AWS delivers unmatched scale to enable MACH solutions

Retailers struggle to keep up with evolving customer expectations because their rigid commerce platforms can’t be easily changed. However, many retailers have found there’s an alternative approach that gives them the agility to innovate and keep up with customer demands.

The MACH Alliance was formed to advocate for composable, open, and future-proof architecture that’s microservices-based, API-first, cloud-native software as a service (SaaS), and headless (hence the acronym MACH). The alliance’s momentum is surging, and as of May 2023, there are 80-member companies, which are categorized as Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Startup ISVs, System Integrators (SIs) and Enablers.

Although there are a host of companies delivering MACH-based technology, there’s often less coverage of what the approach demands.

Enablers: Providing the Foundation for MACH Architecture

The Enabler membership category applies to organizations that facilitate the delivery of a MACH service or application. Unlike Vendor members, which produce an application that enterprises can buy, an Enabler member offers a service or technology that provides the foundation for enterprises wanting to build application architecture in line with MACH principles.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) joined the MACH Alliance’s Enabler category in January 2022 as the first public cloud provider. As a comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, AWS offers over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally. It serves millions of customers, including some of the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies. Customers choose AWS to lower costs, become more agile, and innovate faster.

AWS shares the alliance’s belief that modern commerce applications require flexible and scalable solutions that can keep up with the rapid pace of change. The MACH approach—in which every component is pluggable, scalable, and replaceable, and can be continuously improved through agile development—will help consumer brands meet evolving business requirements. By using microservices, a business can break down complex processes into smaller, more manageable components, which makes for easier maintenance and updates. API-first design allows for seamless integration with other systems, and cloud-native deployment provides scalability and reliability. A headless approach enables frontend developers to use the tools they’re most comfortable with, while backend developers can focus on building robust business logic.

Building Your Future Tech Stack with a MACH Enabler

Following is a conversation with Krithika Ganesamoorthi, Sr. Manager, Solutions Architecture at AWS, about why the Enabler category is an important one for companies considering MACH for their future tech stack. She also serves as co-chair of the MACH Alliance Technical Council.

Why did you join the MACH Alliance?

AWS believes that microservices built using well-defined interface and lightweight APIs are an advantageous architectural and organizational approach to software development. This approach empowers organizations to innovate faster and improve performance, security, and reliability—all while lowering their total cost of ownership.

Can you tell me about your experience so far? What do you see as the key benefits?

Industry-wide collaboration is important for advocating and socializing the importance of frameworks, patterns, and standards. AWS is part of MACH’s Technology and Marketing Councils, and we draw value in collaborating with like-minded experts in the industry to facilitate innovation and better support customers to deliver the best experiences for their own customers.

What have been some of the highlights of your membership experience?

Since the launch of AWS in 2006, we’ve encouraged retailers to use modern architecture to facilitate rapid change and innovation with their websites and software applications. This includes the use of microservices, APIs, and a build-for-the-cloud design. The MACH Alliance is helping to educate companies on the benefits of this approach and advocate for its wider use in the marketplace. We’re excited to be a part of this effort. In addition, we’re seeing a lot of synergy with our expert partners on key retail and consumer brands. In fact, we’ve found that over 50 percent of MACH Alliance members are also in the AWS Partner Network, and 70 percent of MACH members run on AWS.

Do you feel that awareness of the MACH approach has advanced among end users over the past few years, and are you seeing an increase in adoption?

The modernization of ecommerce is happening quickly, and consumers expect a seamless brand experience across all channels. Composable commerce is top of mind for customers, and as they look to modernize their monoliths to a microservices-based solution, they use MACH as a guideline to build modern platforms. An example is The Very Group (read the story).

How do you see the role of enablers, like AWS, evolving as MACH becomes mainstream?

Customers are seeking the right technology partners, and AWS makes it faster, easier, and more cost effective to move your existing applications to the cloud and build nearly anything you can imagine. Ninety percent of what we build at AWS is driven by what customers tell us. Being part of the MACH Alliance gives us an avenue to where we can focus our innovation efforts on customer needs.

What would you tell potential future Enabler members about joining the MACH Alliance?

The MACH Alliance is a like-minded community of technology companies aiming to change the paradigm for next-generation open technologies. Enablers are a critical component in providing the necessary infrastructure to help organizations deliver a MACH service or application. We need enablers to be an integral part of this community to help organizations navigate through the complexities as they modernize their platforms and innovate for consumers.

To join the movement and sign up as an Enabler, check out the members page and these resources:

About the MACH Alliance

The MACH Alliance is a not-for-profit industry body that advocates for open and best-of-breed enterprise technology ecosystems. The Alliance aims to educate and support the industry as a whole on what to look out for when (planning to) moving from legacy infrastructure and going composable, including when, where and how to start and select partners.

The Alliance is a vendor-neutral institution that provides resources, education and guidance through industry experts to support companies on their journey.

To advance the mission and support growth, the MACH Alliance established certification standards that help identify vendors and integrators that embrace MACH philosophies and offer MACH-certified services.

To become an Alliance member and carry the MACH Certified seal, a company must be in full compliance.

Choosing MACH certified vendors ensures:

Composable Connectability
Infinite Scalability
Ultimate Swap-ability
Adaptability/Any Place, Any Head
Flexibility and Transparency

AWS Partners in MACH »