Every major enterprise has a significant installed base of existing software systems that reflect the tangled IT architectures that result from decades of patches and failed replacements. Most of these systems were designed to support business architectures that have changed dramatically. At best, these systems hinder agility and competitiveness and, at worst, can bring critical business functions to a halt.
Architecture-Driven Modernization (ADM) restores the value of entrenched systems by capturing and retooling various aspects of existing application environments, allowing old infrastructures to deliver renewed value and align effectively with enterprise strategies and business architectures.
Information Systems Transformation provides a practical guide to organizations seeking ways to understand and leverage existing systems as part of their information management strategies. It includes an introduction to ADM disciplines, tools, and standards as well as a series of scenarios outlining how ADM is applied to various initiatives. Drawing upon lessons learned from real modernization projects, it distills the theory and explains principles, processes, and best practices for every industry.
- Acts as a one-stop shopping reference and complete guide for implementing various modernization models in myriad industries and departments
- Every concept is illustrated with real-life examples from various modernization projects, allowing you to immediately apply tested solutions and see results
- Authored by the Co-chair of the Object Management Group (OMG) Architecture-Driven Modernization (ADM) Task Force, which sets definitive systems modernization standards for the entire IT industry
- A web site supports the book with up to date coverage of evolving ADM Specifications, Tutorials, and Whitepapers, allowing you to remain up to date on modernization topics as they develop
Industry Reviews
"Ulrich and Newcomb's book offers a comprehensive examination of the challenges of growing software-intensive systems. Every system has an architecture, but as the authors explain, it is only by continuous, intentional architectural transformation that one can attend to costs while simultaneously creating a mechanism wherein innovation may flourish. I enjoyed the many case studies. Every circumstance is unique, but the authors have offered up best practices for systems modernization from their experience. Their focus on architecture as an artifact for governance is sound, but they go far beyond the technical issues and address many of the social and economic practices that help one evolve a good technical architecture. From the moment one writes a line of code, it becomes legacy, and that legacy accumulates. Whether it becomes a cause of innovation inertia or a source of future value is a factor of how it is continuously modernized." Grady Booch IBM Fellow & Chief Scientist, Software Engineering in IBM Research "Estimates by internationally-known researchers of the worldwide legacy code base is now approaching a half-trillion lines. That only counts so-called "legacy languages" like COBOL--which drive the world. Add in database schemas, configuration files, and legacy data and the amount of hidden data adds up. This "dark information," like the dark matter of the universe, is critical to our understanding of our world, we can't simply ignore it. Our best hope is to update it, bring it into modern systems, and keep it alive and vital. Fortunately, nobody knows the modernization landscape better than Ulrich and Newcomb, and this in-depth, practical guide is indispensable to planners & practitioners faced with the legacy modernization challenge. Architecture-driven modernization is the best hope for "bringing back" legacy applications & information so it can be successfully applied & reused, and this book explains how to plan, develop & manage modernization from every angle." Richard Mark Soley, Ph.D. Chairman and CEO, OMG
