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. 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 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. This follows-on from the previous presentation: Digital Transformation And Enterprise Architecture https://www.slideshare.net/alanmcsweeney/digital-transformation-and-enterprise-architecture.

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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Digital Strategy And Business Processes
September 24, 2018 5
Business Processes Within
The Organisation
Digital Means
Extending and
Exposing Business
Processes Outside
the Organisation –
The Organisation Is
being Opened-Up

6. 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

7. Digital Strategy And Digital Architecture
September 24, 2018 7
Include In The Definition The
Digital Strategy Its
Implementation In Terms Of
the Target Digital Architecture
Operational Framework
Digital Strategy
Digital
Architecture

8. Extending The Organisation’s Boundaries
September 24, 2018 8
Business Processes Within
The Organisation
How Far to
Push the
Boundary
and How
Porous
Should the
Boundary
Be?

9. Digital Strategy is All About Connectivity And
Integration
September 24, 2018 9
Connectivity
Between
External Parties
and the
Organisation
Connectivity
Between
Business
Functions
Connectivity Between
Applications and Data

10. 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
September 24, 2018 10
External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities
Security,
Identity,
Access and
Profile
Management
Responsive
Infrastructure
Digital Specific Applications and Tools
Internal Interaction Management
Integration
Operational and
Business Systems
Applications Delivery and
Management Tools and
Frameworks
System Development,
Deployment and Management

11. 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

12. Digital Organisation Target Architecture –
Component Linkages
September 24, 2018 12
External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities
Security,
Identity,
Access and
Profile
Management Responsive
Infrastructure
Digital Specific Applications and Tools
Internal Interaction Management
Integration
Operational and
Business Systems
Applications Delivery and
Management Tools and
Frameworks
System Development,
Deployment and
Management

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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. Digital Target Architecture In An Organisation
Context
September 24, 2018 17
Digital Architecture
Design And
Implementation
Framework Sits
Over The
Organisation
Domains

18. 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

19. 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

20. Digital Enablement Technology Iceberg
September 24, 2018 20
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

21. 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

22. 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
processes and associated and
supporting IT business systems
• The platform becomes the means
to deploy new solutions and to
make available new services
September 24, 2018 22
The Platform is the
Solution

23. 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

24. 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

25. Digital Target Architecture And The Platform
• The platform is virtualised view of the digital architecture
and the associated digital strategy
September 24, 2018 25

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

27. 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

28. 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

29. Digital Solution Architecture And The Platform
September 24, 2018 29
The components of the
solutions that comprise the
operational digital platform
must map to the digital
architecture framework
platform

30. Core Solution Design Factors, Limitations And
Boundaries
Degree of Automation of Solution
Solution
Architecture
Design
Constraints
Digital Architecture Constraints and Principles
Reuse
Existing
Solution or
Create New
Solution
Range of
Solution
Options
September 24, 2018 30

31. Digital Solution Architecture And The Platform
September 24, 2018 31
The Role Of Solution Architecture Is
To Create A Complete the Digital
Architecture Landscape With A Full
Set Of Solutions

32. External Interactions And Internal Organisation
Reality
September 24, 2018 32
External Organisation Interactions And Supporting Applications
Internal Organisation Reality

33. Customer Experiences And External Interactions And
Internal Organisation Reality
September 24, 2018 33
Internal Organisation Users
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

34. Mapping External Digital Interactions To The
Organisation
September 24, 2018 34
External Organisation Interactions
Digital
Architecture Is the
Lens Through
Which The
Organisation Is
Viewed From The
Outside

35. Mapping External Digital Interactions To The
Organisation
September 24, 2018 35
Digital Architecture And The
Digital Platform Is the Lens
Through Which The
Applications and Solutions
Of The Organisation Are
Interacted With

36. Mapping External Digital View To Internal Reality
September 24, 2018 36
External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities
Security, Identity, Access
and Profile Management
Responsive
Infrastructure
Digital Specific Applications and Tools
Internal Interaction Management
Integration
Operational and Business Systems
External Organisation Interactions And Supporting Applications
Product, Service and Integration Gallery of the Organisation
Set of Internal Business Processes
and Associated IT Systems
External Process and
Service Catalogue
Representation
Mapped to Internal
Processes and
Systems

