Did you know that, as of 2023, the average enterprise has 1,061 applications in its tech stack, according to research from the Customer Data Platform Institute?
Application rationalization, the process of assessing and optimizing the portfolio, and part of application portfolio management, has therefore become a key business priority worldwide.
Failure to do so leads to bloated software ecosystems, duplicated functionality, escalating costs, and increased complexity, all of which hinder agility and innovation. Without a well-managed approach, organizations face unnecessary operational expenses, technical debt, and a loss of competitive edge.
The role of data orchestration in application rationalization
At the heart of successful application rationalization lies effective data orchestration. Businesses rely on diverse data sources – ranging from IT service management and business intelligence to financial systems and agile planning platforms – that must be consolidated to provide a unified, comprehensive view of the application landscape. This consolidated data, enriched and governed, forms the foundation for strategic decision-making, enabling teams to visualize application use, assess costs, and identify redundancies, effectively creating a single source of truth for the enterprise.
Data orchestration allows organizations to surface insights quickly and empowers enterprise architecture teams to make informed, data-driven decisions that directly impact cost savings, efficiency, and business outcomes. However, realizing the full potential of application rationalization comes with its own set of challenges.
Common challenges in application rationalization
Organizations often struggle with accessing and centralizing trusted data. Siloed systems, data latency, and incomplete information create barriers to a holistic view of the application portfolio. This lack of visibility not only complicates decision-making but also leads to inefficiencies in identifying applications that can be decommissioned or optimized.
Building on existing data presents further challenges. Without a clear mapping between applications and business or technical elements, enterprise architecture teams may have an incomplete view of the application landscape. Additionally, obtaining buy-in from business stakeholders and encouraging their collaboration in rationalization efforts can be difficult, limiting the effectiveness of the process.
How OrbusInfinity Flow solves application rationalization challenges
OrbusInfinity Flow, Orbus Software's native integration platform as a service (iPaaS), addresses these challenges by providing a streamlined, automated approach to application rationalization. Here’s how:
- Centralizing data: With pre-built connectors to common enterprise applications, OrbusInfinity Flow simplifies data integration. It connects common CMDB systems to source application data as well as their technical dependencies and operational condition. It also allows the capturing of financial data to give insight into the cost of maintaining applications.
- Building on data: Once your application catalog is loaded into the central repository, OrbusInfinity Flow enables owners to further augment it and ensure that data remains up to date, through automated attestation workflows in common collaboration tools. It also helps you build a complete view of the application ecosystem, by automatically suggesting mappings to key enterprise concepts such as business capabilities or risks, based on application information. This reduces the time and effort required to understand how each application fits into the broader business and technical environment.
- Assessing and engaging business leaders: Business leaders play a crucial role in deciding which applications to invest in or eliminate. OrbusInfinity Flow facilitates their engagement through suggested recommendations and automated notifications, helping them make faster, smarter decisions about the future of their application portfolios.
Application rationalization is a critical initiative for businesses aiming to streamline operations, reduce costs, and remain competitive. By leveraging the power of OrbusInfinity Flow, organizations can overcome the common hurdles of data centralization, application mapping, and stakeholder engagement.
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