Application Architecture - Current Trends

In my previous post, i talked about the overview of Application Architecture and how it performs a critical role within the organization, in this post i will share my thoughts on the current trends of the application architectural layer.

With the emergence of cloud computing and technology, it is very evident that the future of application architecture is tapping into cloud space. SaaS, cloud computing is the answer for this, and that more and more enterprises are going towards this solution. I am a big supporter of cloud computing, and might sound biased by saying that if somebody wants their enterprise to be on the cutting edge of technology and reach the masses, cloud is your road to take. The infrastructural cost is very minimal, and the share of knowledge is as fast as the speed of light.
There was a time in our lives, atleast when i was growing up that we shared information on the floppy disc, CD roms, and then came USB devices and now everything is in the cloud. The ability for me to access my documents and talk to my grad school peers sitting in India, share my documents over the inter-webs is something more than extraordinary. Just thinking about this solution on an enterprise level, as an application architect, my work would be less busy as their is one less thing i have to worry about (the physical servers). To be able to size my servers on the go, add solutions like ERP, CRM to manage my stakeholders, i go from 0 to 60 in much less time than physical architectural setup. This goes without saying that more focus is needed around compliance and security, but atleast we got our applications all in sync and flexible that can be molded in any form an organization wants in.

Although i went on and on about the advantages of cloud computing as a future trend setter, good things always come with some cautions. Some of the impediments as also mentioned in a cloud computing article (ref: http://www.cio.com/article/2431187/cloud-computing/the-case-against-cloud-computing--part-one.html) are;

• Some enterprise apps are so native that they cant be migrated conveniently
• Risk with legal, regulatory, business areas, basically not being compliant
• management of cloud applications
• lack of SLA
• Lack of cost advantage for cloud computing

In order to work on these impediments, as an Application Architect, one has to do a thorough research of the enterprise apps, and organize them between the ones that can be migrated conveniently versus the ones that are legacy apps, and cant be moved. Then the process of prioritization comes into picture where it needs to be decided whether the legacy apps are important for the company and/ or if they can be upgraded to newer and faster solutions. Compliance is another component that needs to be factored in this research process. Once all this is determined, money or topic of cost to the company is the biggest topic of conversation. Questions like "whether it makes sense for the company to move to the cloud? " , " how many apps are legacy apps, and cant be migrated to the cloud?", " how much money its going to take to move the entire apps to the cloud?", etc. These questions need to be answered and the plan needs to be put in place to ensure that the application architecture of an organization can align with the current trends of technology.