Has your company implemented a major IT transformation without being fully aware of what it was getting into? Well, you're not alone – as businesses strive to become more competitive in the digital era, it's becoming a common problem. 

According to Umit Tacay, chief technology officer at IT consultancy firm ANATAS, many companies have tried to integrate a grand solution they can't manage, ending up with a product they can't use.

"The main problem that we see with our clients is that they've gone into a project or a programme of work without realising the enormity of the situation," Tacay explained. 

"Somebody in the organisation comes up with the idea… and IT will go out and procure some software or services. [But] they don't really have the support mechanism or governance mechanism to make it work properly.  And by the time they come to us, they find they have a software solution or a product that is either not performing… or is almost unsupportable."

Australian SMEs prone to over-extending

Smaller-sized companies with limited IT functions are particularly at risk of getting themselves into such situations. 

"I'm guessing it's an Australian-wide thing [in SMEs] where they rely on one person to make the decision, learn the technology or guide them, instead of having a team of people," said Tacay.

"That one person will build something around whatever he or she knows, but once that person leaves the company, that's when the rest of the company goes 'hang on a sec, what happened?' Now they are realising they can't rely on just one person."

Lack of knowledge, lack of planning and insufficient investment also contribute to poor outcomes with respect to IT architecture. Organisations are heading to the cloud, but many do DIY jobs guided by how-to information they find on the Internet to keep costs down. As a result, they are not doing it properly. Ultimately, they don't know what they've got, and further spending is required to fix it.  

Architects to the rescue

Fortunately, companies that need rescuing have the option of approaching external experts who possess a high level of relevant knowledge for advice and problem solving.

ANATAS, a leading provider of service integration, SOA and cloud transformations, has an established team of enterprise and solution architects who do just that. Organisations will call them in to conduct evaluations of their existing platforms and determine how best to solve problems so current and future business goals can be met.  

Organisations seek help from ANATAS architects, usually with respect to a specific product, which usually entails a complete review of capabilities, followed by suggestions for steps to be taken to correct any issues – eg. internal staff training, the provision of a governance framework, or the development of an integration competency centre.

ANATAS has been around since 1996 and has guided Global 500 companies through complex changes using next-gen technologies and implementation approaches. So chances are they can help your organisation – whether it's implementing a cloud environment properly, resetting an unmanageable SOA or advising on how to reduce IT spending.

Advantage of experience 

Tacay explained that the benefit of working with ANATAS is that customers can leverage off their years of experience working with numerous clients as well as their proprietary delivery methodology, known as ANATAS Advantage.

ANATAS Advantage is a methodology and a repository that contains the knowledge and tools that guide the delivery of the company's services. Based on quality research and contemporary practices from across the world, Advantage utilises knowledge assets and experience to optimise the quality of delivery and reduce client risks and costs. It is a medium through which ANATAS achieves standardisation and continuous improvement of its offerings and helps differentiate itself in the market.

"Advantage is our methodology that we've put together based on research in the industry in various disciplines including enterprise architecture, SOA, cloud and so on," said Tacay. "As well as that research, we've actually added our experiences onto it – we've captured what we've learned through our engagements with other clients and we've added that into Advantage."

"We have successfully implemented that multiple times; having done that, we are now a trusted advisor to multiple clients. Our methodology is being used even after we've left those clients, and it's successful," he added.

Give ANATAS a call

ANATAS has offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, allowing it to work closely with its Australian customers. The firm's presence in the major centres enables its architects to get onsite and gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges many clients are facing.

Whether you are considering transforming your enterprise to gain a competitive advantage in an evolving digital business environment, or looking to make incremental improvements to your current IT architecture, ANATAS can help. Why not get in touch today?