“data-first” view of enterprise architecture

It’s time to think differently.

Business transformation requires a “data-first” view of architecture

Enterprise Architecture at a Crossroads

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Architect Problem: IT cannot deliver at the speed that business requires.

The speed of business is accelerating

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High-growth firms

Business rates IT performance as decliningBusiness rating of the performance of IT

The three year trend is towards lower performance ratings across a variety of measures.

McKinsey. IT Under Pressure: Global Survey Results

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High-growth firms

IT rates its own performance as decliningIT ranking of its own performance

The trend over three years is for business to rank the performance of IT as declining.

McKinsey. IT Under Pressure: Global Survey Results

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High-growth firms

Both business & IT call for IT management changesThe biggest surprise is that even more IT executives are calling for IT management changes.

20% of both business and IT executives are calling for IT management changes as a means of improving the performance of IT.

McKinsey. IT Under Pressure: Global Survey Results

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Why the problem will get worse:1. Data is locked in application

silos

2. An explosion of data types and data users

3. Increased competition and disruption

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Data SilosDecades of an applications-centric focus to architecture has left us with unconnected silos of data.

Each application has its own data and none of it was designed to be easily discovered, shared, or used by other applications and analyses.

This slows new business initiative delivery.

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An explosion of data types and data users

It’s already hard finding and using your enterprise data, but it is about to get much harder.

More data types of data will lead to increased data complexity:

Partner data

Cloud data

Social & Mobile data

Big data

Internet of Things data

The huge growth of data consumers looking to self-service will further strain the ability of IT to meet demand.

More Data Consumers

?More Data

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Increased disruption and competition

It is going to be increasingly common to see competitors jumping into entirely new industries.

3D Printing

Autonomous cars

Genomic healthcare

IntelligentPersonal

Assistants

Just a few examples…

Any of these, plus others have the potential to disrupt your industry, or to provide you with the means to create new business opportunities. …And it means you have to move faster so that you are driving disruption, not the victim of it.

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What This Means for Architects

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1. Architects must become strategists

Architects are in a unique position to see both the business strategy and the emerging technologies that will enable their organizations to become more competitive and disruptive.See Gartner blog:http://blogs.gartner.com/brian_burke/2014/01/17/in-2014-enterprise-architects-must-play-both-foundational-and-vanguard-roles/

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2. Architects will need to think data-first

Let’s face it. There is little or no competitive differentiation to be had in packaged applications. Everybody is using the same applications and they are rapidly commoditizing.

The one thing that will provide sustainable differentiation to your organization is your data and how you use it.

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3. Architects will need to design to increase the speed of IT delivery

The current speed is not meeting business needs.

This must be done without compromising quality or cost of delivery. That requires a totally new approach.

Your most interesting – and differentiating – insights will come from data sourced from multiple disparate sources.

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The rising cost of data complexity

Gartner PredictionGartner predicts organizations will spend one-third more on application integration in 2016 than they did in 2013.

What’s more, by 2018, more than half the cost of implementing new large systems will be spent on integration.

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For More Information• Detailed recommendations• Reference architectures

eBook:

Think “Data First” to Drive Business ValueDownload Here

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Sources 1 – McKinsey Study: IT Under Pressure

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/it_under_pressure_mckinsey_global_survey_results

2 – Gartner Blog

http://blogs.gartner.com/brian_burke/2014/01/17/in-2014-enterprise-architects-must-play-both-foundational-and-vanguard-roles/

3 – Gartner Prediction on the cost of application integration

Gartner Predictions 2013 for Application Integrration: My take, Nov. 2012 Dinesh Chandrasekhar

Conclusion

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Roger NolanDirector of SolutionsInformatica

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