Today’s society is undergoing a true digital transformation in which new disruptive business models will emerge- restructuring entire markets and creating new ones.
CIOs around the world must prepare for a successfuldigital transformation journey creating value improving management and ultimately results.
Architecture Strategy and Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation includes, among many other aspects:
- Multiple data sources such as social networks, wearable devices, IoT, etc. all of which msut be integrated in order to perform analysis.
- Heterogeneous platforms and existing applications that must continue operating and should, at the same time, collaborate efficiently to enable continuous deployment of new business solutions.
- The need to define APIs for the integration of thes services, platforms and business.
- The need to rethink the strategy of integration and Software Architecture- ncluding the architecture’s design itself, its underlying technologies and the processes tha tshoudl govern it.
- The need to strategically survey possible Software Architecture quality attributes. Determine what we mean when we talk about performance, data security, availability, ease of testing and ease of maintenance?
Companies that manage to incorporate the adequate technologies appropriately will be disruptors and will emerge as references for their markets, creating value for themselves and serving as multipliers in many cases. To reach these stages of success, one needs a proper Integration Strategy of Applications and an aligned Software Architecture.
The unique aspect of technological change today is its magnitude and we can not treat it as a simple substitution of technologies, we must understand it as a process of disruption and technological transformation that encompasses all levels of Software Engineering, and especially the higher levels of software design: Software Architecture. Aligning this strategy with your overall identity is critical as it should be the driver of lower level changes reaching throughout your organization.
In technological evolution, the key is to transform without losing identity.
Quick Wins
Experts from Epidata’s area of Research & Innovation in Software Engineering point out that:
- Integration can be a source of competitive differentiation, as the accelerated pace of business is a key characteristic of digital transformation.
- The traditional technologies of integration and the “one-on-one” strategies of communication, are not the more secure option anymore, and likely harm productivity in the short- and medium-term.
We recommend:
- Incorporating mobile technologies, IoT, Big Data, BI and virtualization, among others into the architecture definitions
- Performing an assessment of architecture with clear business objectives in mind can be a great way to guide the frist steps of a successful implementation.
- Properly surveying the needs of Software Architecture considering the entire ecosystem of applications and platforms.
- Analyzing the quality attributes that each of the solutions and platforms involved requires. For example, did you know that:
- Each implementation of Big Data implies specific restrictions and quality attributes http://www.sei.cmu.edu/webinars/view_webinar.cfm?webinarid=298346
- There are multiple architecture reference architectures for IoT? https://www.infoq.com/articles/internet-of-things-reference-architecture
- The cloud’s security problems have caused the insurance companies around the world to rethink their offers?http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/12/21/cloud_insurance/
- Prioritizing the strategic planning of holistic architecture and integration maintenance costs.
- Defining practices and processes that promote design and development with a strong focus on interoperability and API-dominant structure.
Map of Digital Transformation
Map of Digital Transformation presented by CESSI, Cámara de la Industria Argentina de Software
About Epidata
Global privately-owned company specialized in innovation outsourcing, dedicated to providing software development and software design services, application modernization, RPA, machine learning and Big Data, among others. Its solutions transform businesses, optimizing operations and co-creating better digital experiences for customers and employees.
Epidata has alliances with leading innovation and knowledge companies such as Microsoft, GitLab, Mulesoft, Salesforce, Oracle, MariaDB, Red Hat and UiPath. These partnerships help other companies to stay current.
Epidata operates in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay and the United States (San Francisco, California), where it has a track record of successful support to multinational corporations such as Stanford Research Institute International, JP Morgan, Tenaris, Turner, Telecom, HSBC, Monsanto, Walmart, Asana, among others.
If you are interested in discussing more about these concepts we invite you to talk to some of our experts, contact us: info@epidata.net/eng
