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Frequently asked questions
What is Archways?
Archways is a decision intelligence platform for enterprise software. It helps organisations make better software decisions by combining portfolio context, renewal timing, governance requirements, and independent market intelligence in one place. Teams use Archways to decide whether to renew, renegotiate, replace, consolidate, or adopt software, with a clear rationale behind each decision. Most enterprises already have data on their software estate. The harder problem is deciding what to do next. Archways gives teams a structured way to make those decisions earlier, with clearer trade-offs, shared context, and a durable decision record.
What problem does Archways actually solve?
Software decisions in most organisations happen too late, with fragmented input and under pressure. By the time a renewal becomes urgent, the notice window is closing and leverage is already reduced. Rationalisation efforts tend to be top down and difficult to execute because they lack clear, decision-level evidence. New software evaluations often start from scratch, without context from the existing estate, which leads to duplicated effort and inconsistent outcomes. The result is predictable: teams renew by default, keep overlapping tools, and revisit the same decisions every cycle. Archways solves this by bringing decision-making forward. It combines portfolio context, renewal timing, and market intelligence early enough for teams to assess options, make trade-offs explicit, and act before decisions become constrained. In practice, it turns reactive, last-minute decisions into structured, repeatable ones.
Who is Archways built for?
Archways is built for teams that are actively making software decisions, not just tracking software. In practice, that usually means CIO or IT leadership teams managing a portfolio of vendors and upcoming renewals, procurement teams preparing for negotiations or deciding whether to run an evaluation, architecture teams assessing whether new tools fit with the existing stack, and finance teams reviewing spend and challenging renewals or duplication. If your team is already asking “should we renew this, replace it, or consolidate it?” Archways is designed for that moment.
Why does Archways start with renewals?
Renewals are the moment when a software decision becomes unavoidable. Every contract has a notice window. If no action is taken before that date, the default outcome is to renew, regardless of whether the product still fits, overlaps with other tools, or is priced appropriately. In practice, teams often realise too late that a renewal needs deeper review. By that point, there isn’t enough time to assess alternatives, align stakeholders, or create real negotiation leverage. Archways starts with renewals because they are where decisions are forced. It helps teams see what’s coming, identify which renewals need attention, and act early enough to create real options, whether that’s renegotiating, replacing, or consolidating. The goal is not just to manage renewals, but to make sure decisions happen before they become time-constrained.
Is Archways only for renewals?
No. Renewals are usually the starting point, not the limit. Teams begin with renewals because they are time-bound and create immediate pressure. But once that workflow is in place, the same approach applies to other decisions across the portfolio. In practice, teams extend Archways to identify and act on overlapping tools, run rationalisation initiatives with clearer evidence, assess whether to replace existing vendors, and evaluate new software in the context of what they already have. The underlying problem is the same in each case. Decisions are fragmented, repeated, and made without full context. Archways provides a consistent way to make those decisions, whether they are triggered by a renewal or not.
How does Archways support rationalisation?
Most rationalisation efforts identify overlap, but stop short of action. They produce lists of tools that look similar, but don’t answer the harder question: what can we actually change, and when? Archways focuses on making rationalisation actionable. It brings together where tools overlap in capability, who owns them and how they’re used, how much they cost, and when contracts renew and when action is possible. This allows teams to move from “these tools look similar” to “we can consolidate these two at the next renewal, reduce licenses here, and leave this one as is for now.” Rather than a one-off clean up, Archways supports ongoing rationalisation by tying decisions to real points of action, typically renewal or review cycles, so changes actually get implemented.
How does Archways handle overlapping tools?
Archways doesn’t just flag overlap. It helps you decide what to do about it. For each set of overlapping tools, it breaks the problem down into capability overlap, usage context, commercial impact, and timing. This allows teams to move from “these tools look similar” to a clear decision, for example: consolidate into one product at the next renewal, reduce licenses on one tool and keep both, standardise on a platform over time, or keep both because the use cases are genuinely different. The key is that overlap is evaluated in context, not in isolation, so decisions are specific, timed, and actionable rather than generic recommendations.
Can Archways support new software evaluations?
Yes. Archways supports new evaluations, but it avoids starting from a blank slate. Instead of jumping straight into a full RFP, it structures the decision upfront. That typically involves defining what matters across stakeholders, mapping those requirements against what already exists in the current stack, identifying whether the need can be met by existing tools before introducing new vendors, and shortlisting relevant options based on fit, not just category. Once options are identified, Archways helps teams compare vendors against the same set of requirements, make trade-offs explicit across cost, capability, risk, and integration, and document the rationale behind the final decision. This means evaluations are more targeted, faster to run, and grounded in the existing portfolio.
Where does Archways sit in our software stack?
Archways sits alongside your existing systems as a decision layer. Most organisations already have a CMDB or application inventory, a SAM or licensing tool, and a procurement system. These systems track what you have and manage processes. Archways uses that data to help you decide what to do next, whether that’s renewing, replacing, consolidating, or evaluating new software.
How is Archways different from a SAM tool?
SAM tools focus on licenses, usage, and compliance. They tell you what you’re using and where you may be over or under-licensed. They don’t typically answer whether you should keep, replace, or consolidate a product. Archways builds on that data to support the decision itself, including whether a product still fits, whether there are overlapping tools, whether alternatives create leverage, and what action to take at renewal.
How is Archways different from a CMDB or application inventory?
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.
How is Archways different from a procurement platform?
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.
Does Archways replace our existing systems?
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.
What data does Archways actually use?
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.
Do we need clean data to get value?
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.
How do teams typically get started?
Teams usually start with a defined set of decisions rather than a full rollout. In practice, that looks like a set of upcoming renewals over the next 3 to 6 months, a specific category under review such as customer support or security tools, or a targeted rationalisation effort where overlap is already suspected. The key is that value comes from working through real decisions early, not from integrating every system upfront. Most teams expand usage once they see that workflow working in practice.
What does Archways actually produce?
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.
What is a decision record and why does it matter?
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.
When does Archways introduce alternatives?
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.
How is Archways used across teams?
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.
What does success look like after using Archways?
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.
How should we explain Archways internally?
Archways is how we decide which software vendors to keep, replace, or consolidate. It brings together what we already know, such as our contracts, renewals, and current stack, with market context and turns that into a clear decision: renew, renegotiate, replace, or consolidate. Instead of each team working from different inputs, Archways gives us a shared view of the decision, the trade-offs, and the rationale behind it. In practice, it means we stop reacting to renewals and start making decisions earlier, with enough context to act deliberately.
