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MACH Alliance tunes up for composable tech

MACH Alliance tunes up for composable tech

Not-for-profit technology trade body MACH Alliance has pointed to what it calls “overwhelming industry support” for a composable technology approach, which its market analysis suggests is gaining adoption and generating a strong return on investment. With microservices, containers and component-based computing having come to the fore in the age of Kubernetes and cloud-native coalescence, the compulsion to compose for compute has (apparently) never reached the current crescendo.

The Microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native software-as-a-service (lower case here) and Headless (hence, MACH) group say that enterprise organisations are recognising the benefits of composable componentised technologies that are more moveable, malleable and manageable across modern software stack topographies.

Championing open, best-of-breed technology ecosystems, the MACH team say that its fifth annual global survey of IT decision-makers shows how composable technology brings about benefits including improved customer experience, greater automation via improved systems and processes integration… and greater organisational agility and/or adaptability to change.

Glass half full? 

Referring to what it calls an organisation’s “MACH implementation” as it were some formalised de facto stamp to suggest that the four cornerstones of this technology paradigm are all adhered to, the group suggests that devotees to its cause are doing well in terms of increased agility and competitiveness. Of those organizations that defined themselves as having a mostly MACH/composable infrastructure, 51% have become more competitive and 52% report the organization adapts more quickly to change. So, half then, basically.

Once you go MACH?

Key to the research’s overall findings, the MACH technologies report on MACH technologies suggests that 87% of organisations have widely implemented MACH technologies, the MACH technologies team suggests that this is “a broad embrace and acceptance” of the MACH approach across industries, including retail, financial services and healthcare.

“As stewards for the global digital business and brand community that aspires to transform to an open and composable digital ecosystem, the insights and outcomes of the MACH Alliance’s Global Annual Research aim to promote clarity and transparency about the considerations that are top of mind for technology leaders,” said Casper Rasmussen, president, MACH Alliance. “The findings highlight the most important trends that are driving the global digital landscape that we hope will inspire fruitful conversations on the benefits and considerations of MACH adoption.”

Only 9% of respondents said their desire to embrace composable technology decreased due to economic volatility. As such, over 91% of IT leaders reported an increasing desire for MACH adoption, regardless of the current economic climate. Despite the growth, some barriers to adoption remain. Overall, a lack of board or leadership support and IT teams that are resistant to change present the greatest impediments to MACH adoption, according to the report.

Return of the MACH?

Clearly, we live in an age where componentised containerised composable technology stacks have come to the fore. It is perhaps frustrating to hear MACH talk so volubly about (and with such proximity to) the real world deployment methodologies that make up this space without paying due deference to the inherent complexity and potential for misconfiguration disconnects that happen naturally inside any composable computing environment. Go ask a cloud infrastructure-as-code specialist with a significant security services arm where most of the cracks happen… need we say more?

We’re happy to hear that the MACH glass is half full, but let’s make sure we can top up with something potent and provide a total solution scenario that is accountably functional, please.