Reference Architecture

Introduction

IT Systems Architecture can vary wildly from business to business as it adapts to meet the needs of the business. However, there are some commonalities that can be found across most businesses. This section will cover some of the most common components of IT Systems Architecture and how they fit together.

We will use the following business profiles to represent demonstrate architectural patterns.

Business Profiles

Home Office - Kirsty's Crochet

Kirsty has recently ventured in to the world of self employment. She has set up a small business selling her crochet creations online on various online marketplaces. She doesn't have a dedicated office space and instead works on her laptop from the comfort of her living room sofa. She has a small number of suppliers and customers and is looking to grow her business.

Small Business - Bob's Bikes

Bob has been running a small bike shop for a number of years. He has a small team of 3 staff and a small shop in a local town. He knows most of his customers by name and has a waiting area with a coffee machine for customers to use while they wait for their bikes to be repaired. He has a small office in the back of the shop where he does his paperwork and manages his accounts. He's happy with how his business is going and doesn't have any plans to expand, but he would like to reduce the amount of time he spends doing paperwork so he can spend more time working with the bikes.

Medium Business - Alice's Art Supplies

Alice launched her Art supply business a few years ago and now has 3 shop locations in the local area. Each store has a team of 5-10 staff and she has a small warehouse to store stock with 5 staff. She has a small team of office staff to manage the business covering Finance and HR. She's looking to open a new store a bit further afield.