...and Parts is Parts

From "Don't Look Back" to "Roundabout" to Bach's 2nd Brandenburg, remember when fully appreciating the music apart from a live performance meant getting all the assorted pieces that were each best in class and putting them together? -- Bose (/Polk) speakers, Fisher turntable, Marantz tape deck, Pioneer amp... The pieces were all specialized and no single company was best at everything. What components were available and the features they offered were in constant flux and tracked rigorously by the audiophile.

As any system gets more standardized and makers figure out what the total package is going to look like, they can step back and work on integration and designing components that work together effectively.

In developing IT infrastructure, as most of the individual pieces become better established watch for the emphasis to continue to move toward making them well-matched. The focus can be shifted more heavily to the value of integration and implementation.