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Digital Transformation And Solution Architecture

Presentation · May 2019

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.11775.05280

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Digital Transformation And
Solution Architecture

Alan McSweeney

http://ie.linkedin.com/in/alanmcsweeney
Digital Transformation And Solution Architecture

• This follows-on from the previous presentation:

− Digital Transformation And Enterprise Architecture
− https://www.slideshare.net/alanmcsweeney/digital-
transformation-and-enterprise-architecture

September 24, 2018 2

Digital Strategy

• Digital strategy is a statement about the organisation’s

digital positioning, competitors and customer and
collaborator needs and behaviour to achieve a direction
for innovation, communication, transaction and promotion
• Digital strategy needs to be defined in the same
framework structure as the proposed digital architecture
platform

September 24, 2018 3

Solution Architecture And Digital Architecture

• Achieving the target digital organisation means deploying

solutions that enable the digital architecture
• Solution architecture needs to design solutions that fit into the
target digital architecture framework
• This requires:
− Solution architecture team operating in an integrated manner designing
solutions to a set of common standards and that run on the platform
− Solution architecture team leadership ensuring solutions conform to the
common standards
− Solution architecture technical leadership to develop and maintain
common solution design standards
− Solution architecture updates the digital reference architecture based
on solution design experience

September 24, 2018 4

 Digital Strategy And Business Processes

Digital Means
Extending and
Exposing Business
Processes Outside
the Organisation –
The Organisation Is
being Opened-Up

Business Processes Within

The Organisation
September 24, 2018 5
Digital Strategy And Digital Transformation

• Digital transformation is concerned with moving the

organisation from its current state to one that involves
extending and exposing business processes outside the
organisation along the dimensions of:
− External Parties Participating in Digital
Interaction/Collaboration – who of the many parties in your
organisation landscape do you interact with digitally
− Numbers and Types of Interactions/ Collaborations and Business
Processes Included in Digital Strategy – which types of
interactions and associated business processes do you digitally
implement
− Channels Included in Digital Strategy – what digital channels do
you interact over

September 24, 2018 6

Digital Strategy And Digital Architecture
Digital Strategy
Include In The Definition The
Digital Strategy Its
Implementation In Terms Of
the Target Digital Architecture
Operational Framework

Digital
Architecture

September 24, 2018 7

 Extending The Organisation’s Boundaries
How Far to
Push the
Boundary
and How
Porous
Should the
Boundary
Be?

Business Processes Within

The Organisation
September 24, 2018 8
Digital Strategy is All About Connectivity And
Integration

Connectivity
Between
External Parties
and the Connectivity
Organisation Between
Business
Functions

Connectivity Between
Applications and Data
September 24, 2018 9
Digital Organisation Target Architecture

• Digital target architecture describes idealised view of

categories of components that must exist (in some form) to
deliver the digital organisation

External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities

Digital Specific Applications and Tools

Internal Interaction Management

Security,
Identity,
Responsive
Access and Integration
Infrastructure
Profile
Applications Delivery and
Management Management Tools and
Operational and Frameworks
Business Systems System Development,
Deployment and Management
September 24, 2018 10
Digital Reference Architecture – Components

• External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities – the set of facilities and
applications that are presented to those external parties being interacted with and the
channels used – this is the window to the set of products and services offered by the
organisation
• Security, Identity , Access and Profile Management – internal and external security tools
and processes
• Responsive Infrastructure – digital application deployment and operating infrastructure
• Digital Specific Applications and Tools – the portfolio of specific tools acquired to deliver
and operate digital functions
• Internal Interaction Management – the set of internal applications that are used to
manage external party interactions
• Integration – the data, service and process integration layer and associated APIs
• Applications Delivery and Management Tools and Frameworks – set of tools used to
deliver and manage digital applications
• System Development, Deployment and Management – the digital application
development facility within the organisation
• Operational and Business Systems – the existing and new organisation operational and
business systems

September 24, 2018 11

Digital Organisation Target Architecture –
Component Linkages
External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities

Digital Specific Applications and Tools

Security,
Identity,
Access and Internal Interaction Management
Profile
Management Responsive
Infrastructure
Integration

