The Next Major Shift in Enterprise Software Engineering: From Platforms to “Platformless”

The evolution of enterprise software engineering has been marked by a series of "less" shifts — from client-server to web and mobile ("client-less"), data center to cloud ("data-center-less"), and app server to serverless. These transitions have simplified aspects of software engineering, including deployment and operation, allowing users to focus less on the underlying systems and more on the application itself.

This trend of radical simplification now leads us to the next significant shift in enterprise software engineering: moving from platforms to a "platformless" approach.

Quantum Duality of API as a Business and a Technology

As an API strategy store project manager who is responsible for the API program, you have to look at both of these two sides and find the balance. It’s really hard to say what the correct balance is because it totally depends on the current landscape, on the business models, as well as on the technology maturity that you have. So you have to analyze it, and then look at the maturity model, and have a proper way of increasing or improving the business models as well as improving your technology stack.

What I’m going to do in this article is walk you through the concept of quantum duality of API as a business and API as a technology because a lot of organizations are focusing on API programs, but they are looking at only one aspect of this problem: either the business side or the technology side. However, we need to have a balance. This is where I’m going to discuss and share some of my experience working with different types of enterprises around the globe. The first thing we’ll talk about is the federation and business models around APIs, and then we will move on to how this polyglot and heterogeneous nature affects API development. From the technology side, it will be how you can move to the cloud and leverage cloud-native technologies and how you can modernize the development. All of these four pieces are tied together for a successful API program, so I’m going to discuss these concepts.

Why Develop a Decentralized Application Architecture for Cloud-Native, API-centric, and Microservices Patterns

This article is outlining the cell-based architecture, which was published as an open specification on GitHub summer-2018. Our approach creates a pragmatic and technology-neutral reference architecture that addresses the requirement for agility. It can be instantiated to create an effective and agile method for digital enterprises, deployed in private, public, or hybrid cloud environments.

When I present the new architecture at technology events, one common question is the reason we are defining a new reference architecture in an already crowded market.  This article lists the motivating factors.  

Two Keys to Agile Transformation

Enterprise agility has rapidly become one of the most crucial variables for a business’s long-term resiliency. With the COVID-19 pandemic, never-ending disruptions to the global supply chain, and nearly every industry’s typical processes flipped upside down, there has never been a more important time to prioritize agility than now.

While the rewards of agility are high, organizations are struggling to implement key technologies and adhere to the methodologies that can get them there. In fact, the 14th Annual State of Agile Report notes that 59 percent of organizations are following agile principles, but only 4 percent of these organizations are getting the full benefit. But the ability to adapt quickly, seize new opportunities, and reduce costs is critical for survival in the ever-evolving and hypercompetitive digital age.