Notes on architecture, AI, and the enterprise.
Long-form pieces on what works, what breaks, and what's coming next. New writing also goes out on LinkedIn.
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Top trends in enterprise architecture 2026
Capgemini publishes top-trends pieces for banking, insurance and financial services. BCG runs its AI Radar. PwC publishes its UK economic predictions. Nobody publishes a working architect's top-trends for the enterprise architecture practice itself. This is mine.
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The CIO's AI agenda for 2026: an architect's read
Capgemini's 'when IT meets AI: the CIO perspective' and Bain's CIO conversation series both frame the CIO's AI agenda. The architecture function's read of the same agenda is more specific. Seven workstreams the CIO has to fund and the architecture function has to deliver.
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Integrated reporting and the enterprise architecture function
EY's 'how integrated reporting can give you the whole story' piece sets the case from the CFO's vantage. The architecture function carries more of the delivery than that framing implies, particularly as ESG and operational data become integrated reporting inputs.
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The intelligent superhighway, translated: what AI-ready cloud foundations actually mean
Accenture's 'intelligent superhighway' and 'AI innovation is nonstop, your cloud foundation should be too' pieces are the cleanest articulation of the AI-ready cloud foundation narrative. The architecture function still has to translate the narrative into specific design decisions.
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Platform strategy for agentic AI: a working reference architecture
Accenture's 'rewriting platform strategy for agentic AI' piece argues the right strategic case. The piece does not, and could not, deliver the architectural specificity a practising architect needs. This is the working platform strategy I use when actually building.
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Data residency for AI workloads: a working pattern for UK and EU enterprises
BCG's 'AI sovereignty is an illusion, resilience is real' piece reframes the debate well. The architecture function still has to translate the reframing into specific design choices. A working pattern for data residency in AI workloads for UK and EU enterprises.
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Model and agent registries: the missing governance artefact
Every regulated firm needs a model inventory under SS1/23. Most build one. Few build it well. The next layer up, the agent registry, is barely discussed in the public commentary. A practitioner's view on what both should contain and why neither is optional.
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Non-human identity in the age of AI agents: an enterprise architecture pattern
KPMG's 'invisible access, visible risk' piece gestures at the problem. None of the major firms has published a defensible architectural pattern. The non-human identity problem is now the most under-addressed gap in enterprise identity architecture.
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A reference architecture for agentic AI in the regulated enterprise
McKinsey published 'rethinking enterprise architecture for the agentic era' in early 2026. The piece sets the strategic direction. This is the working reference architecture I use when actually delivering against that direction inside a regulated enterprise.
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Banking and financial services architecture: top trends 2026
Capgemini publishes 'banking top trends 2026' and 'financial services top trends 2026'. Both are written from the advisor's vantage. The architecture function's read of the same operating environment is different and more specific. Seven trends from inside the function.
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How AI is reshaping the compliance function: an architect's view
KPMG's 'AI is poised to reshape compliance functions' piece sketches the strategic direction. The architecture function's read is more specific: which compliance workflows are amenable to agent support, which require explicit guardrails, and where the audit-trail design choices land.
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Cyber guardrails for AI agents in regulated workflows: a reference architecture
EY's 'reimagine your cyber guardrails to accelerate AI value' piece sets the right strategic direction. The architecture function still has to translate that into specific controls. A practitioner's reference architecture for AI agents operating inside regulated workflows.
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Agentic commerce: the integration architecture nobody is talking about
Accenture has published 'the dawn of the agentic deal' and 'is your company ready for agentic commerce'. PwC has 'real change agents'. BCG has a $200B agentic AI opportunity piece. Every framing is at the value layer. The integration architecture underneath is where the real work sits.
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S/4HANA in the agentic era: where the enterprise architecture function sits
McKinsey's S/4HANA alliance, BCG's partnership with Conduct, Accenture's SAP practice, EY's S/4HANA transformation work. Everyone is publishing on ERP modernisation in the agentic era from the advisor's vantage. The architecture function's read of the same shift is different and operationally more specific.
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What UK financial services regulation means for AI architecture in 2026
The UK financial services regulators have moved noticeably faster on AI in the last 18 months than the consensus expected. The FCA, PRA and Bank of England statements landed in a usable shape; the practical implications for the architecture function are concrete.