37. Mapping External Digital View To Internal Reality
September 24, 2018 37
External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities
Security, Identity, Access
and Profile Management
Responsive
Infrastructure
Digital Specific Applications and Tools
Internal Interaction Management
Integration
Operational and Business Systems
Operational Business Systems Are
Logically Unified And Integrated
But They May Be Actually
Decoupled And Dispersed Across
Multiple Solutions and Platforms,
Both Internal And External
External to
Internal
Solution
Mapping

38. 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

39. Digital Transformation Is About …
September 24, 2018 39
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:

40. Platform Facilitates Mapping Of External Digital
View To Internal Organisation Reality
September 24, 2018 40
External Organisation Interactions And Supporting Applications
Digital Platform
And Digital
Architecture
Permits The
Logical Seamless
Interactions With
The Organisation

41. 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

42. Inventory Of Organisation Interaction (Customer)
Journeys And Scenarios
September 24, 2018 42
Journey 1
Journey 2
Journey 3
Journey 4

43. 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

44. Mapping Organisation Interactions To Solutions
September 24, 2018 44
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

45. External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and
Facilities – Level 2 Elements
September 24, 2018 45
Web Pages
and Web
Forms
Web Content
Management
Web
Browsers
Call Centre
Mobile
Channels
Preferences
Product and
Service
Catalogue
Payments
and
Transactions
Web Chat
Social
Networks
Search
SMS
Applications
Data Access
and
Presentation

46. Security, Identity , Access and Profile Management –
Level 2 Elements
September 24, 2018 46
User Directory
Authentication
Single Signon
Logging
Personalisation
Access Control
Certificate
Management
Monitoring
Identity and
Access
Management

47. Digital Specific Applications and Tools – Level 2
Elements
September 24, 2018 47
Web Content
Management
System
Content Authoring
Multi-Channel
Analytics
Next Best Action
Data Collection,
Storage and
Management
Document
Management
Product and Service
Catalogue
Management
Payment Gateway
and Merchant
Services

48. Responsive Infrastructure – Level 2 Elements
September 24, 2018 48
Resilient and
Scalable Firewalls
Resilient and
Scalable Load
Balancers
Resilient and
Scalable Traffic
Management
Resilient and
Scalable Web
Servers
Resilient and
Scalable Application
Servers
Resilient and
Scalable Data
Storage
Data Security and
Encryption
Usage and
Performance
Monitoring

49. Internal Interaction Management – Level 2 Elements
September 24, 2018 49
Business Process
Management
Customer
Relationship
Management
Case
Management
Service
Management
Resource
Management
Product
Management
Sales and
Marketing

50. Integration – Level 2 Elements
September 24, 2018 50
Service Co-ordination
and Orchestration
Application Integration
Services
ETL Services
Integration
Development and
Deployment
Data Management
Monitoring and
Management

51. Operational and Business Systems – Level 2
Elements
September 24, 2018 51
Billing and
Assurance
Fulfilment
Management
Customer
Information and
Relationship
Management
Finance
Management
Partner Relationship
Management
Legal, Regulatory,
Environment,
Health and Safety
Management
Human Resource
Management
Facilities
Management

52. Applications Delivery and Management Tools and
Frameworks – Level 2 Elements
September 24, 2018 52
IT Leadership
and Governance
Strategic and
Business
Planning
Programme and
Project
Management
Sourcing and
Selection
Management
Business Process
Management
Benefits
Assessment and
Realisation
Capacity Planning,
Forecasting ,
Demand and
Supply
Management
Organisation
Design, Planning
and Management
Infrastructure,
Networks and
Communications
Security,
Continuity and
Disaster Recovery

53. System Development, Deployment And
Management – Level 2 Elements
September 24, 2018 53
Solution
Architecture and
Design
Business and
Process Analysis
and Design
User Experience
Design
Service Provisioning,
Service Delivery and
Service
Management
Solution
Development and
Delivery
Change and Change
Management
Testing
Data, Information,
Knowledge Asset
Management

