long and hard about any major investments.  For example, any system that "touches" money should have integration with your financial & accounting system (e.g. QuickBooks, Peachtree, etc).  Without that integration, time will be spent wasted manually exporting and importing data from one system to the other, which is a process prone to error (human and otherwise) and is adding zero value to the business. 

Having the technological bridges in place to connect two systems together is critical to keeping data quality high and expenses low.