Applications Delivery and

Management Tools and
Frameworks
Operational and
Business Systems System Development,
Deployment and
Management
September 24, 2018 12
 Digital Organisation Target Architecture –
Component Linkages
From Component To Component Linkage
The External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities component acts as a front-
Operational and Business Systems
end too the suite of Operational and Business Systems
The External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities component uses a common
Security, Identity, Access and Profile
Security, Identity, Access and Profile Management component to authenticate users and
Management
access to resources
External Party Interaction The External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities component uses and relies
Responsive Infrastructure
Zones, Channels and Facilities on a Responsive Infrastructure to deliver good consistent user experience
The External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities component uses elements of
Digital Specific Applications and Tools the Digital Specific Applications and Tools component such as analytics and content
management to customise the experience
The External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities component directs work to
Internal Interaction Management
the tools contained within the Internal Interaction Management component
Security, Identity, Access and The Security, Identity, Access and Profile Management uses and relies on a Responsive
Responsive Infrastructure
Profile Management Infrastructure to deliver good consistent performance
Digital Specific Applications and The Digital Specific Applications and Tools component links to the Operational and
Operational and Business Systems
Tools Business Systems
Internal Interaction The Internal Interaction Management component links to the Operational and Business
Operational and Business Systems
Management Systems
The Integration component links other applications to the suite of Operational and
Integration Operational and Business Systems
Business Systems
Operational and Business The suite of Operational and Business Systems relies on a Responsive Infrastructure to
Responsive Infrastructure
Systems deliver good consistent performance, response time and throughput
Applications Delivery and The Applications Delivery and Management Tools and Frameworks deploys new and
Management Tools and Operational and Business Systems updated solutions to the Operational and Business Systems component
Frameworks
The System Development, Deployment and Management designs new and updated
Digital Specific Applications and Tools
solutions that are deployed to the Digital Specific Applications and Tools component
System Development, The System Development, Deployment and Management designs new and updated
Operational and Business Systems
Deployment and Management solutions that are deployed to the Operational and Business Systems component
Applications Delivery and The System Development, Deployment and Management designs new and updated
Management Tools and Frameworks solutions that are deployed to the Digital Specific Applications and Tools component
September 24, 2018 13
Digital Reference Architecture In Context

• An enterprise digital strategy exists in a wider organisation and

IT context
− The organisation will have an overall IT strategy to accomplish the
organisation strategy and associated objectives
− The IT function will then need its own internal IT strategy that will
structure the function in order to ensure that it can deliver on the wider
organisation strategy
− The enterprise digital strategy is connected to the overall IT strategy,
the enterprise architecture and the internal IT strategy
− The enterprise digital strategy will be implemented and operated
through an digital architecture that is part of the overall enterprise
architecture
− This context is important in ensuring that the enterprise digital strategy
fits into the overall IT and wider organisational structure
− The enterprise digital strategy exists to ultimately deliver a business
benefit and contribute to the achievement of the business strategy
− The strategy must be translated into an operational framework to
enable the strategy to be actualised
September 24, 2018 14
Digital Target Architecture

• Digital Target Architecture defines a template solution for the

underlying and enabling technology solutions and components
required
• Target Architecture defines the target end-state architecture
and the set of interim transitional phases required to enable
the delivery of the Digital Functionality Delivery Roadmap
• Digital Target Architecture exists within the context of the
organisation’s Enterprise Architecture and other subsidiary
architectures
• Digital Target Architecture defines the overall IT architecture
− Solutions must be delivered within this context
− Solution architecture must design solutions to fit within this framework

September 24, 2018 15

Digital Organisation Target Architecture

• Represents the target IT architecture required to support the

operation of a successful digital organisation
• However, a transformation will be required to move the
organisation’s IT architecture from its current state to the ideal
transformed future state

September 24, 2018 16

Digital Target Architecture In An Organisation
Context Digital Architecture
Design And
Implementation
Framework Sits
Over The
Organisation
Domains

