Challenges of Implementing MACH Architecture & How To Overcome Them
To stay competitive and adapt quickly to market changes, e-commerce leaders prioritize agility and flexibility. That’s why many of them choose the MACH architecture for their systems. MACH, which stands for Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native and Headless, is a set of architectural principles that provide businesses with the flexibility to build a system using microservices, connect them through APIs and leverage all the benefits of cloud adoption.
The benefits of the MACH architecture are clear: It enables faster feature launches, enhanced system performance and accelerated innovation. However, the switch to MACH is not simple, as many companies face resistance to change, complex integration requirements and a lack of the required skills and expertise. Here, we share five common MACH implementation pitfalls and some expert tips on how to overcome them.
Challenge 1 – Tech Complexity
The development of MACH-based solutions requires a distinct set of skills in areas such as APIs, cloud infrastructure and service integration. As many software engineers lack sufficient experience working with microservices, headless platforms, or a modular tech stack, this lack of expertise can lead to project delays and potential missteps during system implementation.
How to Overcome:
There are a few options to deal with this challenge. The first way is to upskill your in-house IT department. The training could be delivered by an external consultant or offered in a self-paced format. Today, a lot of MACH platforms have learning academies with all the useful information. Employees onboarding to a platform could be tracked through certification, which could become a significant milestone in their professional development. As an alternative, many companies delegate development to a third-party software provider with experience in delivering MACH-based solutions. Such companies typically offer flexible engagement models, allowing you to choose between team augmentation, a dedicated team, or outsourcing the entire project scope.
Challenge 2 – High Initial Investment and Complexity
The cost of MACH implementation is a big concern for many e-commerce businesses, as its adoption often needs significant investments in technology and team training at the initial steps.
How to Overcome:
While MACH implementation can involve significant capital expenditures, its modular nature allows for an iterative solution implementation, starting with high-impact components and scaling gradually to achieve ROI as early as possible. As for team training, many MACH vendors offer free or low-cost learning resources and certification programs, helping businesses reduce the costs associated with team enablement.
Challenge 3 – Integration With Legacy Systems
Many ecommerce companies automate their core business processes with legacy systems such as ERP, CRM, or inventory management platforms that do not support API-first integration. Since these systems don’t connect easily with MACH-based solutions, implementing MACH architecture can be slow and challenging.
How to Overcome:
Use custom connectors to synchronize data between legacy systems and a MACH-based platform. It allows both systems to work together without replacing legacy systems that may still effectively address your business needs.
Challenge 4 – Security Risks
Systems built with the MACH architecture are made up of many independent microservices connected through APIs. Functions like product information management, payment processing, or customer satisfaction analytics can each be implemented as individual microservices, each of which runs separately and communicates with others over the network. Such a distributed solution landscape exposes microservices and APIs to more attacks and as a result, the system becomes vulnerable to data breaches or unauthorized access.
How to Overcome:
Security isn’t just a point in time but an everlasting process of monitoring and incident reporting. Follow the security best practices recommended by the platforms you use. For example, if you are building a MACH architecture on platforms such as Contentful or Shopify Plus, key security measures may include securing APIs with OAuth 2.0 and API gateways, implementing granular privilege access control, enforcing multi-factor authentication, integrating security checks into CI/CD pipelines and conducting regular vulnerability scans.
However, while these platforms offer robust security tools, your solution is only as secure as the way you configure and manage them. Misconfigured access controls or unattended APIs can introduce significant risks, so it’s essential to dedicate enough effort for configuring, monitoring and regularly updating your security settings.
Challenge 5 – Business Process Disruption
Implementing the MACH architecture often changes how internal teams perform their everyday tasks, potentially disrupting existing workflows and slowing down business operations. As a result, it can cause delays in order fulfillment, result in slower customer support responses, or introduce inconsistency in user experiences.
How to Overcome:
Well-structured, detailed change management and user onboarding strategies helps reduce the risk of disruption. Don’t forget to clearly communicate all potential changes to employees as early as possible and establish robust feedback mechanisms upon system implementation to monitor its adoption and promptly resolve user queries.
Wrapping Up
Implementing MACH-based solutions is not a simple process. Like any software implementation project, it requires a careful and structured plan to prevent any potential risks or downtimes. Challenges such as skill gaps, integration with legacy systems and security risks can make the implementation of a new architecture even more complex.
Engaging a professional technology consultancy can significantly ease this process. With their support, you can develop a tailored implementation strategy, establish a comprehensive risk mitigation plan and receive end-to-end guidance throughout the project – enabling you to proactively address potential challenges and maximize your return on investment.
