Does SaaS Diminish the Need for Enterprise Architecture?
Fig. 1 Why SaaS - Saugatuck Technology
This conclusion would be quite incorrect. There are many mission critical functions the Enterprise Architect would still support with regard to helping the business accurately evaluate and successfully deploy a SaaS solution. A short list includes:
- Business Architecture – you still want to capture the business drivers, shareholders views, business process maps, value chains, etc. Gaps in the existing enterprise solutions need to be mapped to the SaaS solution and analyzed for completeness.
- Information Architecture – how does the SaaS impact data flow? Reporting and Analysis? Data as an asset?
- Integration Architecture – how will this new “cloud based” system interoperate with on-site systems? Partners? Customers? What is the impact on your integration principles and strategy / road map?
- Operational Management – everything from security and risk to quality of service, communications architecture and SLAs.
Tip: You will want your EA practice to be an integral part of your procurement process (see this earlier post) as well as monitoring the solution as it changes. The SaaS vendors / solutions are not standing still. Their architecture and capabilities change constantly.
In some cases the SaaS solution providers have Enterprise Architects on their staff to assist with providing the details your staff needs. One company doing this today is Workday. Not only does this help, it can be a point of differentiation.
I look forward to comments and feedback. Post here or e-mail me at jeff@jpbills.com
Posted in Uncategorized | 
Tags: Enterprise Architecture, SaaS, Software Sales, Software Sales Engineer
Enterprise Architects are required, regardless of SaaS strategy. Effectively, SaaS is a new way to purchase software and some of its operating expenses. Presenting new challenges to the business and requiring Enterprise Architects. In fact the recent migration of computing methods from client/server to N network based (regardless of buying strategy or application location) demands strong Enterprise Architects who evolve their role along with the architecture.
Enterprise Architecture achieves communication to customers in addition to clarifying design.
A high level abstraction of a multi-faceted system communicates the principles in a straightforward way to non-technical stakeholders and ‘should’ give confidence that the shared concept will work.
Admittedly, SaaS moves the complexities of delivery a step away from customer concerns, but communicating the big idea is always essential.
Enterprise Architects are required, regardless of SaaS strategy. Effectively, SaaS is a new way to purchase software and some of its operating expenses. Presenting new challenges to the business and requiring Enterprise Architects. In fact the recent migration of computing methods from client/server to N network based (regardless of buying strategy or application location) demands strong Enterprise Architects who evolve their role along with the architecture.
Enterprise Architecture achieves communication to customers in addition to clarifying design.
A high level abstraction of a multi-faceted system communicates the principles in a straightforward way to non-technical stakeholders and ‘should’ give confidence that the shared concept will work.
Admittedly, SaaS moves the complexities of delivery a step away from customer concerns, but communicating the big idea is always essential.