September 24, 2018 17

Digital Architecture In An Organisation Context

• The implementation of any organisation digital architecture will

impact the organisation across six core pillars
− Business-oriented pillars
• Location and Offices – existing and new locations and facilities of the
organisation, their types and functions and the principles that govern the
selection of new locations
• Business Processes – current and future business process definitions,
requirements, characteristics, performance
• Organisation and Structure – organisation resources and arrangement,
business unit, function and team structures and composition, relationships,
reporting and management, roles and skills
− Technology-oriented pillars
• Technology, Infrastructure and Communications – current and future technical
infrastructure including security, constraints, standards, technology trends,
characteristics, performance requirements
• Applications and Systems – current and future applications and systems,
characteristics, constraints, assumptions, requirements, design principles,
interface standards, connectivity to business processes
• Information and Data – data and information architecture, data integration,
master and reference data, data access and management

September 24, 2018 18

Digital Architecture In An Organisation Context

• The digital architecture implementation will involve

change across the organisation domains
• One of the roles of solution architecture is to design
complete solutions that include the organisation change
dimensions

September 24, 2018 19

Digital Enablement Technology Iceberg
In Order to Extend and Expose
Capabilities and Business
Processes Outside the
Organisation …

… You Will Need a Substantial Amount

of Enabling Technology, Solutions,
Systems, Standards, Resources and
Supporting Processes and Organisation
Change

Successful Digital Operations Require

Investment and Commitment
September 24, 2018 20
Digital Reference Architecture

• The objectives of a digital (or any reference) architecture are:

− Consistent, personalised and rich user experience across all channels
− Reliable and resilience operation
− Ease of management and administration
− Integration of data and services from multiple sources
− Ease of development and deployment of new services
− Collection of usage information for analysis
• This means:
− Federated operation with support of multiple services
− Ability to unify services for delivery
− Standard and powerful approach to integration
− Management and administration tools

September 24, 2018 21

Digital Target Architecture

• The Digital Target Architecture

represents an integrated IT
platform for the delivery of the
organisations products and
services through digital channels
• The platform becomes the means
for managing interactions
between external parties and the
organisation
• The platform is the logical
representation of the organisation
as an integrated set of business
The Platform is the processes and associated and
supporting IT business systems
Solution • The platform becomes the means
to deploy new solutions and to
make available new services
September 24, 2018 22
Digital Target Architecture And The Platform

• The platform is the logical (and physical) representation of the

set of solutions that comprise the organisation’s digital
operations
• The reality of the “platform” may be very different
• The platform can (and will be) a mix of existing and new
applications
• The platform needs to demonstrate the characteristics of:
− Delivering excellent and consistent user experiences
− Reliable, available and delivering appropriate performance
− Secure and trustworthy
− Integrated analytics with processes to ensure continuous improvement
− Integrated solution development and deployment
September 24, 2018 23
Digital Solution Architecture And The Platform

• The platform represents the logical (and physical)

framework within which solutions must be designed to
operate
• The platform represents both a set of constraints and a set
of standards for solution design

September 24, 2018 24

Digital Target Architecture And The Platform

• The platform is virtualised view of the digital architecture

and the associated digital strategy

September 24, 2018 25

Scope Of Solution
New Custom
Developed Acquired and
Changes to Existing
Applications Information Storage Customised Software
Systems
Facilities Products

System New Business Organisational

Changes to Existing Processes Changes
Integrations/Data
Business Processes
Transfers/Exchanges

Reporting and New Data Loads

Analysis Facilities Existing Data
Training and
Conversions/
Documentation
Migrations

Operational
Central, Distributed Sets of Installation Cutover/Transfer to
Functions and
and Communications and Implementation Production
Processes
Infrastructure Services

Sets of Maintenance, Application Hosting

Parallel Runs Service Management and Management
and Support Services Services
September 24, 2018 26
Any Complete Solution Consists of:
• Zero or more of {Changes to Existing Systems}
• + Zero or more of {New Custom Developed Applications}
• + Zero or more of {Information Storage Facilities}
• + Zero or more of {Acquired and Customised Software Products}
• + Zero or more of {System Integrations/Data Transfers/Exchanges}
• + Zero or more of {Changes to Existing Business Processes}
• + Zero or more of {New Business Processes}
• + Zero or more of {Organisational Changes}
• + Zero or more of {Reporting and Analysis Facilities}
• + Zero or more of {Existing Data Conversions/Migrations}
• + Zero or more of {New Data Loads}
• + Zero or more of {Training and Documentation}
• + Zero or more of {Central, Distributed and Communications Infrastructure}
• + Zero or more of {Sets of Installation and Implementation Services}
• + Zero or more of {Cutover/Transfer to Production}
• + Zero or more of {Operational Functions and Processes}
• + Zero or more of {Parallel Runs}
• + Zero or more of {Sets of Maintenance, Service Management and Support Services}
• + Zero or more of {Application Hosting and Management Services}

