The speed of smarter architecture

We live in a world where the need for speed is all encompassing. In our every-day lives the next drive is just one click away and we expect same-day delivery when we order online. This is true for most of us, whether you come from Gerwen (a small “town” in the Netherlands where I was born and raised) or live in a metropolis like Shanghai (where I spent many years myself). I also see it each time I talk to new clients, partners and “competitors”. This trend accelerated even faster when COVID-19 became a reality for everyone but not everyone managed to quickly transform their business and survive.

Companies that deliver on the promise of speed tend to devour the slower and are usually born on the cloud, like the so-called FAANGs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google). Today they are large enterprises, but fairly recently, they were all small ventures with one thing in common: the ability to move much more quickly than the industry incumbents they displaced.

In many discussions I have, the theme of speed usually comes up in three different ways. Software delivery speed, the concept-to-cash lead time (how long it takes to turn a good idea into a digital product that is up and running and generating cash) and business agility (how fast we can respond effectively to changes in the business environment).

And I believe there is a fourth type of speed: The speed of smarter architecture. It became part of our business reality very recently, thanks to advances in technology. Smarter architecture allows large enterprises to unlock the strategic value of open hybrid cloud computing technologies to increase the speed of software delivery, decrease concept-to-cash lead time, and improve customer lifetime value. In essence, a digital platform operating model solves complexity, so value is accelerated with scale.

As I said, in today’s digitally-driven world speed is the decisive factor to stay ahead of the competition. I invite you to learn more about smarter architectures and how they will enable you to drive higher business value. Take a look at the report I (in great collaboration with the IBV – Richard Warrick) have just published here.

Building one’s digital strategy on a smarter architecture provides greater “strategic optionality” which means having far fewer conversations that begin with “It’s a good idea, but we can’t do it because...”.