In today’s interconnected business environment, partnerships are critical to driving growth, expanding market reach, and delivering customer value. Managing these partnerships effectively, however, can be a complex task. This is where a partner ecosystem management (PEM) platform becomes essential.
As brands weigh the options of buying an off-the-shelf PEM platform versus building their own, the decision can significantly impact time-to-value, cost, and scalability.
Here’s why buying a PEM platform often makes more sense than building one from scratch.
1. Speed to market
In fast-paced industries, time-to-market is a critical factor for maintaining a competitive edge. A pre-built PEM platform is ready to deploy, allowing brands to start managing their partner ecosystem immediately. Leading platforms are already equipped with tools for onboarding, collaboration, tracking, and reporting, minimizing setup time.
On the other hand, developing a custom PEM platform can take months or even years. By the time the platform is ready, market conditions or business priorities may have shifted, reducing the relevance of the investment. This delay could result in lost revenue and missed opportunities.
2. Cost efficiency
The total cost of ownership for a custom-built solution often exceeds the cost of buying a proven PEM platform. While purchasing a PEM platform involves upfront and subscription costs, these are predictable and often scalable with usage. Maintenance, updates, and compliance are handled by the vendor, eliminating hidden expenses.
The cost of building a platform includes development, testing, hosting, and ongoing maintenance. Additionally, any unforeseen changes in requirements can lead to cost overruns. Staffing an in-house development team or hiring external consultants adds another layer of expense.
Brands should focus their budgets on growing the ecosystem, not reinventing the wheel.
3. Access to advanced features
Partner ecosystems thrive on robust tools that empower collaboration and drive performance. Modern PEM platforms come with a suite of advanced tools such as partner onboarding workflows, automated reporting, marketing resource management, and AI-driven insights. These features are the result of years of development and customer feedback, so you can leverage cutting-edge technology without additional development time.
Building a platform with comparable features requires significant expertise and time. Even then, the features may lag behind what’s available in the market due to rapid technological advancements.
4. Scalability and flexibility
Brands need a solution that evolves with their ecosystem. A scalable platform ensures long-term viability without the need for constant rebuilding.
PEM platforms are designed to scale as your partner ecosystem grows. Vendors continuously enhance their solutions to accommodate new use cases, integrations, and emerging technologies.
Custom platforms often struggle to scale due to rigid designs or limited resources for ongoing development. Expanding the system to meet new demands can result in significant delays and costs.
5. Proven reliability
Reliability is essential for managing high-stakes partnerships. A proven platform reduces risks and ensures smooth operations.
Established PEM platforms have been tested across industries and use cases. They are designed to handle complex ecosystems and are backed by customer support teams for troubleshooting and guidance.
Custom-built solutions often encounter bugs, integration issues, or unforeseen challenges during deployment and use. Without a dedicated support team, resolving these problems can slow down operations.
6. Focus on core competencies
By choosing a ready-made platform, brands can focus their resources on building and nurturing partnerships rather than diverting attention to software development. Outsourcing to experts allows brands to concentrate on what they do best — growing their partner ecosystem and driving business outcomes.
Developing a custom PEM platform can divert time, talent, and energy away from strategic initiatives. This is especially risky for brands without extensive experience in software development.
When to consider building a PEM platform
While buying is often the smarter choice, there are instances where building might be appropriate:
- Your business has unique, highly specific requirements that off-the-shelf platforms cannot meet.
- There is an in-house development team with expertise in building scalable software solutions.
- Your brand has a long-term vision for a proprietary system that aligns with its broader strategy.
Even in these cases, brands should carefully evaluate the costs and risks of building versus buying.
The case for buying a PEM platform
A partner ecosystem management platform is a critical tool for driving collaboration, streamlining operations, and achieving measurable results. For most brands, buying a pre-built platform delivers faster implementation, advanced features, and reliable scalability—all at a lower total cost of ownership. While building may seem appealing for its customizability, the challenges of development, maintenance, and scaling often outweigh the benefits.
By choosing to buy a PEM platform, brands can leverage industry-proven solutions to unlock the full potential of their partner ecosystems, all while staying focused on strategic growth.
Get in touch with one of our experts to learn how the Ansira platform can help you synchronize your partner ecosystem.
