An integration backbone for a multi-system enterprise
Replacing point-to-point integrations between N core systems with contracts, events and a gateway — so data flows once, correctly, and can be traced.
- Client
- Regional enterprise group
- Role
- Solution architect
- Year
- 2014 — 2016
- Industry
- Enterprise
- Status
- Live
- Systems connected
- N
- Interfaces migrated
- N
01The challenge
Years of point-to-point integrations had produced a web nobody could draw. A change in one system broke three others, and failures were found by customers first.
02The approach
A canonical data model for the core business concepts, an event bus for state changes, an API gateway for synchronous calls, and a replayable, observable message flow.
03Architecture
Publish/subscribe for state changes, request/response through the gateway only where a user is waiting. Every message carries a correlation id from edge to database.
04My contribution
Mapped the existing landscape, designed the target integration architecture and standards, and led the migration one interface at a time.
Systems rarely fail alone. They fail at the joins.
The first deliverable was not code — it was a map. Drawing every integration, owner and data flow made the real problem visible: the same customer record had N sources of truth.
Migration in phases
Phase 1
Map and measure
Inventory of interfaces, owners and failure history.
Phase 2
Contracts first
Canonical models and API standards agreed with system owners.
Phase 3
Strangle, one interface at a time
New flows run in parallel, then replace the old ones.
A line from a stakeholder about the change — only if you have permission to publish it.
Outcome
Outcome — e.g. integrations migrated, incidents reduced, change lead time
Related work
A learning platform at national scale
Architecture and delivery of a learning management platform serving N learners across a government organisation — integrated with identity, HR and certification systems.
- Client
- Large Saudi government organization
- Role
- Head of engineering & architecture
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