September 24, 2018 27

The Complete Solution Is Always Much More Than
Just …
• … Just a bunch of software
• Complete solution is the entire set of components needed
to operate the associated business processes
• Successful solution requires the interoperation of all these
components and that the components are properly
designed and implemented
• The components of the set of solutions that actualise and
implement the digital architecture must map to the digital
architecture

September 24, 2018 28

Digital Solution Architecture And The Platform

The components of the

solutions that comprise the
operational digital platform
must map to the digital
architecture framework
platform

September 24, 2018 29

Core Solution Design Factors, Limitations And
Boundaries
Digital Architecture Constraints and Principles

Reuse
Solution Range of Existing
Architecture
Design Solution Solution or
Create New
Constraints Options Solution

Degree of Automation of Solution

September 24, 2018 30

Digital Solution Architecture And The Platform

The Role Of Solution Architecture Is

To Create A Complete the Digital
Architecture Landscape With A Full
Set Of Solutions

September 24, 2018 31

External Interactions And Internal Organisation
Reality
External Organisation Interactions And Supporting Applications

Internal Organisation Reality

September 24, 2018 32

Customer Experiences And External Interactions And
Internal Organisation Reality
External users expect to experience
seamless end-to-end interactions

External users
also interact
with internal
users
Internal users
frequently
experience
disconnected
processes and
systems/
solutions

Internal Organisation Users

September 24, 2018 33
Mapping External Digital Interactions To The
Organisation
External Organisation Interactions

Digital
Architecture Is the
Lens Through
Which The
Organisation Is
Viewed From The
Outside

September 24, 2018 34

Mapping External Digital Interactions To The
Organisation

Digital Architecture And The

Digital Platform Is the Lens
Through Which The
Applications and Solutions
Of The Organisation Are
Interacted With

September 24, 2018 35

Mapping External Digital View To Internal Reality
External Organisation Interactions And Supporting Applications

Product, Service and Integration Gallery of the Organisation

External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities

Set of Internal Business Processes Digital SpecificExternal

ApplicationsProcess
and
and Tools
and Associated IT Systems Service Catalogue
Representation
Internal Interaction Management
Mapped to Internal
Security, Identity, Access Responsive Processes and
Integration
and Profile Management Infrastructure Systems

Operational and Business Systems

September 24, 2018 36

Mapping External Digital View To Internal Reality

External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities

External to
Digital Specific Applications and Tools

Internal
Internal Interaction Management
Operational Business Systems Are Solution
Logically
AccessUnified AndResponsive
Integrated
Security, Identity,
and Profile Management
But They May BeInfrastructure
Actually
Mapping
Integration

Decoupled And Dispersed Across

Multiple Solutions and Platforms,
Both Internal And External Operational and Business Systems

September 24, 2018 37

Mapping External Digital View To Internal Reality

• The unnecessary complexity of the internal solutions and

their business processes need to be masked from external
parties
• Platform approach decouples the external presentation of
services with the internal solutions needed to deliver those
services
• This decoupling means solutions can (and must) be
developed flexibly
• Solutions can be sourced from multiple suppliers and used
in different ways: SaaS, cloud, internal

September 24, 2018 38

Digital Transformation Is About …
Moving the organisation from one that is internally focussed around
its siloed structures:

To one that is focussed on customer (external party) straight-through

interactions:

September 24, 2018 39

Platform Facilitates Mapping Of External Digital
View To Internal Organisation Reality
External Organisation Interactions And Supporting Applications

Digital Platform
And Digital
Architecture
Permits The
Logical Seamless
Interactions With
The Organisation

September 24, 2018 40

Solutions And Processes

• Solutions implement business processes

• Processes are greater than their constituent solutions
• Processes define journeys, interactions and touch points
• Journeys represent usage and interaction scenarios

