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Systems Management

Learn how to effectively document, organize, and maintain your system inventory in Archy for comprehensive enterprise architecture management.

Understanding Systems in Archy​

What is a System?​

In Archy, a System represents any IT application, platform, database, or tool that supports your business operations. Systems are the fundamental building blocks of your architecture documentation.

Examples of Systems:

  • Business Applications: CRM (Salesforce), ERP (SAP), HRIS (Workday)
  • Databases: Customer database, product catalog, data warehouse
  • Platforms: E-commerce platform, marketing automation, analytics platform
  • Infrastructure: API gateway, message queue, monitoring system
  • External Services: Payment processor, email service, cloud storage

System vs. System Instance​

  • System: The logical application or platform (e.g., "Salesforce CRM")
  • System Instance: Specific deployment environments (e.g., "Salesforce Production", "Salesforce Sandbox")

This separation helps track different environments while maintaining logical groupings.

Creating and Documenting Systems​

Through Archy Meetings​

The most effective way to create systems is through guided conversations:

Sample Archy Conversation:

"Hi Archy, I want to document our customer relationship management system. It's Salesforce and it's critical for our sales operations."

Archy will guide you through capturing:

  • Business purpose and user groups
  • Technical details and hosting information
  • Integration connections to other systems
  • Data classification and compliance requirements

Manual System Creation​

You can also create systems directly:

  1. Navigate to Systems page from your dashboard
  2. Click "Add System" button
  3. Fill in basic information:
    • System name
    • System type (Application, Database, Platform, etc.)
    • Business purpose
    • Criticality level (Critical, Important, Supporting)
  4. Save and enhance with additional details

Essential System Information​

Business Context:

  • Primary business function the system serves
  • User groups who interact with the system
  • Business criticality (Critical/Important/Supporting)
  • Business owner and key stakeholders

Technical Details:

  • Platform/technology (SaaS, custom application, database)
  • Hosting environment (cloud provider, on-premises)
  • Current version and update schedule
  • Vendor information (if applicable)

Operational Information:

  • Availability requirements (24/7, business hours, etc.)
  • Recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO)
  • Support contacts and escalation procedures
  • Monitoring and alerting setup

Compliance and Security:

  • Data classification levels (public, internal, confidential, restricted)
  • Regulatory requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, PCI-DSS)
  • Security controls implemented
  • Audit requirements and schedules

System Organization and Categories​

System Types​

Organize systems by their primary function:

Application Systems:

  • Customer-facing applications
  • Internal business applications
  • Mobile applications
  • Web portals

Data Systems:

  • Operational databases
  • Data warehouses and marts
  • Analytics platforms
  • Data lakes

Integration Systems:

  • API gateways
  • Message brokers
  • ETL/ELT platforms
  • Integration platforms (like Workato)

Infrastructure Systems:

  • Cloud platforms and services
  • Monitoring and logging systems
  • Security systems
  • Network infrastructure

Business Domain Grouping​

Tag systems by business domain:

  • Customer Management: CRM, customer portal, support system
  • Financial Management: ERP, billing system, accounting software
  • Human Resources: HRIS, payroll, benefits administration
  • Marketing: Marketing automation, analytics, campaign management
  • Operations: Inventory management, supply chain, manufacturing

Criticality Levels​

Classify systems by business impact:

Critical Systems:

  • Immediate business disruption if unavailable
  • Customer-facing or revenue-generating
  • Regulatory or compliance dependencies
  • No acceptable workarounds available

Important Systems:

  • Significant business impact if unavailable
  • Key operational processes affected
  • Workarounds available but costly/difficult
  • Support critical systems

Supporting Systems:

  • Limited business impact if unavailable
  • Non-essential functionality affected
  • Easy workarounds available
  • Enhancement or convenience systems

System Relationships and Dependencies​

Integration Mapping​

Document how systems connect:

Integration Types:

  • Real-time APIs: REST, GraphQL, SOAP services
  • Batch transfers: File exports/imports, scheduled syncs
  • Database connections: Direct database access, shared databases
  • Message queuing: Asynchronous messaging systems

Data Flow Patterns:

  • Unidirectional: Data flows one way (A → B)
  • Bidirectional: Data syncs both ways (A ↔ B)
  • Hub and spoke: Central system connects to many others
  • Mesh: Multiple interconnected systems

Dependency Analysis​

Understand system interdependencies:

Upstream Dependencies (systems this system relies on):

  • Data sources for business processes
  • Authentication and authorization systems
  • Infrastructure and platform dependencies

Downstream Dependencies (systems that rely on this system):

  • Systems consuming data or services
  • Business processes that would fail
  • Reporting and analytics dependencies

Using Archy for Dependency Analysis:

"Archy, analyze the dependencies for our order management system. What would happen if it went down?"