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Event-driven architecture: when it adds value, and when it doesn't
Event-driven architecture has become a default recommendation in modern technical practice. The reality across enterprise contexts is more nuanced. A practical framework for assessing when an event-driven approach genuinely adds value, and when it introduces complexity that a simpler synchronous design would have avoided.
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Lessons from large-scale ERP transformation: an architect's perspective
Mega-scale ERP transformation programmes have a consistent set of architectural challenges that do not appear in the vendor narrative or the typical analyst commentary. Five lessons from leading the architecture for a multi-region S/4HANA programme of nine-figure scale, drawn from the experience of running the programme rather than from the post-completion case study.
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Identity-first security: rethinking the enterprise perimeter in 2026
The traditional network perimeter has been eroding for a decade. In 2026 it is, in most regulated enterprises, no longer the primary control. Identity has assumed that role, with significant implications for application design, vendor selection and incident response. A perspective for architecture leaders.
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Architectural fitness functions: a practical framework for measuring enterprise architecture health
Enterprise architecture has long been criticised for the difficulty of measuring its impact. Architectural fitness functions offer a structured approach to this challenge. A working framework, with examples across six categories, for leaders looking to bring measurement discipline to their architecture practice.
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The evolving role of architecture decision records in the age of generative AI
Architecture Decision Records have re-emerged as one of the most useful artefacts in the modern enterprise architecture practice. Generative AI has not replaced the discipline; it has changed its economics and, in doing so, its place in the operating model. A practical perspective for architecture leaders.
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What an acquisition-heavy company actually needs from its architects
Textbook enterprise architecture practice is calibrated for stable enterprises. It doesn't fit roll-up companies acquiring three to ten businesses per year. A working framework for the architecture function inside a PE-style acquisition machine.
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Sovereign AI is mostly theatre. The actual technical question is data residency
European 'sovereign AI' announcements are increasingly political. The architecture questions buried inside them are technical and answerable. A framework for separating the two.
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MCP is the most important enterprise standard nobody is implementing
Model Context Protocol is eighteen months old, supported by every major model vendor, and the cleanest answer to the integration sprawl that AI agents are creating. Enterprise adoption is poor. Here is why, and what to do about it.
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Cursor in a regulated industry: the actual policy you need
Most regulated companies have either banned AI coding tools entirely or quietly rubber-stamped them. Neither is right. Here is the policy I would write today, with the specific clauses, the vendor-specific configurations, and the audit trail it requires.
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How do you audit a decision an agent made? A working framework
Most AI governance frameworks operate at the level of policies and intent. They don't survive contact with an actual regulator. Here is a concrete, code-level pattern for making agentic systems auditable in production, in regulated industries, with examples.
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The commercial EA tool market has 18 months
Ardoq, LeanIX, Planview, MEGA, Alfabet, Avolution, Bizzdesign. The category was hard before AI-native tooling. Now it's nearly extinct. A market call on what happens next.
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CANVAS: building the approval workflow no commercial product covers
How I designed and built the Central Application and Vendor Approval System — a workflow engine, questionnaire layer and AI memo generator that replaced a chain of emails, spreadsheets and meetings. The bit of the architecture function that an EA platform was never going to solve.
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Meridian: building the EA platform we couldn't buy
Why a small architecture team replaced commercial EA tooling with a system I designed and built myself, including the in-house approval workflow (CANVAS), and what the trade-offs were along the way.
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Springboard: an AI-native job-search platform I built solo
An AI-native personal project. How it scans hundreds of company careers pages, evaluates roles against my profile, drafts tailored CVs and cover letters, and stops one click short of submitting. Built with Claude Code and Gemini Flash, around 15,000 lines of TypeScript, one engineer.
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Welcome to the blog
A short note on what this space is for and what to expect.
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You can build it with AI. You can fix it with AI too. Here is the proof.
story time..
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OpenClaw was too good to ignore and too risky to install. That changed yesterday & how to install nemoclaw
When OpenClaw launched weeks ago, I wanted to install it on my work machine immediately. The hype was everywhere, you couldn
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🔧 Determinism in AI Workflows... in February 2026
Early AI integrations were exciting..
