Proprietary Systems

Most large companies have developed “home-grown” solutions to typical business problems. Particularly in software companies, the temptation to quickly throw together a fat-client application (using VB, Delphi, or other RAD tool of choice) backed by a database is almost overwhelming. The price tag on off-the-shelf enterprise applications can be intimidating, and when the costs for customization are factored in, build vs. buy becomes an attractive option.

Unfortunately, demands for new features frequently outstrip the development budget for these internal tools. After they have been implemented and deployed, the burden of developing, testing, and deploying upgrades is more than many IT departments can handle.

Also, sharing information between departments using different systems can be problematic. Incompatible database schemas, competing development platforms (Microsoft versus Java and open source), and file formats make connecting systems within the enterprise time-consuming (and money-consuming).

Replacing proprietary data formats and transports with XML-based solutions can ease the transition to more open solutions. Taking small steps, such as implementing XML data import and export functions, can pave the way for better interoperability. Adopting an Internet-ready RPC standard such as SOAP can ease connectivity problems between remote locations. In many cases, removing proprietary data format support and implementing XML can actually simplify the maintenance of internal tools.