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OSIDs are blind whether this integration is internal or external. Internal integration issues plague us all the time. This is especially true in larger systems that have evolved over time or developed piecemeal by different parties. By using the same separation techniques, OSIDs enable different pieces of a system to evolve independently or be developed in parallel. Change is inevitable, and we don't want to throw away or refactor a large investment because a change in technology rippled through an entire system.
Interoperability is more than a one-way street. The most expensive part of any system is its applications. The amount of work, creativity, and resources spent far outweigh the infrastructure behind it. This investment deserves some protection. Protection from changing underlying technologies. The OSIDs define neutral interfaces that can be used to cover any number of technologies. They can also be used to isolate changes around an application where such changes typically impact the lifetime of the application.
Fundamentally, OSIDs promote choice. The choice to change select components of a system. The choice among service providers. The choice among applications. The choice to combine services together. The choice to implement your way of doing things.
This works. We've used it.
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