Editorial
The Gist
- Interoperability remains a challenge. Legacy systems, data silos, and misaligned teams continue to make seamless tech integration difficult.
- Composable and hybrid stacks offer flexibility. Modern tech architectures help companies integrate tools more easily and evolve without disruption.
- Business-first strategies drive better outcomes. Focusing on business goals helps align technology efforts and demonstrate ROI from interoperability.
Interoperability is intimidating. Creating a digital architecture where systems and services work together smoothly is technically complex. Organizationally, there can also be disconnects between IT and business teams, and a lack of standards guiding how different technology investments work together. In many cases, due to the intricacies of interoperability, companies fail to achieve it within their platforms.
In the healthcare space, addressing just the data part of interoperability, more than a third of medical technology companies claim there aren’t enough skilled professionals, while three-fourths say they struggle with getting data to be compliant and work across systems. Getting technology, data and systems working together is hard. Implementing interoperability can crumble when data runs in silos or when IT teams have incompatible hardware tools and software programs. It can also get stuck in limbo when technologies require constant maintenance.
As customer experience leaders, data officers and IT teams approach interoperability, it helps to think about the business goals first, as this eases some of the technical tension and improves expectations around interoperability. For modern business leaders, CIOs and CTOs, the focus should be on how to get business value out of interoperable technology and adjust the technology to consistently meet those needs.
Table of Contents
- Composability and Hybrid Frameworks Support Interoperability
- Three Pillars of Interoperability for Business Users
- Benefits of Business-First Interoperability
- Core Questions About Interoperability
Composability and Hybrid Frameworks Support Interoperability
First, from a technical lens, companies that implement composable or hybrid tech stacks (that implement both monolithic and composable technologies) stand a better chance of achieving interoperability.
For instance, legacy tools or monolithic tech stacks often lean too heavily on one provider. The focused approach can make it tough to find compatible software tools for specific functions like a content management tool or AI solution. Also, having one anchoring legacy platform can stall company workflows when there are required updates and maintenance issues and make it difficult to establish open lines of communication between all business and IT users.
Composability or hybrid stacks, on the other hand, enable companies to add and replace components as needed, keeping systems running, as well as always innovating. In the MACH Alliance Global Annual Report, more than half of organizations surveyed said using MACH-driven technology results in better system and process integration.
Related Article: Is MACH Still the Blueprint for Modern Digital Architecture?
Interoperability Approaches at a Glance
This table compares key attributes of legacy, composable and hybrid architectures in the context of interoperability goals.
| Architecture Type | Integration Flexibility | Common Challenges | Interoperability Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy (Monolithic) | Low | Vendor lock-in, slow updates, poor system compatibility | Stable environment but difficult to scale or customize |
| Composable | High | Requires orchestration, governance and modular strategy | Easy to swap tools, faster innovation, greater agility |
| Hybrid (Legacy + Composable) | Moderate to High | Balancing integration across systems, potential silos | Leverages existing investments while enabling flexibility |
Three Pillars of Interoperability for Business Users
When a company embarks on a journey toward establishing interoperability within its digital infrastructure, three key strategies can help harness a focus on interoperability for the business user. Again, these are pillars that ground companies to think business first, rather than solely get mired in technical requirements. As a result, these are three strategies that help manage expectations and build guardrails toward interoperable success.
1. Establish Top-Down Alignment
To overcome any disconnects between business and technology teams, leaders at the highest levels of the company must outline a clear path toward aligning the organization around interoperability. C-suite leaders start by identifying technology needs and then setting in place key business goals and KPIs, recognizing that the technology is integral to achieving the goals. The company begins a culture of shared ownership and responsibility among the teams that helps shape strategy, budget and tactics going forward.
2. Solidify Communication Between Tech and Business Users
Now, saying a company is aligned is one thing, but if companies don’t develop clear processes of communication, disconnect creeps back in. To avoid silos, stakeholders must come together to iron out cross-collaborative ways of working together — and that includes understanding the capabilities and limitations of interoperable technology. Governance and guidelines need to be put in place for business and tech teams to follow, and they need processes that foster dialogue between them.
3. Measure Impacts on the Business
Lastly, to ensure technology teams stay business-focused, data-driven measurement must occur to help prove out the value of the technology and interoperable strategies. Technology teams can create and integrate data-driven insights into their processes, and business leaders should expect evidence showing a return on investment from technology. Business teams need to see how interoperable technology contributes to the business goals established.
Measurement and clear communication processes help guide technology and interoperability as an enabler of important business objectives. Without it, companies fall into the trap of having tech for tech’s sake.
Benefits of Business-First Interoperability
When companies put business first, designing technology and strategies that support interoperable workflows will help them work more quickly, innovate more strategically, and cultivate a culture of collaboration.
The onus is on the business goals, not the technology itself, and companies can drive value from interoperability. In fact, the MACH Alliance global survey found 92% of organizations with mature, composable frameworks deliver customer experience improvements at speed. Companies that put more emphasis on driving business value from interoperability can avoid tech intimidation and drive more value.
Core Questions About Interoperability
Editor's note: Key questions surrounding interoperability's role in healthcare and customer experience strategy.
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Composable and hybrid tech stacks allow businesses to mix and match tools based on their specific needs, rather than relying on a single vendor or monolithic system. This flexibility makes it easier to integrate new solutions, update components independently and create open channels between business and IT teams. Organizations using MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) principles often report better system integration and faster innovation.
Instead of approaching interoperability purely as a technical exercise, companies should anchor efforts to business goals—such as improving speed to market, enhancing customer experience, or driving ROI. Business-aligned goals help clarify priorities, reduce resistance between departments and ensure that interoperability delivers tangible value.
A business-first approach starts with top-down alignment, where leadership defines the strategic importance of interoperability. It includes open communication between tech and business teams and uses performance metrics to show how interoperability supports business outcomes. Rather than implementing technology for its own sake, this approach focuses on measurable impact, collaboration and flexibility.
Interoperability is difficult because it involves aligning multiple systems, platforms, and teams—often with conflicting tools, goals, or data standards. Many organizations still operate with legacy technology and lack the cross-functional collaboration necessary to make systems work together seamlessly. The result is siloed data, inconsistent workflows, and increased maintenance burdens.
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