{"id":16182,"date":"2022-08-04T21:36:13","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T20:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.avolutionsoftware.com\/?p=16182"},"modified":"2023-05-25T23:08:31","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T22:08:31","slug":"7-future-trends-enterprise-architecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.avolutionsoftware.com\/news\/7-future-trends-enterprise-architecture\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Key Trends: The Future of Enterprise Architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"
The world of Enterprise Architecture is constantly changing. As our business practices and IT systems evolve, so must our methods of managing them.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Looking ahead is key to a successful EA practice, so Dr. Tim O\u2019Neill, founder of Avolution, outlined seven key trends that are likely to impact the work of enterprise architects through the 2020s.<\/p>\n

The \u201cMegatrends\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n

1) Continual Transformation and Remodeling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Digital transformation is an incremental, continual process. According to a recent survey from Harvard Business School, companies \u201cwho had been working on their digital transformation for more than 5 years reported the most headway\u201d[i]<\/a>. It is important to consider that wholesale \u201cdigitization\u201d is a cultural change.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also now becoming clear that data-driven decision making is key to the long game of transformation success.<\/p>\n

2) Cost Management<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cost is regularly listed as the greatest concern for stakeholders when analyzing IT infrastructure. A robust EA practice can increase cost predictability, allowing organizations to make informed decisions.<\/p>\n

A key skill for Enterprise Architects is communicating the benefits and upside of change or investments: providing stakeholders with information that speaks the language of business and financial goals. For instance:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Explaining how a project will impact sales, market share, competitive advantage<\/li>\n
  • Outlining how a transformation or migration will contribute to revenue improvements or product pricing<\/li>\n
  • Explain how infrastructure investment can improve customer experience or productivity metrics (uptime, disaster response improvements)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    3) Cybersecurity<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Cyberattacks are on the rise across all industries. ABACUS provides support for cybersecurity frameworks like NIST and SABSA plus standards such as TOGAF out of the box. Architects can use these frameworks to capture and monitor risks and mitigation measures.<\/p>\n

    \"Example<\/p>\n

    NIST Cybersecurity Framework in ABACUS<\/em><\/p>\n

    Enterprise Architecture Trends<\/strong><\/h6>\n

    4) Industry-specific Clouds and Knowledge<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Different industries have different demands and uses for cloud services. Cloud providers already offer purpose-built industry-based clouds which address requirements or regulations unique to healthcare, manufacturing, retail or financial services.<\/p>\n

    Enterprise architects have used industry-specific frameworks for years, so this is not new to us, but EAs will be key to selecting and managing the best cloud options for their organizations.<\/p>\n

    Using capability maps in ABACUS, Architects can drill down into their technology infrastructure, including cloud providers to see how they are supporting the organization.<\/p>\n

    5) Automation<\/strong><\/p>\n

    With new advancements in AI and machine learning, calculations of EA metrics like lifecycle analysis and cost forecasts and trends can be automated, saving Architects time and allowing them to provide cost updates to the business on demand.<\/p>\n

    \"Example<\/p>\n

    ABACUS diagram auto-layout options for an AWS cloud architecture<\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    6) Visibility and Discoverability<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Just capturing your organization\u2019s data isn\u2019t enough. As an Enterprise Architect, visualizing data<\/a> in a way that is familiar and engaging for technical and business stakeholders is key.<\/p>\n

    Architects shouldn\u2019t have to wrestle with their architecture. With ABACUS, the repository and diagrams are adaptable and customizable<\/a>. Users can make the most of standard diagramming approaches such as AWS and Azure<\/a>, or business strategy frameworks like Balanced Scorecard or PESTLE.<\/p>\n

    In addition, our open API also allows you to make the most of your existing data.<\/p>\n

    7) \u201cDeath of Spreadsheets\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Smart catalogs<\/a> in ABACUS provide architects with a better alternative to standard spreadsheets.<\/p>\n

    Data can be auto-populated, with machine learning<\/a> filling in any gaps and giving a more complete view of an organization\u2019s technology and architecture.<\/p>\n

    Looking forward, these smart catalogs will be able to accelerate the management of data portfolios and avoid constant manual updates to stagnant spreadsheets.<\/p>\n