A major news story surfaced this week that should resonate with tech leaders across the board. Retail giant Kingfisher, the parent company of B&Q and Screwfix, publicly rejected SAP’s mandated upgrade plan.

The core issue? Kingfisher’s Group CTO, Chris Blatchford, perfectly summarised a strategic pressure point we encounter daily: suppliers are demanding costly migration, often to the cloud, just to unlock basic innovation like AI. As he put it, “Show us value. Don’t just present me with a new licensing module that somehow spikes my cost by 20x.”

We completely appreciate why this represents a significant commercial dilemma. While Kingfisher is large enough to make headlines, this pressure is a critical, strategic choice facing organisations in every sector. The problem is now compounded by the hype around AI, which is often positioned as the be-all and end-all, but which requires a stable platform to succeed. When you’ve invested heavily in a system, being forced into an unnecessary leap for basic features constitutes a strategic burden that requires an impartial approach.

The crucial decision point: hype vs. practicality

Leaders are finding themselves constrained. They have poured significant resources into embedded technology, but the rapid evolution of AI has created a new, high stakes dilemma. It’s critical to remember that AI is not a ‘smoking gun’ for business success. Our expert view is that without clean data, mature business processes, and a clear problem to solve, any AI investment simply risks accelerating existing inefficiencies.

This reality forces businesses toward three common and expensive pitfalls:

1. Paying the toll: Sticking with your incumbent technology and accepting a potentially astronomical upgrade cost, often for AI features you may not even be ready to fully leverage.
2. Ripping and replacing: Undertaking a high cost, high risk project to remove a deeply embedded system, only to find your new platform faces the exact same data-readiness problems.
3. Waiting and hoping: Remaining static and hoping the technology you’ve painstakingly implemented will eventually catch up, whilst your competitors (who may have done the foundational work) gain a strategic advantage.

We champion a better way: focused strategy

The most important takeaway is this: the answer is rarely a binary “stick or switch.” We champion the position that a more flexible, strategic solution can put you firmly back in control.

• Validate your readiness: Before signing off on any significant investment, whether it’s a vendor mandated upgrade or a whole new platform, it is vital to secure a robust, independent audit of the business case. We provide the expertise to stress-test the supplier’s proposal, validate your internal data maturity, and ensure your organisation is truly ready to absorb and benefit from the change.
• Smart augmentation: As AI rapidly advances, so do independent tools. A more agile approach is to implement a specific, innovative layer alongside your existing system. This layered approach uses the best tool for the job without forcing a total platform disruption. Crucially, we help you maintain strict governance over what data is fed into external AI models to ensure compliance.
• Impartial assessment: Sometimes, the right time to assess the market openly is simply now. A new, innovative supplier that truly aligns with your business goals can often offer a more competitive, long-term solution.

Your trusted guide to real value in IT strategy consulting

In each of these situations, Darwin Tech is uniquely positioned to partner with you. Our goal is to provide a clear, independent, expert view of the entire technology landscape.

🤝 Guaranteed independence, not vendor lock-in

We continuously track the market and the partnerships in the AI space. This independence means we can instantly discern the difference between a genuinely best-in-class solution and a simple supplier lock-in strategy. Our focus is always on your long-term success, helping you avoid unnecessary cloud migration strategy pressure and high switching costs.

📋 We manage the selection process for you

We manage the entire market process for you. If a comprehensive market appraisal is what you need, we handle everything, from discovery and supplier qualification to assisting you with the final, neutral selection. This guarantees clarity and significantly reduces your internal workload while securing a competitive, long-term solution.

📊 Optimisation and foundational data work

If the right path is to augment your current system, we offer expert, friendly guidance on how to maximise your existing technology investment. Crucially, we also provide clear advice on whether your priority should be foundational work, cleaning data and maturing processes, before any significant AI investment is made, ensuring your business gets real value.

Ready for a confidential chat?

We have these strategic conversations with trusted clients every day. If this decision point feels familiar, we’d love to chat. Contact us today so we can chat about a clear path forward and help you secure true value.