TLDR: Brownfield enterprises struggle because fragmented legacy systems trap data in silos. A universal data access layer combined with metadata-driven infrastructure lets teams access and integrate data safely—without risky rip-and-replace migrations—while staying interoperable at scale.
An extremely critical challenge software CTOs face today is navigating “Brownfield” scenarios, where they must manage and integrate decades of fragmented technology choices that an enterprise has no appetite for throwing away. According to Ken Stott, Field CTO of Hasura, these legacy systems create deep silos between departments, making it nearly impossible for the organization to extract cohesive value from its data.
The Solution: Universal Data Access and Metadata-Driven Infrastructure
To resolve this complexity without a risky “rip-and-replace” project, Stott proposes a two-pronged architectural solution:
- Establishing a Universal Data Access Layer: Instead of attempting massive, expensive data migrations, CTOs should implement a layer that creates a consistent way to catalog and access disparate data sets. This layer must support common protocols—such as SQL, GraphQL, and REST—while connecting to everything from relational databases and document stores to SaaS APIs like Salesforce. This allows the business to access the most recent data immediately without having to “download it into some relational database” first.
- Adopting Prescriptive Metadata: To manage this at scale, organizations must move toward an infrastructure that is entirely “metadata-driven”. Stott points to the success of Kubernetes as a model; when infrastructure is defined by prescriptive metadata, it creates a unified language that both human engineers and automated systems can understand and execute.
- Empowering Data Agnostic Teams: By providing data-agnostic infrastructure, individual business units are freed from technical prescriptions. This allows them to build what is ideal for their specific needs while remaining interoperable with the rest of the enterprise.
Analogy
Managing a fragmented enterprise tech stack is like trying to run a global library where every wing uses a different language and filing system. Instead of trying to translate every single book into one language (a “rip-and-replace” migration), Stott’s solution is to build a universal digital catalog. This catalog doesn’t move the books; it simply provides every visitor with a single, “metadata-driven” search bar that can instantly locate and summarize information from any wing, regardless of the language it was originally written in.
