Foreword
I have spent my career developing and operating software and modernizing product and engineering teams, from startups to large enterprises. I founded Interland (now Web.com) in my 20s and went on to drive transformation at scale while leading development and operations at Cox Automotive, Unqork, and New Relic. I have been a CEO, CTO, and CPO and have worked to help other enterprises around the globe transform. I have also been an author and speaker on topics including DevOps, digital transformation, Agile, Scrum, and Lean Startup. My experience has given me a unique perspective on how the internet has narrowed competitive moats and forced every company to learn how to operate like a digital business—not just say they are one.
It is my pleasure to write this foreword for Lee’s new book, Overcoming IT Complexity. Like his previous book, Architecting for Scale (O’Reilly), I believe this will become the reference guide for overcoming the diverse difficulties companies face—whether they are SaaS, non-SaaS, or non-technology-focused IT firms. As Lee explains in this book, one of the many challenges companies face while trying to deliver new features and functionality in order to stay competitive is quickly accumulating technical debt. With a cutting-edge approach, including enterprise risk management and strategies for measuring results, Lee lays out a comprehensive framework for dealing with that technical debt.
The Growing Complexity of IT Environments
Technology has grown increasingly complex over the years, but the rate of its evolution has increased dramatically in the last decade. Many factors are driving this fast evolution:
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The rising number of devices connecting to the internet, from laptops and smartphones to smart home products
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The increase in cloud services
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The expansion in the number of devices that can be connected to create a single application
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The development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, which has led to innovative new products that help automate traditional business processes
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The evolution of open source software, which has made it easier for developers to create innovative new products
The numerous applications and devices employees use across an organization’s environment generate fragmentation. This fragmentation is a big challenge for the IT department, and it can be hard to detect because it may be distributed across various systems your organization uses (sometimes without employees knowing about it):
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Applications can be fragmented across numerous databases, including cloud databases.
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Virtual machines (VMs) are often fragmented across multiple servers.
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Physical servers are often fragmented across multiple physical locations.
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Network infrastructure and cloud services can also become fragmented.
Complexity can increase the time it takes to deliver new IT solutions or roll out new services. It can also slow down processes such as equipment procurement and software upgrades. Complexity can be particularly problematic for business users, who may have limited knowledge of the technologies used by their organization’s IT department. This can make it difficult for these users to collaborate with the IT department on projects or get the kind of support they need when issues arise. It can also make it difficult for the IT department to keep track of everything being used across the organization and ensure that it’s all secure.
The complexity of building API-first and embedded SaaS solutions is rising as new applications are based on open source platforms. Every day, delivering new value while satisfying customers becomes more difficult. Even if your IT organization is still struggling to eradicate the Node.js monolith or is striving to scale to billions of transactions, Lee provides ideas based on Adaptive Architecture principles and the crucial elements of flexible infrastructure as code to help you reduce technical debt and IT complexity.