“As data continues to play a critical role in business success, IT Productization will be an essential strategy for modern enterprises.”

Benjamin HOURTE, Senior Manager at delaware consulting

In today’s data-driven world, enterprises are increasingly relying on robust data platforms to manage and leverage their data assets. A key aspect of this approach is the implementation of Data Domains, which organize data into manageable segments.

IT departments are contending with intricate challenges due to the proliferation of data domains that need deployment and maintenance. This is further complicated by the growing sophistication of cloud technologies and, in some cases, the adoption of a multi-cloud strategy.

One innovative idea revolutionizing the construction and upkeep of these platforms is IT Productization. By considering IT components as individual products, this method proposed by delaware and implemented in various past projects, fosters more agile, scalable, and maintainable data systems.

Understanding IT Productization

IT Productization involves treating IT components as individual products that can be developed, maintained, and upgraded independently, offering several key benefits.

Firstly, it boosts agility. By segmenting IT infrastructure into controllable products, organizations can develop and deploy solutions quickly, addressing evolving business requirements promptly. This swift adaptability is crucial in today's dynamic market, where staying ahead offers a significant edge.

Secondly, it enhances scalability. Products can be scaled on their own, enabling the data platform to expand with the organization. This modular strategy allows for efficient resource allocation without overhauling the entire system, ensuring both cost-effective and smooth growth.

Thirdly, it augments maintainability. Standardized products with well-defined interfaces and consistent architecture are simpler to maintain and upgrade. Regular maintenance can be streamlined, resulting in better system reliability and reduced downtime.

Moreover, IT Productization encourages continuous enhancement. By treating IT components as products, teams can apply best practices such as user-centric design, iterative feedback, and rigorous testing. This ensures that IT Products are both functional and aligned with business needs.

Lastly, it fosters better collaboration between IT and business units. Aligning IT Products with specific business functions enhances cross-functional teamwork, ensuring that technology solutions effectively support business objectives. This alignment promotes transparency, accountability, and improved communication across the organization, leading to more strategic use of IT resources.

Data Domains and the benefits of IT Products

Data Domains are logical groupings of data that correspond to specific business areas or functions. They enhance decision-making by providing structured and accessible data. However, deploying Data Domains with varied architectures can lead to maintenance challenges and slow down the go-to-market process due to siloed systems and higher costs.

Standardizing architecture with IT Products mitigates these issues, promoting consistency and efficient resource allocation. IT Productization introduces a unified framework for developing, deploying, and maintaining Data Domains, ensuring seamless integration of components.

This approach also fosters better collaboration between IT and business units, creating more targeted technology solutions and a culture of continuous improvement. The modular nature of IT Products allows for easy integration of new capabilities and enhancements, maintaining the agility of the data platform to adapt to evolving business needs and market trends.

Designing It Products

Each IT Product is intrinsically linked to a specific Business Capability. This design principle ensures that every IT Product is not just a technical solution but a direct enabler of business functions. For example, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) IT Product would support capabilities like customer data management and personalized marketing, while a Fraud Detection IT Product would bolster capabilities related to transaction monitoring and risk assessment. This alignment ensures that technology investments are tightly coupled with business objectives, driving strategic outcomes and improving overall efficiency.

By creating a catalogue of IT Products, each implementing a specific capability and following a specific & pattern, organizations can ensure consistency and ease of maintenance when composing Data Domains.

Delaware defined a process to implement Data Domains using IT Products. It can be broken down into several steps:

1. Define the Data Domain: Determine the business area or function that the Data Domain will cover.

2. Select IT Products: Choose the appropriate IT Products from the catalogue to implement the Data Domain.

3. Integrate IT Products: Combine the chosen IT Products to form the Data Domain.

4. Deploy and Maintain: Deploy the Data Domain and ensure its continued maintenance and upgrades as necessary.

These steps foster a modular and scalable approach, allowing for the seamless integration of new capabilities. Additionally, it enables the updating of existing IT Products to enhance their functionality. This ensures that the data platform remains adaptable to evolving business needs.

Maintaining consistency across Data Domains is vital for reducing maintenance efforts and accelerating the go-to-market process. A standardized implementation of Data Domains using IT Products ensures all domains follow the same architecture and patterns. This consistency simplifies maintenance and speeds up the deployment of new features.

An Example in Financial Services Industry (FSI)

One of our recent realizations was in an asset management company seeking to improve its portfolio management capabilities. By defining a Data Domain focused on Portfolio Management, the firm selects IT Products such as Portfolio Analysis Tools, Risk Management Systems, and Client Reporting Solutions from the catalogue. These IT Products are integrated to form a cohesive Data Domain, enabling seamless data flow and analytics. The company can deploy and maintain this domain, ensuring it evolves with market trends and regulatory requirements. This modular setup allows the asset manager to quickly adapt, optimize portfolio performance, and enhance client satisfaction.

Conclusion

IT Productization offers a powerful approach to building and maintaining data platforms. By treating IT components as products and implementing Data Domains using standardized IT Products, organizations can achieve greater agility, scalability, and maintainability. delaware consulting has successfully implemented this concept across various industries, demonstrating how it can enhance customer experience and drive business value. For more information on how delaware consulting can assist your organization, please feel free to contact us! www.delaware.pro/en-lu