Point solutions point to problems

I've been talking with strata managers this week about their existing systems. What they run, what works, what doesn't.

What does a strata management software stack actually look like?

The typical stack has the usual suspects (Microsoft 365, a CRM), but what surprised me was the sheer number of point solutions stitched around them. "Spaghetti junction" came up more than once. So did "clunky".

The other consistent theme: the trust accounting system sits at the centre of everything, and in many firms it's the oldest thing in the stack. Because so much flows through it, it effectively sets the ceiling for what the rest of the business can become.

Why that leaves firms stuck

That leaves strata management firms in a difficult position. Costs are rising and don't scale well, so you look to technology to move the needle. But the deeper you dig, the more you find a core accounting system designed for a different era, now surrounded by workarounds and bolt-ons that keep the whole thing functioning.

The problem isn't just inefficiency. It's fragility. Every workaround becomes another dependency. Every integration becomes another thing that can break. And you have a new generation of staff entering the industry expecting software that works the way modern software should and finding systems that fight them at every turn.

What would actually change it

The industry is full of point solutions, some of which are genuinely good products solving real problems. But a real step change in productivity probably stays out of reach until there is a modern, API-first, integration-friendly enterprise platform with trust accounting at its core. That's the role Antlar is being built to play, and I'm increasingly convinced the opportunity for the industry is larger than most realise.