Except for your mainframes, hardware should be treated as a commodity. Containerization and Orchestration technologies like Docker and Kubernetes make it very easy to decouple hardware from applications. It's both a cheaper way to go, and adds extra capabilities like self healing.

Software development and process optimization go hand in hand. Organizations create multiple divisions and business units so that they can move independently and move much more rapidly. The same applies to development. Engaging your subject matter experts and interested parties directly in the development process will provide a competitive edge.

Structure these independent applications with a set of rules for security and data storage, to make it easy to fold into enterprise level development once they become large enough. Additionally, we are entering the age of the citizen coder, where tools are sophisticated enough that it doesn't require a masters degree to write computer programs. Embrace this early.