{"id":24437,"date":"2024-09-10T02:47:24","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T01:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.avolutionsoftware.com\/?p=24437"},"modified":"2024-10-09T04:38:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T03:38:35","slug":"bizzdesign-mega-merger-uncertainty-on-the-horizzon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.avolutionsoftware.com\/news\/bizzdesign-mega-merger-uncertainty-on-the-horizzon\/","title":{"rendered":"Bizzdesign and Mega Merger: Uncertainty on the Horizzon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Big changes are underway in the enterprise architecture market with the announcement of a merger between Bizzdesign and Mega International, along with a third unnamed vendor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without concrete details about the future direction of this complex merged business, customers of these companies may <\/span>be apprehensive about the potential impact on their EA practices.<\/p>\n

Questions remain about the product roadmaps, the continuity of support, and pricing and integration challenges that arise from this type of merger.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Avolution and ABACUS<\/a> are not involved in the merger, and remain an independent provider of enterprise architecture software, committed to supporting architecture professionals and their colleagues globally.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Bizzdesign Horizzon or Mega HOPEX Aquila: Product Support & Integration?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of the motivations behind this type of merger is often cost savings, through consolidation of operations, support, product and other functions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A significant question for customers is whether the Bizzdesign Mega merger will mean the company discontinues support for certain products or features.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Notably, there was no mention of Mega\u2019s HOPEX Aquila platform (released in October 2023) in the merger announcement. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Industry analysts are speculating. For example Mark McGregor<\/span> \u2013 <\/span><\/b>Former Research Director at Gartner and EA Tools Analyst says:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI expect one or both existing platforms [Bizz and Mega] to disappear over time\u2026They will have three \u201cproducts\u201d with three different types of repositories, and any new product will require a different \u201cfourth\u201d. So going forward customers are likely to be asked to migrate anyway at some point.\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Commentators have also observed that the combined tool offering of Bizzdesign and Mega will double up on a lot of functionality, while remain lacking in data-driven and analytics capabilities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Migrating from Bizzdesign Horizzon or Mega HOPEX Aquila<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

A primary concern for customers about the Bizzdesign Horizzon and Mega HOPEX Aquila is the potential for forced migrations. Such transitions can cause significant commercial uncertainties for companies, including changes in pricing, contract terms, and the complexities of integrating with existing systems.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Any tool migration requires investment in configuration and data management. Architects who have carefully set up reporting, permissions structures and other arrangements may find that these need to be reworked. Migration will also often requires additional training for users.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With three different pricing models to consolidate in the new Bizzdesign entity, customers could also face changes in their licensing costs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Alternatives to Bizzdesign and Mega: For Modeling, ArchiMate, BIAN <\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

For architects assessing alternatives, the post-merger landscape presents both challenges and opportunities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ArchiMate users:<\/span><\/b> As Bizzdesign Horizzon only supports ArchiMate modeling functionality, the merger creates uncertainty for those who rely on this standard. While free and basic drawing tools exist, they often lack the features and repository capabilities of dedicated EA platforms. Fortunately, several other ArchiMate-certified tools<\/a><\/span> offer strong alternatives. ABACUS has been certified for ArchiMate<\/a> by the Open Group for over a decade.<\/span><\/p>\n

The needs of modern enterprise architects generally extend beyond a single framework. While TOGAF remains a valuable reference, many architects also want a broader feature set. Here’s what architects might prioritize in a tool:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n