54. Digital Architecture Strategy And Platform Status
View Digital Architecture
External Party
Interaction Zones,
Channels and Facilities
Web Pages and Web
Forms
Web Content
Management
Web Browsers
Call Centre
Mobile Channels
Preferences
Product and Service
Catalogue
Payments and
Transactions
Web Chat
Social Networks
Search
SMS
Applications
Data Access and
Presentation
Security, Identity, Access
and Profile Management
User Directory
Authentication
Single Signon
Logging
Personalisation
Access Control
Certificate Management
Monitoring
Identity and Access
Management
Responsive
Infrastructure
Resilient and Scalable
Firewalls
Resilient and Scalable
Load Balancers
Resilient and Scalable
Traffic Management
Resilient and Scalable
Web Servers
Resilient and Scalable
Application Servers
Resilient and Scalable
Data Storage
Data Security and
Encryption
Usage and Performance
Monitoring
Digital Specific
Applications and Tools
Web Content
Management System
Content Authoring
Multi-Channel Analytics
Next Best Action
Data Collection, Storage
and Management
Document Management
Product and Service
Catalogue Management
Payment Gateway and
Merchant Services
Internal Interaction
Management
Business Process
Management
Customer Relationship
Management
Case Management
Service Management
Resource Management
Product Management
Sales and Marketing
Integration
Service Co-ordination
and Orchestration
Application Integration
Services
ETL Services
Integration Development
and Deployment
Data Management
Monitoring and
Management
Operational and Business
Systems
Billing and Assurance
Fulfilment Management
Customer Information
and Relationship
Management
Finance Management
Partner Relationship
Management
Legal, Regulatory,
Environment, Health and
Safety Management
Human Resource
Management
Facilities Management
Applications Delivery and
Management Tools and
Frameworks
IT Leadership and
Governance
Strategic and Business
Planning
Programme and Project
Management
Sourcing and Selection
Management
Business Process
Management
Benefits Assessment and
Realisation
Capacity Planning,
Forecasting , Demand
and Supply Management
Organisation Design,
Planning and
Management
Infrastructure, Networks
and Communications
Security, Continuity and
Disaster Recovery
System Development,
Deployment and
Management
Solution Architecture and
Design
Business and Process
Analysis and Design
User Experience Design
Service Provisioning,
Service Delivery and
Service Management
Solution Development
and Delivery
Change and Change
Management
Testing
Data, Information,
Knowledge Asset
Management
September 24, 2018 54
= Fully Implemented and Operational
= Partially Implemented and Operational
= Non Implemented and Non-Operational

55. 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

56. 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 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 56

57. 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

58. Solution Architecture And Digital Architecture
• Solution architecture in the context of digital architecture
requires greater solution architecture effort
September 24, 2018 58

59. Solution Architecture And Digital Architecture
September 24, 2018 59
Digital Strategy
Digital Solutions
Digital Architecture
Defined To Actualise
Digital Strategy
Digital Architecture Framework
Digital Solutions
Defined Within the
Digital Architecture
Framework
Organisation Reality
Digital Architecture
Defined To Actualise
Digital Strategy
Digital Architecture Framework Is
A Virtualised Platform View Of
Organisation Solutions and
Processes

60. 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

61. Types Of Digital Solutions
September 24, 2018 61
External Party Interaction Zones, Channels and Facilities
Security,
Identity,
Access and
Profile
Management Responsive
Infrastructure
Digital Specific Applications and Tools
Internal Interaction Management
Integration
Operational and
Business Systems
Applications Delivery and
Management Tools and
Frameworks
System Development,
Deployment and
Management
User Facing Applications
Data Processing Applications
Analytic and Content Management Applications
Workflow and Customer Management Applications
Business Applications

62. 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

63. 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

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

65. 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

66. 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

67. 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

68. 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

69. 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

70. 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

71. Solution Architecture And IT Architecture Disciplines
Interactions
September 24, 2018 71
Enterprise Architecture
Information and Data Architecture
Information
Systems
Architecture
Business
Architecture
Technology
Architecture
Solution
Architecture
Service and
Integration
Architecture
Security
Architecture
Overall Architecture Framework Security
Standards
Service Operation
and Support
Data
Architecture
Infrastructure
Architecture
Business Context
Business Process, Products

72. 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

73. 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

74. September 24, 2018 74
More Information
Alan McSweeney
http://ie.linkedin.com/in/alanmcsweeney