By Amit Singh, Solution Architect at AlphaCodes

When looking to overhaul the business and make it customer-centric, operations are a key factor to consider. Companies need to analyse their processes in order to have full sight of production and once this analysis is complete, operations can be optimised through automation. Enterprise services, an architecture approach that combines engineering and computer science to solve real business problems, can assist to manage processes in an automated manner by eliminating inefficiencies. However, this architecture cannot be successfully developed in isolation. It is vital to have insight and experience in at least four capabilities: enterprise architecture, business analysis, system analysis and design, along with business change management. These capabilities must be applied to every aspect of operations, from assessing the business needs to aligning them with Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. 

Change is the new order

As we adjust to life in a pandemic, businesses in every industry have had to reinvent their core offerings and value propositions in order to survive. Companies have had to adapt to new ways of working, taking into account Work From Home (WFH) and social distancing requirements, as well as meet changing customer demands. Here, businesses have had to reinvent and re-equip their workforces, which has led to an increased demand in certain skills. Processes have had to change and technology has been a key driver of transformation. Key decision makers need to understand and ascertain that each IT investment meets a clear business need that aligns with the digital transformation strategy to make the organisation more customer-centric. 

Enterprise services vs managed services 

Enterprise services integrate multiple elements of the business to assist in the smooth interchange of information through various business processes. Enterprise services encompasses the architecture that enables abstraction and componentisation which provides the mechanism that aligns both the required internal and external business standards. This includes defining and creating the business architecture, understanding the requirements, and designing and developing in line with these requirements and then interpreting and executing accordingly. 

On the other hand, managed services refer to the day-to-day handling of the specialised applications and functionality that the company requires. The managed service provider (MSP) takes responsibility for running the entire IT operations of the organisation including, network services, network monitoring infrastructure, application security and technical support.

Need for agility

Why do businesses need enterprise services? In a few short months, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation by seven years, according to Deloitte’s insights. Data has become critical, cyber threats are increasingly devastating and enterprise services are thus necessary to operate and manage all aspects of the business in a socially distant world, safely and efficiently. Enterprise and managed services help an organisation to keep their technology and data secure and up to date by providing services like enhanced security, efficient IT operations, and cost control with proactive maintenance. Additionally, by using enterprise and managed services businesses can address compliance and security challenges in a standardised, reliable fashion particularly with regards to data protection and management. 

Operational efficiency can be achieved with enterprise and managed services, making it easier to enable the free flow of information through the business in a secure, cost-efficient manner. Furthermore, this kind of operational model provides flexible support systems that can scale resources up and down as necessary to prevent wastage and provide compute and capacity power on demand. Given that every business is under pressure to increase profitability, it becomes necessary to do so without impacting delivery ability, quality and customer satisfaction as a result of efforts to reduce operational cost. The right enterprise services and MSP can make all the difference in achieving the optimal balance between cost saving and operational efficiency, by utilising automation. 

Real business benefits

The modern business environment is changing rapidly, with no signs of slowing down. As a result, organisations are seeking out more applications and solutions that can fulfil business requirements. Those companies that choose enterprise services, instead of doing it alone are more confident and focused, with a proper support team that understands the ins and outs of the business processes. By utilising enterprise services architecture, it creates an IT environment in which standard components can aggregate to reduce the overall complexity. Furthermore, with an enterprise services partner, businesses gain the expertise that’s best for their industry and such a partner will provide solutions in the most suitable way for that particular environment. 

Choosing the right partner

As with any change, automation comes with risk. The right partner knows how to address that risk, by identifying the ideal candidates for business process automation and optimisation and ensuring that the proper communication takes place between stakeholders. The right enterprise services partner plays a vital role in designing the enterprise system effectively, as well as implementing and upgrading enterprise solutions to ensure that change happens successfully. They also play a critical role in helping the business to maximise the enterprise solutions in a manner that impacts performance and productivity positively, reducing the risk of failure, throughout the business journey.