What is Technology Architecture for Business?

As business owners, one thing that absolutely helps is planning and outlining some fundamentals with business operations, processes, and procedures. One way to go about that, and understand how the business functions and costs, is by creating a technology architecture. Aggregating this information is pertinent for businesses of all sizes in our technology driven world. 

Many people know about the business plan. The technology architecture portion is typically saved for the CTO or Technologists at your company. However, the business owner being part of the process really helps understand the environments of the business and departments, from multiple perspectives. The Technology Architecture documentation can serve as a guide along with the business strategy to understand the investment requirements, streamlined technology stacks, and operations. 

Creating a technology architecture for your business, begins with auditing and documenting from the foundation of your business as a whole; meaning what is required to operate a particular business from a cloud and storage perspective. This might require a cloud or database professional who understands the storage, certifications, security, and environment that is best for a particular business. If you have more than one business, they can also provide enterprise level cloud storage requirements. 

Once the cloud and storage is documented, a thorough audit from a professional or your technology and executive team, can begin to form more details about the framework and softwares utilized by their departments. 

Here are some things for business owners, CEOs, investors, and more to learn about developing a cohesive business technology architecture that provides a heightened perspective of your business.

Cloud Storage

The first major foundation to establish in your Technology Architecture is the type of business you have and the amount of cloud storage it needs to operate. For e-commerce, it’s a major requirement, since the entire business is operated online through websites and integrations. Small businesses still require cloud storage, and corporations might require enterprise level cloud storage and management. A cloud professional or CTO supports a business owner with determining cloud storage and the operational software requirements of a particular business.

Is there a specific database or storage needed for the business? Does it require payment processing, security, inventory, or more? Are there multiple businesses that need varying levels of cloud storage? What integrations are possible? Are there multiple complex environments to manage?

Cloud storage and security are important to consider with operational costs for business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs to evaluate. If you have more than one business, each one would have their own technology architecture to gain a better understanding of the environments, softwares, and operating systems. 

Security Protocols

Businesses around the world login online every single day. For business owners, CEOs, investors, and entrepreneurs the work environment has also moved into the cloud. Due to the pandemic, many businesses implemented a hybrid work environment that allows more people to work in the cloud.

Typically, business owners evaluate security protocols based on external challenges. However, beginning from the inside with the Technology Architecture is a great way to view a new perspective on security protocols. It helps establish operations, processes, security, and account types for the business.

Depending on the department, and account type, the Technology Architecture also enables the business owners and investors to safeguard the business. It’s a good way to manage quality and processes within departments and the business as a whole. It also helps the IT department document who is the System Administrator for each department, software, and application in case anything happens. 

Platforms and Software

Your business might require multiple platforms and softwares to operate from the website, to e-commerce, marketing, customer support, and engineering. Learning and documenting all the platforms and softwares needed to run a particular business, and department, is a great way to understand the operational investments. 

There are many software solutions in the market for various industries. For business owners, CEOs, and investors, it also creates operational challenges in finding the softwares, plugins, and integrations required to operate the business. Implementing the correct softwares would ideally save a business money, time, and integrations.

In collaboration, the business and professionals doing the auditing, will create a Technology Architecture with the platforms and softwares required for each business and departments.

Overlapping Operations

Once the business cloud environment, security protocols, and software are documented it’s time to look at how the softwares might have overlapping operations within the business.

Softwares is quite dynamic and expansive nowadays. They're often utilized by multiple departments, so it's important to document and understand how a particular department uses the software across the company. It helps to streamline and enhance operations, processes, and procedures. 

It's also a great way to understand how to customize the software that enables better operations from one department to another. This provides shared and integrated data that ultimately gives the business owner more ways to view data, dashboards, operations, and processes. 

Altairzen supports clients with upgrading, streamlining, and maintaining the website environment and marketing projects so clients can focus on their products and customers. Developing and producing a business technology architecture is great for every business, of all sizes around the world. It helps business owners, CEOs, and investors evaluate a particular business from new perspectives with investments.