Notes on data, AI, IT
and security
No marketing fog. The way I think about real problems with founders and managers.
IT modernisation: why big-bang replacement rarely works
Large projects to replace IT systems often fail or exceed their budgets by multiples. I explain why an incremental approach works better and how to apply it.
Dependency map: what you need to know before any migration
System migrations fail not because of technical complexity but because of hidden dependencies. I explain how to build a dependency map and why it is work that must happen before the project starts.
Import substitution, open source, and architectural sovereignty
The departure of Western vendors placed companies in front of a real architectural choice. A breakdown of how to think about it systematically rather than reactively.
Year-end IT architecture review: questions for planning 2023
A set of concrete questions that help assess the current state of a company's IT architecture and set the right priorities for the coming year.
Infrastructure as code: what it is and why a manager should care
A plain explanation of infrastructure as code for non-technical owners and managers - what it solves, what it costs, and what questions to ask your team.
SaaS sprawl: how subscriptions become invisible IT debt
Dozens of SaaS services in a company are not just a budget problem. They are an architectural issue that affects security, data, and manageability.
Who owns the API: how to stop integration conflicts between teams
Why API design disputes slow down companies more than technical debt, and how to establish clear ownership without creating a bottleneck committee.
How to read a vendor roadmap as a non-technical manager
A software roadmap is a marketing document until you learn to ask the right questions. A breakdown of what to look for.
Cloud costs in 2022: why the bill grew without new projects
How currency swings and provider pricing changes shifted the economics of cloud for companies in 2022.
RPA: where process automation works and where it does not
A clear-eyed look at RPA - which tasks are genuinely suited to robotic automation, and where expectations diverge from reality.
Vendor exit strategy: how to think about software dependencies
Why companies need an exit plan for vendor dependencies, and how to start building one before it becomes urgent.
IT system resilience when conditions shift fast
How a manager should think about IT infrastructure resilience when the external environment changes quickly and unpredictably.