Enterprise Architecture for Digital Business

Chapter 3. From Marathon to Messaging

Lori MacVittie, F5 principal technical evangelist

The noted Greek historian Plutarch introduced the world to the phrase “marathon run” in a tale of Philippides and his legendary race to deliver a message to the Greek Assembly. Philippides ran approximately 25 miles, from Marathon to Athens, to inform the Greek Assembly of victory in the Battle of Marathon. The story became legendary because of his dedication to his task. Not only did he shed his clothing to improve his speed on his run, but he promptly fell dead after delivering his message. The distance became known as a “marathon” in honor of his efforts and has been immortalized by many historians and writers throughout history.

Humans have constantly evolved and improved the methods by which we deliver information, both in terms of speed and security. From the Pony Express and postal services to email and instant messaging, technology has helped to evolve the way we communicate. But the form of these methods has remained largely the same: they are based on intermediaries—whether people or technology—to carry a message between two endpoints.

Conway’s law tells us that “organizations design systems that mirror their own communication structure.”¹ This is true, even when those organizations are as large as societies. Consider how technology mirrors the delivery and receipt of secured communications. You can take a letter to the post office and ask that it be delivered only to a specific person, ...