Meeting today’s needs is important when building a technology infrastructure.
But companies do not remain the same.
Operations change over time; production capacity increases, new locations open and new systems are introduced.
For this reason, the sustainability of a technology investment cannot be measured only by how the system performs on the day it is implemented.
The real measure appears in a different question:
The answer to this question begins when the system is first designed.
Industry dynamics, current operational needs, growth targets and processes that may later become part of the structure all need to be evaluated correctly.
New production lines may be introduced.
In retail, the number of stores and sales locations may increase.
In holding company structures, new companies or different operations may become part of the system.
Data volumes, user numbers, integrations and security requirements may all grow over time.
The technology architecture needs to be planned to accommodate all of this change.
But sustainability has another important dimension:
People may change, teams may change and managers may change.
When system operating principles, standards, authorization structures, integrations and operational processes depend on individuals, every change can introduce a new risk.
Technology architecture should therefore be designed around the company’s needs and processes rather than around specific individuals.
Such a structure does more than support today’s operations; it can continue to evolve as the company grows, the organization changes and new needs emerge.
This article is original content by Melih Gökdemir. Short quotations may be used with attribution. Reproduction, republication or commercial use of the full article or a substantial part of it without permission is prohibited.