MCP (Model Context Protocol)

MCP — Model Context Protocol — is a shared standard for connecting AI systems to your other software: the calendar, the inbox, the CRM. In the wider family, an integration is the catch-all term for any such connection, a connector is one specific bridge to one specific service, and an MCP server is a connector built to the shared standard. For decision-making, collapse all three into one question: what can this AI actually reach and act on in your real software, versus just talk about?

Why it matters: The wiring is usually the hard part — not the AI. A chatbot that can read your email is worth far more than one that can’t; an agent that can write to your accounting system is far more dangerous than one that can’t. More builds live or die on which connections exist, and which survive contact with your real, messy setup, than on the model powering them. The demo where two things wire together beautifully on stage is not evidence yours will.