Introduction

There was a panel discussion about “best in breed” technology vs. “all in one” technology. 

Each of the vendors on the panel took their positions and argued for and against. The conversation was spirited but one comment stood out from Nate Barad from Sitecore, analogising that,  

“Best of breed technology is like going to a dog show and looking for the ‘best of breed dog’ that wins the overall show. Can you imagine what that dog would look like?”

I found this analogy powerful in looking at the tools needed by companies in today’s market to compete in digital.

As in animal breeding, best of breed depends on the individual’s tastes and preferences. Furthermore, there is a dog for every need, be that a guard dog, or a great family dog. 

In looking at the technologies that companies are using, the same analogy can apply. Many of the decisions being made about what to use are less about technology itself, but rather about the way that companies engage with that technology.

These can include: the process a company takes to making decisions, the personality of the decision makers, the marketing they consume, the risk profile of the company, and the technical biases of the technology teams, just to name a few.

If we take out the personality and political viewpoints in the decision making, we then have to deal with trade-offs.