Steve points out something that is music to my eyes…

Integration Proclamation:

We, the undersigned progressive leaders, have together identified technology integration as a top priority infrastructure need in 2007. We urge progressive funders, vendors and technologists to support a collaborative effort dedicated to ensuring that our tools integrate effectively, so that we can move forward with innovative, powerful platforms that will help us win.

Of course I signed on.

This article lays out the issue in perfect clarity. It’s certainly what I’ve been complaining about for the past year, isn’t? I am so tired of vendors who operate in silos, thinking that if they offer A, C & D that we’ll think that’s enough and we won’t have any need for another vendor who can do B. Or worse, they make a half-hearted attempt at the complete package so we have to settle for less than what we really want, or pay for more than we need.

It’s encouraging to see the list of folks who have already signed the proclamation. Many are vendors. Well, many work for vendors. It doesn’t mean that their CEOs are on board with the idea. When more folks like me turn down products because they don’t play nice with technology we already have, maybe that will be the catalyst. I don’t think change is going to come from a single vendor stepping forward. I think it’s going to be an open source movement, in partnership with one or two high-profile vendors who will get the ball rolling to the point that the bigger vendors will have no choice but to support the format, whatever it is.