An ecosystem is a group of organisms, mutually reliant for sustenance, without which they would perish  (Source: Webster et al)

Vendor cooperation and partnership have always been key to success in end user sales and support. But the appearance and rapid evolution of vendor ecosystems is a dramatic change that threatens vendor viability.

The importance of the new ecosystem model is emphasized by the powerful shift in user IT buying behaviors away from traditional purchase and licensing to flexible, hybridized solutions that support and enable more flexible business operations and strategies. In short, the growth of the IT utility and on demand strategies means that vendors must do business in new ways - reaching, selling, implementing and supporting their customers through a variety of flexible partnerships that provide customized solutions based on standardized technologies and products.

An IT ecosystem needs to be more than the usual vendor partnership or relationship; it needs to be:

Through at least 2010, the majority of IT markets, offering types, sales, and customer relationships will be dominated by a few key vendors, which will have dominant customer presence and wallet share, and which will act as de facto Master Brands. These Master Brands will control customer access and relationships, and technology standardization within customer organizations. Master Brands will act as relationship managers/brokers for smaller vendors and services providers, following a publisher/distributor model wherein offerings from smaller vendors will become part of Master-branded solutions.

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