Event-driven architecture (EDA), also called asynchronous communication, is a way to replace typical request/response architecture, and it can significantly improve the efficiency of your systems. The traditional request/response pattern is the most basic way computers communicate with each other over a network. A request is sent from the first computer as an action meant to be performed on a URL. It could be something as simple as loading a page, or as complex as ordering a product or resetting a password. The second computer then processes the request and delivers an appropriate response based on the nature of the request and the computer’s level of access.
With event-driven architecture, things work a bit differently. With EDA, enterprises are able to detect events and act on them in near real-time instead of having to wait for a response. The sender and recipient don’t have to rely on each other to move on to their next task, so everything runs much more efficiently. These systems can greatly benefit enterprise organizations which tend to rely on big data and have unique needs compared to smaller organizations. Here are just some of the main ways EDA can affect your enterprise computer systems.
Security
Cyberattacks are committed every day, all over the globe. However, it’s generally estimated that organizations in the United States face the most cyber attacks. Even the U.S. government has suffered costs of over $13 billion due to cyber threats in a single year. Naturally, any organization needs to take information technology security seriously to prevent unauthorized access to systems, and breaches of sensitive information. Enterprise organizations with entire servers of data and millions of webpages can be especially vulnerable and will need the best solutions available.
With virtual cloud cyber security, you can stay proactive when protecting your systems from vulnerabilities, by automatically detecting potential threats, reporting and cleaning them, and constantly staying updated on new information security threats. Not all threats come directly from hackers or cybercriminals actively breaking into your systems. Malware, adware, and viruses can all be significant threats as well.
When a complex event is triggered by a cybersecurity threat, EDA patterns can immediately act on it to protect your sensitive data and passwords. Event notification also helps prevent your workflow from malicious software that may cause DDoS attacks or pose other threats.
Sales
Ultimately, your enterprise exists to make money, and EDA is great for sales. Event-driven models are great for application development and can help your enterprise scale quickly and effectively. A simple event is any kind of change in your business systems. Events occur when your inventory is updated, when a customer places an order, when a customer receives their order, and so on. When an event passes through an event channel, your event processor will deal with it accordingly.
With the popularity of mobile devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), customers expect to be able to shop in any way they want and get their items when they want them. Your enterprise needs to be able to react to an incredible amount of customer inputs in real-time in order to keep up with demand.
Support
An enterprise of any size needs to provide top-notch customer service if they want to inspire customer loyalty and stand out from the competition. If you can’t offer the best prices, or even the widest variety of services, you can still inspire customers to come back if you’re the most convenient company to shop with. EDA makes this simple.
If a customer logs on to your site and wants to start a webchat, this activates an event stream. Depending on the complexity of their questions, your event processor may be able to send a bot with automated responses. For more complex events, your system will put the customer in contact with an actual agent. Event processors will also be sure to send event messages when the event is concluded to keep both you and your customers up to date on everything that happens.
Event-driven architecture isn’t necessarily a brick wall that stands up to all threats and problems, but there’s a strong chance it can still improve your processes, especially if you’re still using legacy system.
Author:
Samantha Acuna
Samantha Acuna is a writer based in San Francisco, CA. Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, and Yahoo Small Business.
