Atlas Unplugged: Navigating the Build vs. Buy TMS Dilemma

Track: Localization Management | AL1 |   Everyone |
Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 9:00am – 9:30am
Held in: Serra 2
Presenters:
Alexander Carter - Block, Inc. 
Rachel White - Block, Inc.
Host: Erik Vogt

This session explores the journey of a startup that initially developed its own Translation Management System (TMS) to meet unique engineering needs. Despite its innovative integration with GitHub and automated workflows, the system struggled with scalability and database issues. This prompted the exploration of external TMS vendors, emphasizing API integration, security, and flexibility. The resulting solution, “Atlas,” is a hybrid approach that combines in-house automation with third-party capabilities, featuring custom bridges and a management UI. The case study highlights the trade-offs and benefits of building versus buying TMS solutions, emphasizing enhanced localization and quality control.

Key Takeaways:

Better understand the critical factors in making a build vs. buy decision for TMS solutions: learn about the trade-offs in time, budget, and effort when developing a custom solution; discover how internal system enhancements can add value across an organization and reduce localization and costs and increase globalization quality; consider the concept of a localization system as an automated “Command and Control” platform for managing projects, budgets, and quality.