A catalogue is not an ecosystem
The number of connectors says little about adoption, reliability, strategic coverage or the cost of keeping them useful.
Expertise · Integration ecosystems
Integration ecosystems that remain operable as they grow.
Product strategy, architecture and operating models for third-party connectivity—from the first strategic connectors to portfolios numbering in the hundreds.
Every integration creates a continuing obligation.
Shipping a connector is the start of its lifecycle. External schemas change, credentials expire, rate limits tighten and customers use workflows in ways the original design did not anticipate.
Scaling integrations therefore requires more than reusable code. It needs portfolio choices, explicit ownership, lifecycle policy, observability and a realistic view of where the product should remain opinionated.
What matters
Ownership is part of the architecture
Unclear responsibility for failures, schema changes and support escalations creates more friction than many technical choices.
Standardize the repeating work
Shared contracts, tooling and observability should remove repetition while preserving the exceptions that carry product value.
A working framework
Treat the portfolio as a product.
The objective is useful coverage with controlled operational complexity, not the largest possible directory.
Map user workflows
Start with the jobs that cross system boundaries, not a list of vendors with APIs.
Segment the portfolio
Distinguish strategic, common and long-tail integrations by value, demand and operating model.
Set ownership boundaries
Make responsibility for product behavior, connector code, credentials, support and partner coordination explicit.
Choose build models
Use internal development, embedded platforms, partners or customer tooling according to differentiation and lifecycle cost.
Measure operational health
Track activation, successful syncs, data freshness, failure recovery and support demand—not just connector availability.
Open to thoughtful conversations
Working on a difficult platform problem?
If it involves APIs, integrations, data products or B2B platforms, we would be interested to hear about it.
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