How do the businesses shape the architecture of an IS?

A company’s Information System (IS) is not just a stack of technologies and servers. It is a living ecosystem, a direct reflection of business needs, regulatory constraints and the day-to-day practices of teams. Each business has its own way of operating, its own priorities and its own tools. The result? The structure of the IS evolves in line with the expectations of those who use it.

But in practical terms, how do the business lines influence the construction and organisation of the IS? Why is the IS of a bank so different from that of a tech start-up or a manufacturer? We decipher all this.

An IS that meets business requirements (or needs to adapt to them)

Businesses impose their own rules and constraints, which directly shape the architecture of the IS. A striking example? Let’s take three sectors with radically different needs:

• Banking: absolute priority to security and regulatory compliance. We’re talking here about ultra-segmented architecture, restricted access and advanced encryption solutions. It’s impossible to imagine a banking IS without these safeguards.
• Industry and IoT: here, the IS must juggle IT and OT (Operational Technology). It must enable real-time management of equipment, ensure the interconnection of automated systems and process massive volumes of data without latency.
• E-commerce: scalability above all! An e-commerce site needs to be able to cope with huge load peaks during sales periods or Black Friday. Cloud architectures and microservices are therefore essential allies.

Carto-SI helps to visualise these interconnections and to anticipate the business impacts of IS changes. Dynamic mapping makes it easier to identify critical dependencies and avoid unpleasant surprises when updating or changing systems.

An IS organisation modelled on the company’s structure

A company’s internal organisation has a direct influence on the way its IS is built. There are often two main approaches:

• Centralised structures (typical of large companies) where all IT resources are managed by a single IT department, often with strict standards and uniform policies.
• Decentralised organisations, more common in multi-subsidiary groups or franchises, where each entity may have its own IS (or a separate part of it).

Another key issue is the compartmentalisation of business lines. In some companies, each department has its own tools and databases. In others, the approach is more integrated, with ERP or cross-functional collaborative solutions.

Carto-SI provides a clearer picture by classifying applications and data by department. A CIO can filter and isolate solutions used solely by finance, marketing or HR to better understand their impact.

The impact of digital transformation on information systems

In recent years, the digitalisation of business activities has radically changed the structure of information systems. There are three major trends:

• The rise of SaaS applications: each department is adopting its own tools (Salesforce for sales, Notion for project management, Workday for HR, etc.). The result? An explosion in cloud solutions and a greater need for integration.
• Process automation: IT is increasingly called upon to integrate RPA (Robotic Process Automation) solutions or intelligent workflows to optimise repetitive tasks.
• Data exploitation: businesses are demanding ever more detailed analyses in real time, which is pushing IT towards Data Lake or Data Warehouse type architectures.

Thanks to Carto-SI’s impact studies, it is possible to anticipate the consequences of these transformations on all applications and business processes. A real plus for avoiding incidents and ensuring a smooth transition.

Mapping your IS to manage change more effectively

With the proliferation of tools and interconnections between applications, an IS can quickly become a real headache. To avoid excessive complexity, it is essential to have a clear, up-to-date view of components and data flows.

An effective IS map makes it possible to:
✅ Identify the interdependencies between business lines, applications and infrastructures.
✅ Quickly visualise the impact of updating or adding new solutions.
✅ Improve governance and strengthen collaboration between IT and business teams.

With Carto-SI, companies have a powerful tool for modelling their IS and adapting it to business needs, guaranteeing better decision-making and greater agility. There’s no need to wait for an incident to identify a problem: everything is under control.

Conclusion: an IS shaped by the business, for the business

The Information System is not a static element. It is constantly evolving, driven by the business and by technological innovations. Good management requires clear mapping, well-defined processes and fluid communication between IT and the business.