Mapping up your application network provides a systematic and highly visual way to see and structure all of the connections, processes, and data flows between systems. Keep reading for a step-by-step walkthrough of how to map your application network effectively with Starlify.
System integration is the process of linking different IT systems, services, and software together so that they functionally act as a single system. With the right services, tools, and standards, system integration will :
- enable openness in an application network
- improve operational quality, productivity, and efficiency,
- and ultimately help accelerate digital transformation and innovation.
Mapping an application network provides a clear roadmap of the components, which clarifies the path toward integration. Once your business has an application network set up, it’s easier, faster, and less expensive to integrate new internal and external assets that add value to your network. This facilitates more innovation and supports an agile workplace.
Starlify makes it easy to organize and visualize your application network. With Starlify, you can map your integration landscape in a distributed way. It’s user-friendly, perfect for collaboration, and much smarter than carrying out the necessary steps manually.
An application network can model, for example, MQ flows, event grid topics, file integrations, and APIs at the level of detail that supports the specific needs and aims of your business.
Step 1, Organization
Start by identifying the stakeholders in your application network. First, add one or more divisions. These can be different departments at your company, different products, or whichever higher-lever divisions make the most sense for your business.
Next, add one or more teams to each division. These can be groups of people or individual people who are responsible for different aspects of the division they belong to.
Last, add team members to each team as needed. At the end of this process, your organization will be mapped effectively in Starlify.
Step 2, Systems and Services
The next step is to add your systems to Starlify, for example, a customer relationship management system (CRM) for storing and managing customer data, an object relational mapping system (ORM) for converting data between incompatible systems, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for managing a production-based or distribution business, or anything else you need to manage your business effectively. If you have larger systems that can be divided into different sections, components, or APIs, you can add these as subsystems at this step.
Next, add engagements to your systems, which means explicitly assigning an owner or responsible person to each system. The responsible person can be a team of people instead if that makes more sense for your business. At this point in the process, clear communication is especially important, so take the time to educate your system owners on your data model and how to document systems and services so that there are no misunderstandings later.
Then, have system owners add any required details and services to their own systems, such as API endpoints, event grid topics, message queues, and microservices. At the end of this process, your systems and services will be mapped effectively in Starlify.
Step 3, References
After your systems and services are mapped, it’s time for system owners to add their references to other systems. These are the known integrations between systems, also called contracts or subscriptions.
A system consumes a service, for example an API, through a reference that represents the dependency to that service in a connection between systems.
When this step is completed, the references connecting the application network will be mapped in Starlify.
Step 4, Information flows
The final step for mapping your application network is for system owners to identify connections between references and create end-to-end information flows that contain one or more references. At the end of this process, your information flows will be mapped in Starlify.
The current state of your application network, once created, offers insight into where you need to focus and what you need to focus on for your company’s digital transformation. With clear ownership of systems and services, visualization of business-critical information flows, and searchable assets you have a great foundation for faster integration.