September 24, 2018 41

Inventory Of Organisation Interaction (Customer)
Journeys And Scenarios
Journey 1

Journey 2

Journey 3

Journey 4

September 24, 2018 42

Organisation Interaction (Customer) Journeys And
Scenarios
• Interaction paths will correspond to business processes
• Business processes will be (partially) implemented or
supported by systems (solutions)
• There will be many organisation interaction paths with your
organisation, depending on:
− Type of interacting party
− Number of interactions
• Create an inventory of interaction journeys to understand how
users and customers interact with and experience the
organisation’s solutions
− Enable problems to be identified
− Use as a basis for a measurement and action framework
− Journeys inventory should be prioritised

September 24, 2018 43

Mapping Organisation Interactions To Solutions

Interaction Journeys Mapped To Solutions That

Deliver Functionality

Solutions External Parties

Directly Interact With

Solutions External Parties Indirectly Interact With

Through Interactions With Employees and Agents
September 24, 2018 44
External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and
Facilities – Level 2 Elements

Web Pages Product and

Web Mobile
and Web Service Web Chat Search Applications
Browsers Channels
Forms Catalogue

Payments Data Access

Web Content Social
Call Centre Preferences and SMS and
Management Networks
Transactions Presentation

September 24, 2018 45

Security, Identity , Access and Profile Management –
Level 2 Elements

Identity and
Certificate
User Directory Single Signon Personalisation Access
Management
Management

Authentication Logging Access Control Monitoring

September 24, 2018 46

Digital Specific Applications and Tools – Level 2
Elements

Web Content Data Collection, Product and Service

Multi-Channel
Management Storage and Catalogue
Analytics
System Management Management

Payment Gateway
Document
Content Authoring Next Best Action and Merchant
Management
Services

September 24, 2018 47

Responsive Infrastructure – Level 2 Elements

Resilient and Resilient and

Resilient and Data Security and
Scalable Traffic Scalable Application
Scalable Firewalls Encryption
Management Servers

Resilient and Resilient and Resilient and Usage and

Scalable Load Scalable Web Scalable Data Performance
Balancers Servers Storage Monitoring

September 24, 2018 48

Internal Interaction Management – Level 2 Elements

Business Process Case Resource Sales and

Management Management Management Marketing

Customer
Service Product
Relationship
Management Management
Management

September 24, 2018 49

Integration – Level 2 Elements

Service Co-ordination
ETL Services Data Management
and Orchestration

Integration
Application Integration Monitoring and
Development and
Services Management
Deployment

September 24, 2018 50

Operational and Business Systems – Level 2
Elements

Customer
Billing and Information and Partner Relationship Human Resource
Assurance Relationship Management Management
Management

Legal, Regulatory,
Fulfilment Finance Environment, Facilities
Management Management Health and Safety Management
Management
September 24, 2018 51
Applications Delivery and Management Tools and
Frameworks – Level 2 Elements

Capacity Planning,
Programme and Forecasting , Infrastructure,
IT Leadership Business Process
Project Demand and Networks and
and Governance Management
Management Supply Communications
Management

Strategic and Sourcing and Benefits Organisation Security,

Business Selection Assessment and Design, Planning Continuity and
Planning Management Realisation and Management Disaster Recovery

September 24, 2018 52

System Development, Deployment And
Management – Level 2 Elements

Solution Solution
User Experience
Architecture and Development and Testing
Design
Design Delivery

Service Provisioning,
Business and Data, Information,
Service Delivery and Change and Change
Process Analysis Knowledge Asset
Service Management
and Design Management
Management
September 24, 2018 53
 Digital Architecture Strategy And Platform Status
View Digital Architecture

External Party Applications Delivery and System Development,

Security, Identity, Access Responsive Digital Specific Internal Interaction Operational and Business
Interaction Zones, Integration Management Tools and Deployment and
and Profile Management Infrastructure Applications and Tools Management Systems
Channels and Facilities Frameworks Management

Web Pages and Web Resilient and Scalable Web Content Business Process Service Co-ordination IT Leadership and Solution Architecture and
User Directory Billing and Assurance
Forms Firewalls Management System Management and Orchestration Governance Design

