Blog post -
Best of Breed Demands Smart Integration – Otherwise It’s Just an Expensive Mistake
As digitalization accelerates, many companies are rethinking their approach to business systems. Instead of relying on large, monolithic solutions, more organizations are choosing a set of specialized applications, often referred to as “best of breed.” The advantages are clear: greater functionality, better user experience, and faster adaptation to business needs. However, this kind of ecosystem also places high demands on integration.
A Shift in the Market
The ERP system is no longer the centre of the digital universe. Today, it’s one of many components in an evolving landscape.
“Many companies realize that a single ERP system that does ‘a little bit of everything’ is no longer enough. To succeed today, you need complementary tools that work together to provide tangible business benefits,” says Stefan Jörkander, CEO of Connect Companies and an expert in system integration.
Best of breed means selecting the strongest solution in each niche – warehouse, customer service, logistics. The end result is flexibility and expertise, but also complexity: so how do you make all of these systems work together?
Integration as Infrastructure
Without a clear strategy, integration can become the weakest link. Instead of delivering value, a best of breed setup can turn into an expensive, inefficient, waste of investment.
“You need to think long-term and treat integration as part of your business strategy. With the right integration solution, you can add or replace systems as your business evolves – without the entire structure collapsing,” says Jörkander.
A flexible integration engine allows businesses to scale, adapt, and modernize in a strategic manner, without the need to reinvent the wheel.
Turning Technology into Business Value
A strong integration solution creates palpable benefits:
- Time savings – manual work disappears when systems communicate with each other.
- Smarter decisions – reliable, real-time data and insight across all systems.
- Faster innovation – test new solutions without the need to deploy large resources.
- Stronger security – encrypted, validated, and traceable data flows.
“With an integration platform like Blue Integrator, you can solve today’s challenges and be ready for what lies ahead in the future. It’s designed to connect different systems while remaining easy to adapt to new business trends,” Jörkander explains.
Built for Sustainability and Efficiency
Sustainability matters in integration, and this can range from energy consumption to resource use.
A modern solution should consume minimal energy when idle, yet process data with speed and precision when required. Optimized databases and indexing further improve both performance and efficiency.
The financial case is equally strong. A well-implemented integration solution delivers quick ROI through saved time and lower system costs – and can open the door to new business opportunities.
Five Questions to Ask Before You Choose
- Can it integrate both current and future systems?
- How flexible is it when change is needed?
- Is data transfer encrypted and traceable?
- How energy-efficient is the solution?
- Can it grow and evolve without major disruption?
Integration as Strategy
In a world where change is constant, integration is not just technical plumbing – it’s a strategic asset. Companies that want to embrace the best of breed approach need a solution that makes all of the advantages possible.
“A smart integration strategy gives you the freedom to choose the best of every world – without getting locked into a solution that no longer fits,” Jörkander concludes.
