Component-based software development saves time, money and effort and produces more consistent, reliable applications. But not all components are created equal. Open Standards Open standards benefit consumers by ensuring that superior technology, connectivity and interoperability are important factors in the marketplace. Open standards raise the bar for vendors to deliver superior products because, if they don't, customers will be able to easily switch to a competing vendor's product. As long as standards are in the public domain, there are more opportunities for innovation and greater competition.
Vendors have a harder time imposing high prices and expensive upgrade cycles on their customers.
Open standards tend to level the playing field. Open standards have enabled extremely profitable and sustained growth for Internet, intranet, extranet and e-commerce markets through the 1990s. Vendors that support open standards benefit from the resulting increased demand for their products. Savvy vendors reap large rewards by developing and adopting standards that add value to their specific areas of technology, and then grabbing market share by being the first to market with these new capabilities. Inc. All Rights Reserved.