System Lifecycle Management​

Lifecycle Stages​

Track systems through their lifecycle:

Planning: System is being designed or procured Development: System is being built or configured Testing: System is in testing or staging phase Production: System is live and supporting business operations Maintenance: System is receiving updates and support Retirement: System is being phased out or replaced

Version and Change Tracking​

Maintain current information:

Version Management:

  • Current version numbers and release dates
  • Planned upgrade schedules
  • End-of-life timelines for current versions

Change Documentation:

  • Recent changes and their business impact
  • Planned changes and project timelines
  • Change approval processes and stakeholders

Retirement Planning​

Plan for system end-of-life:

Retirement Indicators:

  • Vendor end-of-support announcements
  • Technology obsolescence
  • Business process changes
  • Cost-benefit analysis favoring replacement

Retirement Process:

  1. Identify replacement or elimination opportunities
  2. Assess migration complexity and dependencies
  3. Plan data migration and integration changes
  4. Communicate timeline to stakeholders
  5. Execute transition with rollback plans

Advanced System Management​

System Health Monitoring​

Track system operational status:

Health Indicators:

  • Availability: Uptime percentage and outage frequency
  • Performance: Response times and throughput metrics
  • Security: Vulnerability status and patch levels
  • Business metrics: User satisfaction and business value delivered

Capacity and Scaling​

Monitor and plan for growth:

Capacity Metrics:

  • Current utilization levels (CPU, memory, storage)
  • Growth trends and projections
  • Peak usage patterns and seasonal variations
  • Scaling constraints and bottlenecks

Cost Management​

Track total cost of ownership:

Cost Categories:

  • Software licensing: Annual subscription or license fees
  • Infrastructure: Hosting, cloud services, hardware costs
  • Support: Vendor support contracts, internal resources
  • Operations: Monitoring, backup, maintenance activities

Working with System Instances​

Environment Management​

Track different deployment environments:

Common Environments:

  • Production: Live system serving business operations
  • Staging: Pre-production testing environment
  • Development: Development and testing environment
  • Disaster Recovery: Backup environment for business continuity

Configuration Differences​

Document environment-specific configurations:

Configuration Tracking:

  • Environment-specific settings and parameters
  • Data differences (production vs. test data)
  • Integration endpoints and connection details
  • Security and access control variations

Promotion and Deployment​

Track how changes move between environments:

Deployment Pipeline:

  • Code/configuration promotion process
  • Testing and approval requirements
  • Rollback procedures and criteria
  • Change coordination with dependent systems

Collaboration and Team Management​

System Ownership​

Establish clear ownership and responsibilities:

Business Owner:

  • Accountable for business outcomes
  • Makes business decisions about the system
  • Approves changes and investments

Technical Owner:

  • Responsible for technical implementation
  • Manages technical debt and architecture
  • Coordinates with infrastructure and operations

System Administrator:

  • Handles day-to-day operations
  • Monitors system health and performance
  • Implements technical changes and updates

Team Access and Permissions​

Control who can view and modify system information:

Access Levels:

  • View Only: Can see system information and documentation
  • Edit: Can modify system details and relationships
  • Admin: Can manage system ownership and access controls

Documentation Standards​

Maintain consistency across system documentation:

Documentation Templates:

  • Standard system information fields
  • Integration documentation format
  • Change log and version history format
  • Security and compliance documentation requirements

Automation and Integration​

Automated Discovery​

Use integrations to automatically populate system information:

Workato Integration:

  • Import connections as system instances
  • Analyze recipes for integration patterns
  • Generate dependency maps automatically

Future Integrations:

  • CMDB (Configuration Management Database) imports
  • Cloud provider API discovery
  • Network scanning and discovery tools

Maintenance Automation​

Automate routine system management tasks:

Automated Checks:

  • Version currency and end-of-life alerts
  • Security vulnerability scanning results
  • Performance threshold monitoring
  • Compliance status verification

Effective systems management in Archy provides the foundation for all other enterprise architecture activities. Well-documented systems enable better decision-making, risk management, and strategic planning.

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