6 Ways to Build Resilient Digital Architectures Across Companies Leading digital architects share their thoughts

Building a resilient business is not a choice but a necessity today. To match up to the perennial ups and downs that businesses face, some internal, some external, it has also become pertinent to build resilient digital architecture. The tech teams across companies are today striving to match up to the evolving consumer demands. While this is tough, it is leading to innovation and resilience.

"After the pandemic, instant feedback has become very common. Customers are also aware of technologies and what they can bring to their table. This has pushed tech teams to innovate well and innovate fast," said Hari Bhaskar, machine learning/engineering leader, Google. He was talking at The Digital Architecture Conclave 2023 by NIIT's StackRoute recently.

The key question here is how to build a sustainable and resilient digital architecture in a company. For the uninitiated, digital architecture is a framework based on which a company transforms towards improves business growth.

Here are some ways shared by leading digital architects Entrepreneur India met at the conclave.

Change with times

"Every business is malleable. It could be landscape or emerging technologies. But change is constant, so your digital architecture cannot be redundant. As long as there are non-significant pauses, that are adaptive, it is fine. You have to understand the end game. That is resilience," said Utkarsh B, Chief Architect, Flipkart.

According to the India Digital Transformation (DX) Survey conducted in 2022 across 504 IT decision-makers in India by IDC, for 2022 and 2023, about 3/4th of the respondent companies plan to spend more than what they spent for DX initiatives in 2021. Yet another 20 per cent of the respondents will maintain the same level of DX spending as in 2021.

"The rate of change and how we can adapt matters a lot. Smaller businesses are doing it. Enterprises are hesitant. The underlying aspects of how enterprises can change will rely on how adaptive architectural structure is while staying resilient and sustainable," said Hemanth Kumar A, general manager and automation delivery head, Wipro Limited.

Pre-deduct failure

Every business changes and processes change. Data complexity happens. Can architecture survive these? "Yes, by pre-deducting failure. You have to ensure it doesn't happen. Tech should survive changes that invariably happen," said Nagaraj Kulkarni, founder & CEO, COMPEGENCE.

Build on data

Experts say that a data-driven architecture is key. "Data can play a huge role in in building resilience. Data exists, it won't go away. In every step of the business, there is an interaction. Maximize that. Your data flow will always exist. Data-driven architecture is key," said Kulkarni.

According to an IDC report, compound annual growth in data through 2020 will be almost 50% per year. Complex data can be a bane to business growth. So, how tech teams navigate the same and use it to their advantage will go a long way in creating more value for organizations.

Up the game

The pandemic has leapfrogged tech adoption by many times. This kind of tech adoption so soon was something nobody could predict. So, experts feel that those who don't keep improving will be left behind.

"It's time now to up the game. Technology can be a driver for business growth. If we absorb this tech, this is how businesses will change. Architects should do that. Is this tech meaningful? We should have the labs, R&D, paired with meaningful solutions which embrace technology," said Utkarsh B.

Automate whatever you can

Automation is the way forward for companies across categories. While India has the labor power, taking people away from mundane jobs is going to be key. The ability to run as many things as possible on automation will show better business results. "The automated systems that will help you adapt is what we need in an enterprise. Try and automate whatever you can, to get the best results in the shortest possible time," said Hemanth Kumar A, general manager and automation delivery head, Wipro Limited.

Convert NFR into business

"Today, everybody is thinking of cloud, but, it is not uncommon to see cloud crash. You have to assume that systems will fail and make architectural decisions so that your business won't fail. It is resilience. Our endeavor should be to convert a non-functional requirement (NFR) into business. Walmart makes 1-2 billion a day. If your system is down for a day, that much loss. Personalization is a fine example of adaptive architecture, more so in the digital era." Nitin Kaulavkar, Ex Walmart, mentor and consultant. Non-functional requirements refer to the characteristics of a software system that are not related to particular functionality or behavior.