Best-of-Breed

What is Best-of-Breed?

Best-of-Breed is a procurement approach for software and IT systems: instead of using an integrated suite from a single vendor, you combine multiple specialized solutions, each of which delivers outstanding performance in its specific functional area. The opposing principle is the so-called Best-of-Suite or single-vendor strategy, where one vendor supplies as many functions as possible from a single source. In intralogistics, Best-of-Breed is commonly found where requirements for individual areas are particularly demanding — such as warehouse management, transport control, or automation integration — and a generic suite cannot adequately meet those needs.

How does it work in practice?

A typical Best-of-Breed setup in a warehouse connects a specialized warehouse management system with a standalone transport management system, an ERP system for commercial processes, and additional specialist modules — for example for yard management, labor management, or the control of automated systems. These systems communicate via defined interfaces, and in modern architectures this is frequently done through APIs or EDI standards.

The key difference from a suite lies in the responsibility for integration: with Best-of-Breed, this responsibility rests entirely with the operator. You must ensure that data flows consistently, completely, and promptly between systems. Interface issues, differing data models, and version conflicts during updates are typical challenges that must be actively managed. Many companies use middleware platforms or integration layers for this purpose.

What matters when making a selection?

The decision to adopt Best-of-Breed is rarely purely technical — it is a strategic choice with long-term consequences for operations, support, and further development. The following questions should be clarified in advance:

• Integration effort: How complex is the initial connection, and who bears ongoing responsibility for it? Interfaces must be reviewed and potentially adjusted with every update to each individual system.
• Overall accountability: When problems arise between two systems, vendors tend to pass responsibility to each other. A clear governance model — managed internally or through a system integrator — is therefore essential.
• Support and SLAs: Multiple vendors mean multiple support contracts, different response times, and potentially different maintenance windows that must be coordinated.
• Costs over the lifecycle: The greater functional depth of specialist solutions can be partially or fully offset by the additional effort involved in integration and operations. An honest total cost of ownership analysis is imperative.

Best-of-Breed is most worthwhile when your functional requirements in specific areas genuinely exceed what a suite can deliver — and when you have the organizational and technical capacity to professionally operate a multi-vendor landscape.