Question 1

How is Archways different from a CMDB or application inventory?

Accepted Answer

A CMDB shows what applications exist and how they connect. It provides important visibility, but it doesn’t guide decisions about what should change in the portfolio. Archways uses that inventory as context, then helps teams decide which tools to keep or retire, where there is duplication, how new tools fit into the existing architecture, and what actions to take at renewal.

Question 2

How is Archways different from a procurement platform?

Accepted Answer

Procurement platforms manage sourcing and purchasing workflows. They are designed to run processes like RFPs, approvals, and vendor onboarding. They assume a decision has already been made. Archways sits earlier in the process. It helps teams determine whether a decision needs to be made at all, define what matters before engaging vendors, narrow down options, and make trade-offs explicit. When a formal procurement process is needed, it starts from a much more structured position.

Question 3

Does Archways replace our existing systems?

Accepted Answer

No. Archways is designed to sit on top of your existing systems, not replace them. Most organisations already have tools for different parts of the stack, for example a CMDB or application inventory such as ServiceNow or LeanIX, SAM or licensing tools such as Flexera, procurement and contract systems, and spreadsheets used to track renewals or vendors. Archways uses those as inputs. It brings that data together and adds the missing layer, which is how to decide what to do next. Those systems continue to do what they’re designed for. Archways makes them more useful by turning their data into clear, actionable decisions.

Question 4

What data does Archways actually use?

Accepted Answer

Archways combines your internal software data with independent external intelligence to support decisions. Internally, it uses the data you already have, such as contracts, renewal dates, and notice periods, spend, pricing structure, and commitments, ownership across teams or business units, application inventory and architecture context, and usage or criticality signals where available. Externally, Archways adds independent context that most organisations don’t have in one place, including vendor and product coverage across the software market, capability-level comparisons between tools, evidence on where products overlap or differ in real use, commercial context that helps teams assess leverage and alternatives, and governance and policy context. You don’t need a perfect inventory to get started. Most teams begin with partial data and improve it over time as decisions are made and captured.

Question 5

Do we need clean data to get value?

Accepted Answer

No. Most teams start with incomplete, inconsistent, or fragmented data. In practice, software data is spread across systems or missing key fields. Archways is designed to work with that reality, not wait for a perfect inventory. Teams typically start with a usable subset, for example a list of upcoming renewals, basic contract and spend data, and partial ownership or application data. Over time, data improves as a byproduct of decision-making. The goal is not to clean all your data upfront. It’s to make better decisions with what you have today, and improve data quality naturally as those decisions are made.

Question 6

What does Archways actually produce?

Accepted Answer

Archways produces a clear, structured output for each decision, not just analysis. For every renewal, evaluation, or rationalisation decision, teams get a defined outcome, the options that were considered, the criteria used to assess them, the key trade-offs across cost, capability, risk, and fit, the supporting evidence behind the decision, and ownership and any follow-up actions. This is captured as a decision record that teams can share, review, and revisit. The output is not just a recommendation. It is a decision that can be explained, aligned on, and reused over time.

Question 7

What is a decision record and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

A decision record is a clear, structured record of what was decided and why. For each software decision, it captures the outcome, the options that were considered, the criteria used to evaluate them, the key trade-offs, the evidence behind the decision, and who was involved and what assumptions were made. Most organisations don’t have this. Instead, decisions are spread across emails, slides, and conversations. By the time the next renewal comes around, the context is lost. A decision record fixes that. It gives teams a shared, reusable reference point so they can understand past decisions quickly, build on previous analysis instead of repeating it, challenge or validate decisions with real context, and move faster when the next decision comes up.

Question 8

When does Archways introduce alternatives?

Accepted Answer

Archways only introduces alternatives when there is a clear reason to consider them. It does not surface vendors by default or encourage unnecessary evaluations. Typical triggers include a renewal where there is an opportunity to create leverage, evidence of overlapping tools or duplicated capability, a product no longer fitting the team’s needs, pricing or contract terms that require challenge, or a new requirement that cannot be met by the current stack. If there is no clear trigger, the default is to validate the current product, not replace it. The goal is to reduce noise and avoid unnecessary evaluations, while making sure real opportunities to change are not missed.

Question 9

How is Archways used across teams?

Accepted Answer

Software decisions are shared, but the inputs are fragmented. IT, procurement, finance, security, and architecture are all involved, but each team typically works from different data, different priorities, and different timelines. Archways gives those teams a shared view of the decision and a clear role within it. IT and architecture assess technical fit, procurement prepares negotiation strategy, finance evaluates cost and commitments, and security ensures decisions meet internal policies. All of that input is brought into one structured decision, with trade-offs made explicit. Instead of passing information between teams, they are working from the same context.

Question 10

What does success look like after using Archways?

Accepted Answer

After using Archways, software decisions stop being reactive and start being planned. Renewals are no longer last-minute. Negotiations happen with real leverage. Fewer duplicate tools and wasted spend. Less rework across cycles. Faster alignment across stakeholders. The result is not just better visibility, but better outcomes: lower unnecessary spend, fewer rushed decisions, and a more intentional software portfolio over time.

ArchwaysSmart insights that cut software evaluation time by up to 85%

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Accelerate SaaS Vendor Shortlisting

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Overview

Key features

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Build Stakeholder-Ready Insight Reports

Standardize Software Evaluations

Replace Spreadsheets and Demo Marathons

Pros & Cons

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