As we continue to evolve in the fast-paced digital landscape, it is crucial for Quantfolio to adopt architectural paradigms that not only keep up with current trends but also set us up for future success. When we started the work on building our new architecture for the next generation of Deep Alpha, we adjusted our software development strategy to follow the MACH architecture. But what exactly is MACH, and why is it so important for our growth?
What is MACH Architecture?
MACH stands for Microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless. This modern architectural approach breaks away from traditional monolithic systems, offering unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and innovation. Here’s a closer look at each component:
Microservices-based: This allows us to develop, deploy, and scale independent services separately, enhancing agility and reducing the risk of system-wide failures.
API-first: APIs facilitate seamless interaction between different services, enabling integration with various platforms and third-party services effortlessly.
Cloud-native: By leveraging cloud infrastructure, our applications will benefit from enhanced scalability and resilience, ensuring consistent performance during peak demands.
Headless: Decoupling the frontend from the backend allows us to deliver a consistent and optimized user experience across multiple channels and devices, and allow for our customers and partners can build their own frontends.
Why Quantfolio has Adopted MACH
Adopting MACH architecture is pivotal for Quantfolio due to the intricate nature of delivering investment and advisory services, which must navigate through multiple systems, vendors, and regulatory frameworks. Here are the key reasons for our strategic shift to MACH:
Enhanced Integration and Compliance: The delivery of investment and advisory services involves complex interactions across various systems, vendors, and business processes. By adopting a microservices architecture, Quantfolio can achieve more profound integration and better manage workflows and compliance requirements, ensuring a smoother and more compliant operational framework.
Empowering Partners and Customers: Many large financial institutions prefer to develop customer-facing frontends themselves. While partners of other systems in the value chain of advisory and investment services would like to integrate the Deep Alpha platform in their own frontend applications to delivery better user experiences. Our headless approach facilitates these customizations, enabling innovation to our customers and partners.
Handling Complexity: As the Deep Alpha platform has matured and now serves some of the largest financial institutions in the Nordics, the increasing complexity has necessitated a shift to smaller, independent microservices. This approach allows us to manage complexity more effectively, ensuring that each service is optimized for performance, reliability and compliance.
Specialized Teams and Expertise: By allowing dedicated teams to manage their specific microservices, we boost overall quality and focus. This specialization ensures that our teams maintain high competence and dedication to their respective areas, fostering innovation and excellence.
Leveraging Cloud Advantages: With the financial industry's shift towards cloud solutions, our cloud-native stance allows us to leverage the highest levels of security and scalability. This readiness not only future-proofs our operations but also guarantees that we remain at the forefront of technological advancements.
Enhanced Flexibility and Scalability: The modular nature of micro services allows us to build systems that are both flexible and scalable, adapting quickly to changes in demand or business needs without disrupting existing functionalities.
Faster Time-to-Market: Our micro services architecture enables us to develop and deploy new features more rapidly. This agility helps us respond swiftly to market changes and customer feedback, maintaining our competitive edge.
Reduced Risk and Maintenance Effort: Since each micro service operates independently, issues can be isolated and resolved without impacting the entire system. This not only minimizes the risk of widespread outages but also simplifies ongoing maintenance and updates, reducing overall system downtime and improving service reliability.
Conclusion
Transitioning to MACH architecture is a strategic move that positions Quantfolio for greater innovation and efficiency. By adopting this modern approach, we are not only enhancing our current capabilities but also paving the way for future growth and success. We are excited about the opportunities this transition brings and look forward to delivering even more value to our customers.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to innovate and improve our services with MACH architecture, and get in touch if you want to learn more about how you and your organisation can use Quantfolio’s platform.