Home / Digital Transformation /
As the traditional enterprise architecture is rapidly modernised, it must be kept in line with digital for transformation success
A modern, secure and flexible enterprise architecture will underpin your digital transformation journey. Read more on how to find the right balance.
Digital transformation is all about change and how well an organisation can adapt, innovate and create new products and services.
If its enterprise architecture is sub-optimal or very rigid, the organisation’s ability to change is hampered. Conversely, if digital initiatives are allowed to run loose, the architecture can become overly complex and carry heightened risk.
Let’s take a look at how EA should work together with digital to facilitate transformation programs in an optimal and secure way.
Some of the main enterprise architecture challenges of today directly relate to how fast we are consuming different types of information and their delivery models.
Most medium-to-large organisations developed their information management systems with a range of on-premises and data centre located equipment – from NAS devices to application servers.
This often led to a complex environment where enterprise architects would battle to control and optimise.
During the past decade, traditional enterprise architecture has further expanded with the adoption of more cloud-based services where the data is hosted by a third party.
Keeping relevant with the changing pace of SaaS, PaaS, public cloud and integration terms has made EA more complex than ever.
Another trend is a heavier reliance on a range of partners and vendors. Monolithic enterprise apps are being spread out to smaller segmented applications, and with that the focus is becoming more dependent on data integration.
EA influences digital transformation and vice-versa, so it’s important to understand how they relate to each other.
If digital leads without a strong EA you risk impacting other systems and platforms that are already in place. On the flip side, not having a modern, agile EA can hamstring your digital transformation opportunities.
The ultimate outcome will come back to how strong your EA practice is. You can enable digital transformation with a strong EA; however, a strong digital push can overrun the architecture. They really should work hand-in-hand.
As an example, one organisation Tecala was working with had separate, expensive digital initiatives which needed an architecture design to implement; however, no systems on the backend were prepared for the requirements. As a result of this mismatch, delivery of the project was delayed for three months.
How much harder is digital transformation if you don’t have your EA optimised beforehand? Quite a bit.
It is significantly harder to launch something with a strong, stable and reliable strategy if you don’t have support or stability in the backend systems.
If the impact of your changes is not accounted for in dependencies, you are also risking other systems and departments.
The MSP delivery model can be invaluable here. A well-managed and documented environment will not just be able to deliver the portions of the infrastructure that form part of the EA, but your digital service delivery manager can also provide relevant consulting and industry advice to mitigate any EA-DT risk.
With advisory and consulting continuing onto delivery, Tecala helps you get the transformation and architecture balance right the first time. And if you are struggling with an existing program, we can help you adjust course as necessary.
We also help optimise your digital transformation and enterprise architecture capability to determine whether they are ready to transform your organisation.
Not all infrastructure as a service vendors will provide the same expertise or level of attention, so working with the right technology partner will be key in ensuring you find the perfect balance in the EA-DT equation.
By analysing your specific needs and priorities, we’ll give you a realistic and practical recommendation on what’s required to accelerate your modern architecture.
Our Senior Consultants will help you evaluate and understand your options, so you can make decisions that benefit both your business and your employees, while mitigating unnecessary risk.
Combining Strategy, Transformation, Management and Optimisation, we identify and remove the obstacles to a successful outcome, before you even know they’re there.
Step 1: Recap and review
Together we’ll examine the steps you’ve already taken in IT procurement and review the parameters for the architecture planning you’ll need in place going forward.
Step 2: Shape the
plan
Future planning for optimal performance, focusing on effective communication and collaboration, device lifecycle and configuration management and security.
Step 3: Identify your requirements
This is where we clearly identify the steps you need to have in place to develop your Strategic Technology Roadmap to create a Modern Dynamic Workplace.
Step 4: Get the
report
You’ll receive a high-level report with our recommendations to accelerate your modern architecture, and the next steps for delivering your Strategic Technology Roadmap.
With a high-level plan in place, you’ll have a clear understanding on the business case, benefits, and high-level budget considerations for your technology platform to accelerate your modern architecture. And you’ll be ready to leverage the Cloud to deliver the services and applications your teams need.
How successful was your business transition to a remote workforce during the COVID crisis? Read how the National Breast Cancer Foundation was able to transition to a remote workforce environment almost overnight, and with 93% employee satisfaction.
There’s nothing like a one in 100-year pandemic to test how your IT operations are performing and how prepared you are for change.
