Fragmentation remains a challenge in many industries—including software, where siloed solutions frustrate consumers and hinder innovation.
getty
Before the unification of the United States dollar, continental currency was a fragmented mess. Each colony printed its own money, often incompatible with that of others, leading to economic inefficiencies, a loss of trust, and systemic instability. While the currency conundrum has long been resolved, fragmentation remains a challenge in many industries—including software, where siloed solutions frustrate consumers and hinder innovation. Today, software fragmentation is creating the same chaos that colonial currency once did.
Imagining a World Where Software Actually Works Together
Siloed software is the modern equivalent of fragmented colonial currency. Applications are often tightly coupled to specific platforms, making deployment and distribution chaotic and non-repeatable. Just as the dollar brought standardization, repeatability, and trust, modern software needs unified deployment and distribution models. Without them, we’re stuck with bespoke implementations that slow innovation and increase cost.
The future belongs to software that can operate across environments without friction. Just as standardized currency enabled scalable commerce, a world where cloud-native, platform-agnostic deployments allow applications to work seamlessly anywhere can streamline business operations while eliminating the integration headaches that plague modern organizations.
This vision would require a fundamental shift in how we approach software development. Here are a few things that need to happen if we are going to break down software silos:
- Set a new standard with containerization: When we build applications tied to specific infrastructure, we’re creating our own limits. Container technologies allow for portable, consistent environments that work anywhere.
- Embrace API-first architecture: A standardized currency made trade predictable. Similarly, well-designed APIs create reliable interfaces that allow different systems to communicate without custom integration.
- Establish cloud-native design from day one: Stop retrofitting legacy applications for modern environments and build with scalability in mind. Build applications that work anywhere and adapt to changing needs, rather than trying to force legacy monoliths into modern infrastructure.
- Build for interoperability, not isolation: Software should enhance collaboration between teams and systems, rather than creating new barriers or dependencies. Interoperability is a technical (and competitive) advantage and should be the default, not an extra perk.
- Invest in migration strategies early: Colonial merchants didn’t abandon their local currencies and switch to new ones overnight. Transition plans were needed. Similarly, clear pathways are needed to shift from fragmented systems to unified platforms.
Software Fragmentation Won’t Fix Itself
The standardization of US currency was not an overnight success story. For a time, private entities and banks were responsible for issuing notes of tender, creating a lack of cohesiveness that made counterfeiting easy and consumer trust hard to earn. It wasn’t until the government mandated uniform designs and sizes that currency became truly reliable.
Moving beyond software fragmentation will likely be a similarly stepwise procedure. It’s not going to be fixed overnight—but the efforts to make a change will be well worth it when you consider the benefits. Just as standardized currency enabled scalable economic growth, standardized software will enable the next wave of digital transformation. For those who want to be at the forefront of it, the time to change is now.
