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Andy Martin
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I run a software company. And I still buy software.
Let’s start with the obvious: I run a software company. We design and sell enterprise software. So yes, I have a perspective on the “build vs. buy” debate—one informed as much by buying as by building.
There is a well-known line that says, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” Some will argue that this perspective is shaped by that reality.
That is fair.
It is also why I try to be precise about what I am and am not arguing. Over time, I’ve learned that the line between a great internal prototype and a durable production system can look deceptively thin. That is where even capable organizations find themselves tested.
A Demo Is Not a System
Modern tools—AI, low-code platforms, integration frameworks—have made experimentation faster and cheaper than ever. That is progress. Teams can learn quickly, visualize ideas, and test assumptions at record speed. Used well, prototypes sharpen thinking and reduce waste.
The challenge is what happens after the early excitement. A proof of concept that performs beautifully in a controlled setting can mask the work still ahead. Real systems must endure bad data, evolving security standards, staff turnover, regulatory surprises, and growth that never fits the plan. Logging, access controls, auditability, backups, and governance are not glamorous—but they are what make software sustainable. The best innovators know that building is only half the journey. Support, compliance, and stewardship define the other half.
The Hidden Cost of Permanent Ownership
Consider a mid-sized manufacturer that built its own order-entry and reporting portal five years ago to avoid paying a software vendor. At the time, it worked well. Sales reps could place orders, customers could check status, and management had visibility into backlog and pricing.
Today, the original architect is gone. The system struggles with S/4HANA upgrades. New compliance and export-control requirements are difficult to support. Pricing rules live in undocumented scripts. Integrations break during every ERP change. The remaining IT team avoids touching the code unless absolutely necessary.
The company did not eliminate cost. It converted a license fee into a permanent, underfunded operational risk.
When you replace commercial platforms with internal systems, you are not making a short-term decision. You are committing to years of maintenance, security updates, compliance reviews, integrations, and user support. You are committing to fund that work long after the original excitement has faded.
In the first year, ownership feels empowering. You control the roadmap. You avoid license fees. You move quickly. In year three or five, it feels different. Key developers have moved on. Documentation is incomplete. Security standards have changed. Regulators ask new questions. Customers expect higher reliability. At that point, “we built this ourselves” stops being a point of pride and becomes a permanent obligation.
Owning software is not wrong. In fact, when a system is part of your intellectual property—the unique element that delivers your core value—building is often mandatory.
Owning it forever, without a clear strategic reason, usually is.
What Business Are We Really In?
Every company faces this question eventually. Are we a manufacturer, distributor, logistics provider—or a technology company at heart? Most successful firms thrive by excelling in a narrow band of capabilities, not by mastering every layer of technology beneath them.
Building internal platforms is a form of vertical integration. Sometimes it deepens advantage. Sometimes it diffuses it. Owning software means owning security, compliance, uptime, support, governance, and succession. Those responsibilities create durable capability only when they reinforce the company’s strategic core. The right question is not whether you can build more internally. It is whether this system gives you a market advantage or proprietary capability you could not buy—and whether it makes you stronger three to five years from now.
Closing
I run a software company, and I still buy software.
Because focus beats pride.
We invest deeply in what we do best: delivering reliable, SAP-integrated self-service portals that make manufacturers easier to do business with. The rest, we trust to partners who bring their own excellence to the table.
The real competitive advantage is not found in avoiding a license fee. It is found in the sustained ability to execute your core strategy. Building for the sake of ownership is a slow diversion. Partnering for excellence is a permanent accelerator.
Great companies are not defined by how much they build.
They are defined by what they choose to master.
They experiment.
They partner.
They buy wisely.
And they deliver results.
