Sphere’s Platform Reboot Targets Costly SaaS and Legacy Systems
August 28, 2026
News
Sphere Inc. has said it is expanding the focus within its Platform Reboot to help organizations when it comes to identifying opportunities to replace high-cost SaaS tools and aging business applications with purpose-built software.
The switch in focus delivers technology professionals a controlled way to discover what systems should stay with established software providers, what systems should be updated, and which has potential to provide greater financial or operational value as software the organization owns.
In response to a recent report stating Starbucks is developing internal alternatives to portions of its existing software environment while reviewing approximately $400 million in annual software spending, Leon Ginsburg, Founder and CEO of Sphere commented “The lesson is not that every company should replace every software vendor. The lesson is that AI has changed what is economically possible. Companies should now be asking whether the systems most closely tied to how they operate still make sense as generic, rented software.”
Platform Reboot Provides Three Paths:
Modernize the Core
- Evolve a legacy platform without the risk of a disruptive, full-scale rewrite
Replace the App
- Retire an aging or poorly fitting application and rebuild vital workflows
Escape the SaaS Trap
- Replace expensive or rigid SaaS tools with software designed around the organization’s specific processes and ownership requirements
To begin with, customers can choose between a Platform Reboot Assessment or a SaaS Escape Review. According to the press release, Sphere evaluates the current platform, application portfolio or SaaS environment across several areas, including cost, workflow fit, dependencies, security risk, business value and long-term ownership requirements. This results in identifying which systems should be saved, modernized, or replaced, along with implementation priorities, projected return on investment, and a phased path to production.
“Generating code faster does not remove the responsibilities that come with owning production software,” Ginsburg said. “Replacement systems still need strong architecture, integrations, security, testing, monitoring and ongoing maintenance. The decision has to consider the full lifecycle of the software, not simply the cost of the initial build.”
The approach was designed by Sphere utilizing Sphere AI Foundry and its Precision-Driven Engineering methodology. The company replaced five systems encompassing CRM, marketing automation, website chat, customer support, and lead generation with one AI-native platform.
A report from Sphere shows that the system entered production within 20 days and eliminated roughly $110,000 in annual SaaS and subscription fees. The internal project functions as a working reference implementation for organizations wanting to assess similar opportunities.
Platform Reboot is intended for organizations experiencing:
- Rising per-user or subscription costs
- Software that requires extensive workarounds or customization
- Fragmented applications and unreliable integrations
- Aging internal systems that are difficult to maintain
- Critical workflows controlled by a vendor’s product roadmap
- Operational processes that could create a competitive advantage if owned
Sphere emphasizes that software replacement is not appropriate for every system. Standardized platforms may remain the best choice when the software is highly regulated, broadly commoditized or performing effectively at an acceptable cost.
“The objective is not replacement for its own sake,” Ginsburg said. “It is to identify the systems where ownership creates a real business advantage—and to build and operate those systems responsibly.”
For more information, visit Sphere’s Platform Reboot page and sphereinc.com/.
Chad Cox is the Production Editor at Embedded Computing Design. His responsibilities are centered around content creation, writing and editing, and article research and development. Chad covers industry news and events and is known to interact with various industrial leaders via on-premise visits and online interviews. He is responsible for the digital footprint and dissemination of news via social media posts, advertising creation and the production of newsletters including the Embedded Computing Design’s Daily.
He is well versed in many facets of industrial computing including Edge AI, IoT, Processing, Security, Open Source, and more.
Chad graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a B.A. in Cultural and Analytical Literature and holds a master’s in education.
