Architects as change agents: The case of Apache HBase adoption at Visa

A redesign of the entire data platform behind Visa's business is underway. The Apache Hadoop ecosystem is becoming a staple of many of its solutions, requiring architects to evolve existing live applications as well as the processes and culture of engineering at Visa. Partha Saha explores Apache HBase adoption at Visa and discusses how architects are leading the way.

Visa has embarked on an ambitious multiyear redesign of the entire data platform that powers its business. As part of this plan, the Apache Hadoop ecosystem, including HBase, will now become a staple in many of its solutions. Architects who were once engineers working on shaping Hadoop are leading this change at Visa. As part of this technology transformation, they have to not only worry about the right strategy and design to migrate live applications but also understand, appreciate, and evolve the processes and culture of engineering at Visa. Specifically, they have to seed, mentor, and inspire DevOps engineering teams from an organization that previously functioned as a traditional IT shop and bring in the appropriate practices of Agile development. Partha Saha explores Apache HBase adoption at Visa, looking at the technical challenges, the process, and the culture evolution needed to carry out this adoption in less than a year.