Web Content Resilient and Scalable Customer Relationship Application Integration Strategic and Business Business and Process
Authentication Content Authoring Fulfilment Management
Management Load Balancers Management Services Planning Analysis and Design

Customer Information
Resilient and Scalable Programme and Project
Web Browsers Single Signon Multi-Channel Analytics Case Management ETL Services and Relationship User Experience Design
Traffic Management Management
Management
Service Provisioning,
Resilient and Scalable Integration Development Sourcing and Selection
Call Centre Logging Next Best Action Service Management Finance Management Service Delivery and
Web Servers and Deployment Management
Service Management

Resilient and Scalable Data Collection, Storage Partner Relationship Business Process Solution Development
Mobile Channels Personalisation Resource Management Data Management
Application Servers and Management Management Management and Delivery

Legal, Regulatory,
Resilient and Scalable Monitoring and Benefits Assessment and Change and Change
Preferences Access Control Document Management Product Management Environment, Health and
Data Storage Management Realisation Management
Safety Management
Capacity Planning,
Product and Service Data Security and Product and Service Human Resource
Certificate Management Sales and Marketing Forecasting , Demand Testing
Catalogue Encryption Catalogue Management Management
and Supply Management
Organisation Design, Data, Information,
Payments and Usage and Performance Payment Gateway and
Monitoring Facilities Management Planning and Knowledge Asset
Transactions Monitoring Merchant Services
Management Management

Identity and Access Infrastructure, Networks

Web Chat
Management and Communications

Security, Continuity and

Social Networks
Disaster Recovery

Search
= Fully Implemented and Operational

SMS
= Partially Implemented and Operational
Applications
= Non Implemented and Non-Operational
Data Access and
Presentation

September 24, 2018 54

Digital Architecture Strategy And Platform Status
View
• Creates a simplified view of the status of the
implementation of the digital strategy and the digital
architecture framework

September 24, 2018 55

Solution Architecture And Digital Architecture – Key
Solution Design Process Characteristics
Solution Architecture Team Operating In An
Integrated Manner Designing Solutions To A
Set Of Common Standards And That Run On
The Platform

Solution Architecture Updates The Digital Solution Architecture Team Leadership

Reference Architecture Based On Solution Ensuring Solutions Conform To The Common
Design Experience Standards

Solution Architecture Technical Leadership

To Develop And Maintain Common Solution
Design Standards

September 24, 2018 56

Solution Architecture Standards

• Solutions need to encompass common set of standards in areas such

as:
− Service orientation
− Microservices
− API service catalog ad API broker
− Cloud and distributed architectures
− Automation
− Standardised data collection and analysis
− Federated security
• Solution architecture standards and their implementation become
more important in a digital solution context
• Solution architecture leadership and management is more important
• Solution identification and acquisition skills may need to be
improved
• Speed of solution design or acquisition may need to be improved

September 24, 2018 57

Solution Architecture And Digital Architecture

• Solution architecture in the context of digital architecture

requires greater solution architecture effort

September 24, 2018 58

Solution Architecture And Digital Architecture
Digital Strategy Digital Architecture Digital Architecture Framework
Defined To Actualise
Digital Strategy

Digital Architecture Framework Is Digital Solutions

A Virtualised Platform View Of Defined Within the
Digital Architecture
Organisation Solutions and Framework
Processes
Organisation Reality Digital Solutions
Digital Architecture
Defined To Actualise
Digital Strategy

September 24, 2018 59

Types Of Digital Solutions

• Digital transformation involves designing and

implementing solutions across a wide range of application
and system areas within the context of the digital
architecture framework
• Solutions can be acquired rather than being developed

September 24, 2018 60

Types Of Digital Solutions
User Facing Applications
External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities

Analytic and Content Management Applications

Digital Specific Applications and Tools

Security, Workflow and Customer Management Applications

Identity,
Access and Internal Interaction Management
Profile
Management Responsive Data Processing Applications
Infrastructure
Integration

Business Applications Applications Delivery and

Management Tools and
Frameworks
Operational and
Business Systems System Development,
Deployment and
Management
September 24, 2018 61
Types Of Digital Solutions

• Two general types of solution

− Business function solutions, deployed either as externally facing
applications or as operational business systems
− Internal applications that support the operation of the business
systems

