§ RResearch

A small archive of independent research.

System Drift publishes independent research into software dependency, operational concentration, and the gradual structural changes that reshape how organizations operate. We publish slowly, revise in the open, and accept no vendor sponsorship.

Archive
Six publications · revised in the open
Next note expected June 2026
§ Publications
R-001 → R-006
  1. R-001
    Pattern Research

    The quiet capture of organizational workflows

    How small integration decisions compound into platform-defined operating models over 24–36 months — and why most organizations only notice once exit becomes structurally unaffordable.

    First in an ongoing series on workflow capture.

    May 202614 minUpdated 22 May 2026
    Framework
    Operational drift
  2. R-002
    Dependency Analysis

    Identity providers as single points of governance

    When a single identity layer mediates access to every internal system, governance and availability become the same surface. A close reading of the cascade failure pattern.

    Apr 20269 min
    Framework
    Governance erosion
  3. R-003
    Operational Drift

    When SaaS pricing becomes infrastructure policy

    Seat-based and consumption-based pricing eventually shape staffing, architecture, and procurement. A short essay on pricing as a slow-acting policy lever.

    Mar 202611 min
    Framework
    Ecosystem lock-in
  4. R-004
    Dependency Analysis

    Observability stacks and the new lock-in surface

    Telemetry formats, proprietary schemas, and query languages are quietly producing a new generation of vendor dependency — measured here against the cost of moving them.

    Mar 20267 min
    Framework
    Infrastructure reliance
  5. R-005
    Concentration Note

    Data warehouse egress as exit cost

    A working note quantifying the real cost of leaving a modern warehouse: egress, format translation, and orchestration rebuild. Numbers are conservative.

    Dec 202513 minRevised Feb 2026
    Framework
    Platform dependency
  6. R-006
    Operational Drift

    On the slow privatization of developer tooling

    From open standards to vendor-shaped defaults. A patient look at how the developer toolchain has been gradually re-enclosed over the last decade.

    Jan 202610 min
    Framework
    Ecosystem lock-in
We publish what we can defend. The archive grows slowly on purpose.
Corrections and revisions are logged on the editorial standards page. Research methodology is documented at /methodology.