When building a house, you know you can’t do without an architect. It is the architect who, through a clear plan, aligns your needs with what is technically possible. Similarly, when considering IT for your business, a clear roadmap is essential. This is sometimes referred to as IT architecture.
It is the IT architecture that describes the various IT components within a company. It explains exactly what the components are, what they do, and how they relate to one another. In this regard, it is very important to start with your existing activities and current business processes. Just as a traditional architect first analyzes how the residents live, their preferences, their hobbies, the number of children they have, etc., in order to design the various living spaces accordingly.
When designing an IT architecture, the first step is to map out the business processes. This involves mapping out how the company currently operates and identifying any bottlenecks. In a second phase, the team determines what information is needed where and which applications (software) are used for this purpose. In phase 3, we determine what IT infrastructure (hardware, network, etc.) is needed to ensure the applications run smoothly. The result is a document that outlines the direction of the company’s IT strategy and infrastructure (both software and hardware). It provides recommendations for better aligning processes and IT. It also describes how existing—and any new—ICT applications will work together. Existing bottlenecks are discussed in the report, and solutions are proposed where possible. A roadmap for the future.
Here is a series of questions and a few tips that can help you design your IT architecture:
Where do you want to take your business?
What is your company’s mission and strategy? Where do you want to go? What would you like to achieve? Growth? Differentiation? Cost leadership?
Tip: When drafting the IT architecture plan, one should therefore focus primarily on future needs rather than on past problems that will no longer arise once the company’s strategy has changed.
What processes are in place within the company?
Map out all the processes within your company (e.g., sales and purchasing processes, production processes, financial processes, etc.). Be thorough in this process so that you create a blueprint of how the company operates. Discuss this with the people who actually carry out these processes, so that the process descriptions provide an accurate picture and do not become mere ‘wishful thinking.’ By writing these processes down on paper, you also get the chance to examine them thoroughly. This allows you to evaluate whether everything is running as efficiently as possible and whether there are opportunities for optimization—possibly by implementing additional IT resources.
Tip: Also make a list of the key bottlenecks you see today in how the processes are operating.
What information do you need, if any?
Once you have mapped out the processes within the company, the next step is to determine the information needs. For each process component where applicable, specify what information is required (e.g., customer list and payment summary for accounts payable). Be as precise as possible and also provide an explanation of the type of information (e.g., a list from the CRM system or a PDF document from the central server).
Tip: Also consider the role of external parties. What information do they need, and how is it currently provided? Make sure to describe this as clearly as possible so that external parties (customers, suppliers, partners, etc.) also have a place within your updated IT architecture.
What IT applications are needed to submit the information?
For each type of information, indicate the source. In other words, which application or software is used or can be used to compile and deliver the information (e.g.,. ERP application, CRM platform, Microsoft Excel, …). This will give you a list of all the applications that are (or can be) running within the company and that are crucial to the functioning of business processes.
What kind of IT infrastructure are you currently using?
Take inventory of the existing infrastructure. Also, diagram how the various components relate to one another.
Compile all of the above into a document that provides an overview of the future IT architecture. This document will serve as your guide for better aligning your business and IT in the future. In short, it will help make the company more efficient through the use of IT.
Would you like to discuss your company's specific IT infrastructure?
Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any specific questions about the infrastructure within your organization.