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The Hidden Danger of Tech Homogeneity: Lessons from a recent CrowdStrike Windows Update Gone Wrong
In the wake of a recent incident where a single cybersecurity update from CrowdStrike unintentionally disabled Windows systems across multiple organisations, it
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From Offshore to Onshore: Leveraging IT Transformations for Success
In an era where digital transformation dictates the pace of global business, the location and management of IT resources have become subjects of strategic importance. Recent trends, fuelled by challenges including the global pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and the critical need
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The Transformative Power of Reverse Mentoring: A Strategic Imperative for Modern Organsations
In an era marked by rapid technological advancement and shifting workplace dynamics, businesses across industries face the challenge of staying ahead. Traditional mentoring schemes, where experienced professionals guide their younger counterparts, have long been a staple in foste
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The Concept of Effective Altruism and The Role of Enterprise Architects in Driving Impactful Change
In the modern landscape of corporate responsibility, the principles of effective altruism have emerged as a guiding light for a diverse array of entities, encompassing corporations, non-profits, startups, governmental bodies, and individuals. These organizations, irrespective of
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Optimizing IT Governance: Strategies for Effective Decision-Making
In today
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Digital Transformation Roadmap: Integrating IT Strategy into Organizational Growth
Digital transformation has become a necessity for organizations seeking to thrive in today
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Implementing Agile IT Strategies: Embracing Change in a Dynamic Environment
In today
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Creating an Effective Process for Application Review in Enterprise Architecture Governance
As an enterprise architect, I understand that introducing or adding new applications to the enterprise estate is a critical task that requires careful planning and review. A structured process must be followed to ensure that new applications meet the organisation’s business needs
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Creating a Resilient IT Infrastructure: Strategies for Business Continuity
In today
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Building Sustainable Competitive Advantage: How to Build and Manage In-House Expertise in Large Organisations
As a follow-up to my previous article on creating a competitive advantage through custom software development, I want to delve deeper into the advantages and challenges of building in-house expertise. While my previous article highlighted the benefits of deep knowledge and unders
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Creating a Sustainable Competitive Advantage through Custom Software Development
As an enterprise architect, I have spent many years working with large organisations to help them design and implement effective technology strategies. One question that often arises is whether it makes sense to write custom software to create a competitive advantage in the marke
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Maximising the Value of COTS Solutions: Insights for Enterprise Architects
As organisations look to stay competitive in today
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Maximising the Benefits of COTS Solutions: A Brief Guide for Enterprise Architects
In today
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Monitoring and Measuring the Effectiveness of the Enterprise Architecture
In my previous articles, I provided an overview of enterprise architecture governance and explored the first three aspects of enterprise architecture governance: establishing an enterprise architecture governance framework, defining and enforcing standards for enterprise architec
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Developing and Maintaining an Enterprise Architecture Roadmap
In my previous articles, I discussed the importance of enterprise architecture governance and explored the first two aspects of it: establishing an enterprise architecture governance framework and defining and enforcing standards for enterprise architecture artefacts. In this art
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The Magnitude of Upside in AI: Implications for Organizations and Humans
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a transformative technology, revolutionizing industries and reshaping the way we live and work. Within the realm of AI, Nvidia, a leading technology company, has been at the forefront, driving innovation and pushing the boundari
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Defining and Enforcing Standards for Enterprise Architecture Artefacts
In my previous articles, I provided an overview of enterprise architecture governance and explored the first aspect of enterprise architecture governance: establishing an enterprise architecture governance framework. In this article, I will delve into the second aspect of enterpr
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Establishing an Enterprise Architecture Governance Framework
In my previous article, I introduced the concept of Enterprise Architecture Governance and explained why it is essential for large organisations to have an effective governance practice in place. In this article, I will explore the steps required to establish an Enterprise Archit
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Introduction to Enterprise Architecture Governance
As an enterprise architect, I have seen firsthand the challenges that large organisations face when it comes to managing their enterprise architecture. With so many moving parts and stakeholders involved, it can be difficult to ensure that the enterprise architecture is aligned w
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The Intersection of Enterprise Architecture and AI: A Guide to Successful Integration
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly become an integral part of business strategy and operations. With the ability to analyse massive amounts of data, provide valuable insights, and automate processes, AI has become a powerful tool for businesses seeking to remain competitive
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How Enterprise Architecture Can Help Achieve the First UN SDG - to Tackle Poverty and Hunger
As an enterprise architect and a technology leader, I am passionate about using my skills and expertise to make a positive impact on the world. That
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