September 24, 2018 62

Digital Business Drivers Incorporated Into Solution
Architecture And Design
• The drivers for digital must be reflected in the approach to
solution design and delivery
− Agility
− Technology
− Response to complexity
− Security
− Need for simplification and automation
− User experience
• These are common requirements, characteristics and design
principles that need to be included in the design of all solutions
• The solution architecture leadership must incorporate these
drivers into the of the solution architecture delivery team

September 24, 2018 63

Digital Business Drivers Incorporated Into Solution
Architecture And Design
Design, Dispersed
Expectations Greater Federated And
Implement Application
Of User Regulation Integrated
And Deploy Landscape
Solutions Experience Security
Requirements Greater
Quickly Security And
Scale-Up Response To Privacy
Fragmented Regulation
Or Scale-Down Complexity
Market
Resources Security
Quickly Increased
Range Of
Agility Threats
React
Quickly Digital
Solution Automate
To Changes Need For As Much As
Common
Characteristics Simplification Possible
Scaling And
Demands Automation
Minimise
Enabled
Interactions
By New
Technologies Technology
User
Experience Consistent
Automation Integrated Management
And Integrated And Federated Across Service
Feature-Rich Boundaries
Operation Security
And Intuitive
Interoperability Service Access
Cloud Large End-To-End Allow For Need To Deliver
Services Amounts Of Product And Real-Time On Expectations
Interaction Service Changes
September 24, 2018
Data Lifecycle View 64
Digital Business Drivers – Agility

• Design, implement and deploy solutions that offer

complex services quickly
• Scale-up or scale-down resources quickly and cheaply to
meet changes in demand
• React quickly and cheaply to internal and external market
and other changes

September 24, 2018 65

Digital Business Drivers – Technology

• Scaling of numbers of users, customers, device types and

interactions with other organisations
• Demands for new products and services enabled by new
technologies
• Need for and expectation of automation and integrated
operation
• Cloud services and application deployment and management
models
• Interoperability requirements across multiple applications on
dispersed platforms
• Need to analyse and utilise large amounts of interaction data
• Need for integrated and federated security across applications
September 24, 2018 66
Digital Business Drivers – Response to Complexity

• Fragmented market with multiple separated specialist

service providers with multiple business interactions
• Expectations of user experience, speed of service delivery
• Greater regulation
• Dispersed application landscape

September 24, 2018 67

Digital Business Drivers – Security

• Federated and integrated security requirements for

dispersed application landscape
• Greater security and privacy regulation
• Increased range of threats

September 24, 2018 68

Digital Business Drivers – Need for Simplification and
Automation
• Automate as much as possible to reduce cost, improve
accuracy and speed and consistency of service delivery
• Minimise interactions
• Consistent management across service boundaries
• Need to deliver on user and customer expectations
• Allow for real-time changes to services

September 24, 2018 69

Digital Business Drivers – User Experience

• Feature-rich and intuitive service access, browse and

navigation
• End-to-end product and service lifecycle view

September 24, 2018 70

Solution Architecture And IT Architecture Disciplines
Interactions

Enterprise Architecture

Overall Architecture Framework Security

Standards

Information and Data Architecture Data

Architecture

Business Process, Products

Business Context
Infrastructure Solution Service and
Architecture Architecture Security
Integration
Architecture
Architecture

Information
Business Technology
Systems
Architecture Architecture
Architecture

Service Operation
and Support
September 24, 2018 71
Solution Architecture And IT Architecture Disciplines
Interactions
• The solution architecture function needs to interact with
other IT architecture disciplines
• These interactions are all the more important in the
context of delivering the integrated set of digital solutions
that actualise the digital architecture

September 24, 2018 72

Summary

• Digital solution design requires greater discipline to create

an integrated set solutions that operate within the rigour
of the digital architecture framework
• The solution architecture function must interact with other
IT architecture disciplines to ensure the set of solutions
that implement the digital framework operate together
• This requires greater solution architecture team leadership
• This needs to be supplemented and supported by a well-
defined set of digital solution design standards

September 24, 2018 73

More Information

Alan McSweeney
http://ie.linkedin.com/in/alanmcsweeney

September 24, 2018

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