Ecosystems play a central role in the strategies of modern companies with high digital growth ambitions. Digital technology stacks add a new dimension of complexity to the solution stack. Therefore, a value-adding network of partners is an important competitive advantage to generate customer-ready solutions and accelerate time to market. Trusted suppliers and technology partners provide speed, flexibility and cost-effectiveness by allowing a company to focus on its core competencies while leveraging partners for other aspects of the tech stack and go-to-market approach.

Many traditional companies are not adept at building ecosystems because their markets have been relatively stable for decades. As digital technologies add complexity to their markets, they must develop an organizational structure and processes that allow better use of external capabilities. Partners can then be selected based on fit with business needs, cultural fit, and factors related to corporate strategy.