Predecessor

According to  technology, a predecessor in providers refers to a technology product, service, or foundational component offered by an external technology provider that must be in place, fully operational, or completed before a subsequent, dependent technology product, service, or a later phase of a broader technology initiative (which may be from the same or a different provider) can begin or function effectively.

It establishes a necessary technical or operational dependency within a multi-provider landscape or a phased technology adoption strategy. It's about a chain of reliance where one provider's offering forms the essential groundwork for another.

Here's a breakdown of "predecessor in providers" and its relation to technology:

1. Foundational Infrastructure Services:

   • Scenario: A business wants to run complex enterprise applications in the cloud.

   • Predecessor (Provider's Offering): Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) from a cloud provider. This provides the basic computing environment.

   • Successor (Provider's Offering): A PaaS (Platform as a Service) offering, or an Application Services provider, or even the deployment of the customer's own applications on that IaaS.

   • Relation to Technology: The IaaS forms the indispensable base layer. You cannot run a PaaS or a SaaS solution on a cloud without the underlying compute, storage, and network infrastructure from the same or a foundational provider.

2. Core Platform Services:

   • Scenario: A company decides to build its entire digital presence around a specific e-commerce platform.

   • Predecessor (Provider's Offering): The core e-commerce platform software itself.

   • Successor (Provider's Offering): Various third-party plugins, payment gateway integrations, marketing automation tools, or analytics solutions that are designed to extend that specific e-commerce platform.

   • Relation to Technology: The choice and successful setup of the core platform by one provider dictates the compatibility and necessity of subsequent technology integrations from other providers.

3. Security Infrastructure Services:

   • Scenario: A business plans to launch a new public-facing web application.

   • Predecessor (Provider's Offering): A Web Application Firewall (WAF) service, a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection service, or a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) handling endpoint protection.

   • Successor (Provider's Offering): The actual web hosting service or SaaS application delivery from another provider.

   • Relation to Technology: Robust security measures, often provided by specialized security providers, must be in place and configured before the application goes live to protect it from threats.

4. Connectivity Services:

   • Scenario: A company needs to connect its branch offices to its cloud-hosted applications.

   • Predecessor (Provider's Offering): A reliable Internet Service Provider (ISP) and potentially a VPN service or a dedicated network connection from a telecommunications provider.

   • Successor (Provider's Offering): The various cloud applications and services that rely on this connectivity to be accessible to the branch offices.

   • Relation to Technology: Stable and secure network connectivity is a fundamental prerequisite for accessing almost any modern IT service from an external provider.

5. Data Management Services for Analytics:

   • Scenario: A business wants to perform advanced analytics and derive insights from its data.

   • Predecessor (Provider's Offering): A Data Warehousing service, a Data Lake service, or a Managed Database service from a cloud provider.

   • Successor (Provider's Offering): A Business Intelligence (BI) platform, an AI/Machine Learning (ML) analytics service, or a data visualization tool from the same or a different provider.

   • Relation to Technology: The data must be properly ingested, stored, managed, and prepared (often by the first provider's tech) before analytical tools can meaningfully process it.

Implications for a Customer's Technology Strategy:

• Dependency Mapping: Businesses must meticulously map out these inter-provider dependencies to understand their technology ecosystem.

• Strategic Sequencing: The predecessor concept dictates the logical order in which technology providers are engaged and their services are implemented.

• Project Planning Accuracy: Delays with a predecessor provider's offering will inevitably cascade and delay dependent technology projects and initiatives.

• Integration Complexity: Predecessor relationships often involve critical integration points between different providers' technologies, requiring careful planning and execution.

• Risk Management: Failure or underperformance of a predecessor provider's service becomes a single point of failure that can impact all dependent successor services. Due diligence on foundational providers is paramount.

• Vendor Selection: The choice of a foundational provider can significantly limit or enable choices for subsequent providers and their specialized services.

To summarize, predecessor in providers in relation to technology highlights that in a world of outsourced and interconnected IT, technology offerings from different providers rarely stand alone. They often form a complex, layered chain of dependencies where the successful implementation and performance of one provider's solution are absolutely essential for the viability and effectiveness of subsequent technological services.