If you have not heard of the term `applistructure` you are not alone - the concept is one which is only now beginning to receive attention globally.
However, according to Marlon Reddy, managing executive of Business Connexion`s Combined Design Engineers (CDE) Competency, if companies are interested in getting the most from technology and application investments, and preparing a more flexible support base for business activities, applistructure is a term worth paying attention to. As a term, applistructure first made news when JP Morgan used it to describe SAP`s NetWeaver platform effort during 2004. SAP is the only vendor to consolidate the significant parts of its platform within an integrated offering while having the higher-level business functionality to create and deliver complex applications.
Applistructure is the term coined to describe the emerging convergence of technology infrastructure and business applications. It is a drive which comes ahead of expected demands from businesses for more flexible and less complex technology support environments.
"Adoption of business applications has been a large driver of technology infrastructure investments and service and support agreements. For every application that is procured by a company, the chances are high that some infrastructure improvements or replacements will be required to support the new entry. This means that companies must seek true returns from both their applications and infrastructure assets," says Reddy.
Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly complex to integrate all aspects of a company`s technology and application environments - unless of course that company is willing to lock into an enterprise solution that incorporates the next generation of IT-based on service-oriented architectures (SOA). Although integration is still viewed as an opportunity for improved efficiency for business, the success of such initiatives is sometimes dismal.
Integration and convergence are primary areas that are expected to drive the adoption of applistructure architectures in the coming years, says Reddy. By blending technology infrastructure - including hardware, networks, platforms and services - and applications into a single open platform to support the organisation in the long-term, companies can incrementally select those applications which best meet business requirements.
"It is important to note that technology infrastructure in itself rarely provides business with a differentiator; instead it is the applications which hold the potential to provide advantages. By creating a unified, open platform from which all applications operate, applistructure will enable companies to access maximum return from their infrastructure investments as well as achieve improved communication among applications," says Reddy.
Business Connexion has strong partnerships with leading vendors such as SAP, IBM and Microsoft - the companies that are recognised as leaders in the applistructure market. Furthermore, the company`s broad set of competencies ensure that applistructure services are aligned and supported at all levels.
Reddy explains: "Technology service providers looking to enter the applistructure market will need to address the way in which their businesses operate. Typically, service providers have built up business units which stand alone and have very little interaction with other business units. Within Business Connexion, we have been on a drive which has resulted in high levels of communication and alignment among the divisions. Consequently, we are prepared to deal with every aspect of the applistructure service."
One of the advantages that applistructure is expected to provide is the ability for technology to fund its own incremental growth. Once the platform is deployed, companies can identify selected areas of "pain" within the business and work towards improving efficiency. Following successful returns from initial projects, companies should then be able to use the savings to fund the next area of focus.
"Many businesses turn away from enterprise-wide implementations because of the lengthy period for a return on investment, and the difficulty of measuring that return. Applistructure addresses such concerns by allowing modular or divisional deployments which are quick to provide measurable returns and become self-funding," concludes Reddy.
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