For years now, the decision to build or buy software solutions has shaped digital strategies across the global workforce. Should we build it ourselves? Buy off the shelf? In the context of digital transformation today, that question no longer fits the problem – or the opportunity.
The reality is, you’ll need to invest either way. The real issue now is how you invest, and whether your choices are advancing enterprise-wide transformation or reinforcing disconnected systems.
Isolated Tools Solve Isolated Problems
Historically, companies have opted to buy point software solutions to address specific challenges or build custom tools tailored to department-specific needs. This legacy thinking around build vs. buy often leads to isolated tools solving isolated problems. One team implements a quality solution. Another builds a claims tracker. Then marketing spins up a content tool. The result?
- Siloed data
- Duplicated work
- Expensive integrations
- Inconsistent processes
- Slow, reactive decision-making and approval times
- Limited visibility across the entire value chain
In industries like Food & Beverage and consumer goods – where safety, speed, and compliance are critical – this fragmentation is more than inefficient. It’s risky. And it holds back transformation.
The Real Shift: From Patchworks to Platforms
In today’s technology landscape, the focus is no longer solely on what a software solution does, but how it fits into and enhances the broader ecosystem of an organisation’s operations. This calls for a platform-centric mindset, including:
- A unified foundation across teams and functions
- A shared data model and workflow structures
- Systems that scale with growth and evolve with regulation
Cloud-based solutions such as Veeva Vault provide exactly that – a platform that replaces disconnected tools with one integrated environment, enabling operational efficiency with end-to-end visibility, global compliance, and AI readiness.
Why Platform Thinking Wins
Leading organisations are quickly moving toward platform-based digital operating models. Here’s why:
- One Source of Truth: better data, faster decisions
- Lower Cost of Ownership: less customisation, fewer workarounds
- Built-in Agility: low-code tools and extensible infrastructure
- Audit-Ready Compliance: standardised, trackable processes
- AI & Analytics: structured data to fuel smarter AI insights
According to Gartner, over 70% of enterprises will adopt industry cloud platforms to drive business initiatives in the coming years. And those that don’t? They’ll struggle to keep pace.
A Cultural Shift into Alignment
Moving beyond the build. vs buy mindset requires more than new tech – it requires new alignment. This means centralising decision-making around long-term strategy as a whole and empowering transformation leaders, not just project owners.
Technology has the power to unify departments under shared goals as opposed to localised wins, and it should serve the business – not the other way around. Real transformation occurs when technology catalyses a cultural shift into enterprise-wide thinking from day one.
The Risks of Standing Still
For businesses clinging to outdated models of patchworks over platforms, the risks are clear. Competitors that adopt integrated platforms will have a significant edge in efficiency, compliance, and innovation. The ability to predict and respond quickly to market changes, deliver products faster, and ensure compliance across complex regulatory environments is rapidly becoming a necessity, not a luxury.
Looking Ahead: Build for Unity, Invest for Vision
It’s clear that the question isn’t whether to build or buy. It’s whether or not your digital approach is setting your company up for scale, resilience, and unity. As businesses continue to navigate a world of increasing complexity and competition, the need for integrated, platform-based solutions has never been more urgent. And a unified platform like Veeva Vault brings that unity to life – connecting teams, accelerating outcomes, and future-proofing operations.
If you’re thinking about a digital transformation for your organisation, start by asking:
Will this decision unify my organisation? Or create another silo?
Understanding the potential of platforms to unify processes and drive long-term value is key to both thriving and scaling. To learn more about this evolving approach and its benefits, reach out to Veeva to start the conversation.
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