Adaptive I/T Architectures: The Rise of Business Platforms

Abstract

Business innovation forces organizations to continuously adapt themselves: they need to support new products, new business processes, and even totally new business models. Doing so successfully requires an organizational capability that is geared towards supporting business innovation. This capability must be engrained in the business and I/T architecture. The agility of the architecture will define how easily an organization can adapt to new business opportunities, and will directly influence the competitiveness of the organization. An adaptive architecture will be a competitive asset, while a non-adaptive architecture may pose a threat for the future success of the company.

This chapter will describe some of the key elements of such an adaptive architecture, and will examine the role of business platforms in creating such an architecture. It will show how business platforms can be built using a mix of ERP systems and in-house developed systems. It will also show how such an architecture requires a new view on software systems.