Achieving Better ROI from Composite Applications through Better Understanding, by EMA

Achieving Better ROI from
Composite Applications
An ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES® (EMAT) White PaperPrepared for ASG
IT MANAGEMENT RESEARCH,INDUSTRY ANALYSIS AND CONSULTINGIT MANAGEMENT RESEARCH,INDUSTRY ANALYSIS AND CONSULTING
Table of ContentsExecutive Summary..............................................................................................................................................1
Applications and Composite Applications.......................................................................................................1
Composite Applications in the Financial Services Industry ........................................................................1
Anatomy of Composite Applications...............................................................................................................2
Benefits of Composite Applications.................................................................................................................3
Pitfalls and Challenges..........................................................................................................................................3
Managing Composite Applications: EMA Recommendations....................................................................4
"Application Mining" and Composite Applications.......................................................................................5
ASG-becubic..........................................................................................................................................................6
EMA Perspective...................................................................................................................................................7
About ASG.............................................................................................................................................................8
Achieving Better ROI from Composite Applications©2009 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved.IT MANAGEMENT RESEARCH,INDUSTRY ANALYSIS AND CONSULTING
Executive SummaryComposite applications can provide multiple benefits, such as business agility, better utilization of busi-ness software assets through code reuse, development efficiencies, and cost optimization. Once companies are skilled at deploying them, many find that they roll out new applications and integrations faster, while maximizing the value of "tried and true" software components. However, these applications also introduce significant challenges. Without adequate governance-- monitor-ing, management, and change control, for example-- the complexity of these integrated systems can raise support costs, increase the risk of performance and availability issues, and adversely impact both internal and external customers. This paper explores the characteristics, advantages, and challenges of composite applications in more detail. It also discusses the role of application mining, an emerging technology that utilizes application code analytics to significantly reduce the impact of the complexity introduced by composite applications, as well as the cost and personnel overhead necessary to support them. Finally, it profiles ASG-becubicT, an application mining solution that provides a strong foundation for governance by exposing details about the structure of composite applications and their interrelationships.
Applications and Composite ApplicationsThere are multiple terms used to describe IT-delivered business services, including "applications", "transactions", and "services". For the sake of clarity, this paper is based on the following definitions:Application: A software program or set of programs delivering specific functionality supporting a business process. Transaction: A start-to-finish single execution instance of an operation. Examples include placing an Amazon order or looking up a definition on Wikipedia.Composite Application: This is a term often associated with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Web Services. However, it is by no means exclusive to these technologies. The term refers to software applications created by integrating "pieces" of other applications and executables. They often execute across heterogeneous platforms, and are a way to reuse existing software assets to create "new" capabilities. Composite applications give companies a ... [download for more]