A blueprint for building cloud native software

Syntess Software began as part of the technical installation company Saman, with a primary goal: modernizing administration. And with success. Today, Syntess develops and sells ERP software fully tailored to the specific needs of the companies in the sector it originated from and knows inside out.

Syntess also sees that the use of its applications is changing. Customers ranging from sole proprietors to installation companies with hundreds of employees want access to their ERP system anytime, anywhere, and from all kinds of mobile devices. But because the system was originally designed to run on premises on the IT infrastructure of customers, this was becoming increasingly complex and costly.

Migrating the Atrium ERP system to the cloud would allow Syntess to meet customer needs far more effectively. That much was clear. But how do you approach such a transition? Betabit guided Syntess in making several crucial decisions.

Fundamental cloud migration choices

“We occasionally organize an ‘Ask the Experts’ session,” says Rick, principal cloud architect at Betabit. “These are informal, relaxed meetings where customers can discuss their ideas and challenges about things like cloud migration with Betabit specialists.”

After one such session with Syntess, Rick joined the project team tasked with determining how the entire ERP suite could best be migrated to the cloud.

My role as an architect is primarily about understanding both the explicit and implicit needs and wishes of the customer. Just like designing a house, I then design the optimal structure that fits those needs, taking into account potential future expansions, and advise on the building blocks that can be used.

In every cloud migration, several fundamental choices must be made. One of the key considerations for a large and complex ERP suite consisting of multiple interdependent modules that cannot be moved at once is this: how do you ensure the entire system continues to operate seamlessly, even when some modules already run in the cloud and others still run on premises?

So: how do you synchronize data between cloud and on premises systems? Which storage method offers the best balance between cost and speed? How should authentication and authorization be arranged? And which type of front end should be used?

Trendy and spectacular, or truly valuable?

Exploring these questions involves a great deal of research, experimentation, testing and building proofs of concept. “A large part of my work in answering such questions is making well considered decisions when choosing from the many services now available in Microsoft Azure,” says Rick.

“I provide insight into which services exist, what their strengths and weaknesses are and how they compare. You sometimes see a tendency to choose services simply because they look trendy or spectacular. But in the end, only one thing matters: whether they are valuable in addressing the customer’s needs. They must enable us to build software that performs well, does what it is supposed to do, scales easily, is accessible, maintainable and cost efficient. I believe we were able to support Syntess very well by guiding them through this design process.”

That is confirmed by Yuri Nijsen, Technical Product Manager at Syntess Software:

It was a complex challenge to find the best way to move our future ERP software to the cloud, but thanks to Betabit’s guidance we now have a fantastic foundation to build on.

An ecosystem of solutions

By carefully documenting the design process and the decisions made along the way, the project team now has a blueprint for building cloud native software. In addition, the team has created an entire ecosystem of tested and proven solutions that will be used for migrating subsequent modules.

An excellent foundation for Syntess’s future ERP software solutions.