Digital Integration - key to transformation
Digital transformation require visualization of all the touch-points in the enterprise i.e. omni-channels, digital solutions (mobile app, web solution, wearable...), back end systems (including legacy), data, devices, cloud etc. A lot of organisation start digital journey with development of mobile application OR new age web solution which is right first step towards transformation but it’s important to have this development done as part of organisation's digital strategy.
Primarily digital means engaging customer with relevant, contextual and personalized experiences and this will require up-to-date and optimized information with speed of light. To make these richer engagements with customer, organisations need access to their data, and this is the challenge for every enterprise. Organisation understand that the IT landscape is more diverse than ever. Cloud computing models are becoming accepted throughout the enterprise— private, public, and hybrid. Big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are adding new layers of complexity to these digital deployment scenarios. Mobile developers are churning out real-time personalized mobile apps for users on various platforms. Both cloud and on premises digital solutions must interface with new types of devices, data, and contextual information.
As part of digital strategy, organisation need to have crystal clear vision of how their enterprise systems will collaborate/interact/integrate to provide data to business in faster way to create good customer experience. While business dictates what digital solutions are needed to improve business outcomes and let technical teams/IT take control of creating these solutions with complex back end integrations, both business and technical teams must work together to articulate digital road map so that enterprise don’t end up developing any application in an isolated approach. Creating road map for digital integration becomes necessary. Questions that need to be answered to select right approach for integrations:
- What solutions are needed by business
- How to create standard architecture for linking many digital solutions to various IT systems
- How to create a coherent and consistent architecture across all our digital solutions
- How to provide the desired level of management controls and visibility for deployed mobile/web solutions
- How to optimize the infrastructure and deployment costs for deployed digital solutions
To answer above , there are various strategies like providing BaaS Platform as the abstraction layer to provide contextual and flawless mobile or web user experiences OR API Management platform as the abstraction layer to enterprise back end systems to feed application with relevant information. BaaS platforms provide a lightweight mechanism for enabling back end capabilities to enterprise apps while API Gateways focus on the design and virtualization of enterprise APIs to feed Mobile apps or other applications.
Both are scalable models and have embraced microservices and DevOps.
The BaaS platform provides the developer with all the back end features they need like data storage, file storage (with a CDN), push notifications, app analytics, the ability to run custom code, and out-of-the-box integrations into various cloud services, as well as access to fire-walled enterprise data and authentication sources Whereas relative strengths of API platforms are ability to support mobile as well as web devices , Integration with other APIs , ease of administration ,analytics and reporting, compliance to security requirements, support for cloud and on-site offerings , ability to leverage existing services & middle-ware infrastructure etc...
In both these strategies fact remains that contextual data is made available quickly and securely . Choice of these strategies depend on organisation's DNA i.e. do-it-myself approach where storage, identity management, logging, data synchronization etc. is managed in-house with API platform when building enterprise mobile apps OR all-in-one approach where data storage, file storage (with a CDN), push notifications, security, authentication is part of chosen platform like BaaS.
With integration challenges growing to access business data in legacy systems, data transformation where back end data exists in multiple formats/protocols, security and need for Audit and publishing/versioning of APIs there are strategies now to have Baas on top of the API Management layer.
Connectivity of enterprise systems is way towards digital and well thought through integration strategy play a key role in connecting the technology and infrastructure for delivering a seamless digital solution.