Enterprise architecture (EA) is the practice of designing a business with a holistic view, considering all of its parts and how they interact.
It’s a way to optimize an enterprise’s performance using a framework that considers business goals, technology, and the current environment.
This blog post will discuss what EA is, the benefits it can provide, its goals, its process, and the types of frameworks you can use to get started.
Definition of Enterprise Architecture
Enterprise architecture is the process of designing and managing an enterprise’s information systems by creating a model that shows how the enterprise works.
It aims to create a blueprint outlining how the enterprise should be structured, and its information systems should work. This model shows an enterprise’s current and future target states.
It uses enterprise architecture models to help them design and manage information systems that support business processes, corporate strategies, and other enterprise needs.
Importance
It is very important to understand the business model and business risks. Enterprise architecture helps all the departments of an organization to coordinate with each other regarding business models and business challenges so that each department can determine the gaps and make business decisions.
Benefits
- A blueprint for the enterprise that can be used to align IT with business goals
- A way to optimize enterprise performance
- A way to manage enterprise information systems
- A way to improve enterprise communication and collaboration
- A way to facilitate enterprise change management processes
- A way to enhance enterprise innovation is by understanding the enterprise as a whole system.
Goals
The goals of enterprise architecture (EA) are as follows.
Improve business agility: With the help of a strong EA strategy, businesses can respond quickly and effectively to changes in the market, customer needs, and technology. It includes the latest innovations and best practices for business processes.
Enhance interoperability: EA ensures that different systems within an organization can work together seamlessly by defining common standards and protocols.
Reduce complexity: EA simplifies an organization’s IT landscape by identifying redundancies, eliminating unnecessary systems, and optimizing processes.
Ensure compliance: EA ensures that an organization’s IT systems comply with regulatory requirements, industry standards, and best practices.
Steps of Enterprise Architecture Process
There are eight steps in the process:
Viewpoints
Enterprise architecture contains four viewpoints. They are
- The business perspective defines day-to-day processes and standards of business.
- The application perspective defines relations between organizational processes and standards.
- The information perspective defines raw data like databases, images, files, etc.
- The technology perspective defines the hardware and software like operating systems, networking tools, etc.
Enterprise Architecture Framework
A variety of EA frameworks can be used for enterprise architecture. More popular frameworks include the Zachman Framework, the TOGAF Framework, and the MODAF Framework.
Zachman Framework
The Zachman Framework consists of six steps:
- Define the problem or opportunity
- Generate alternative solutions
- Select a preferred solution
- Develop a blueprint or model of the preferred solution
- Implement the blueprint or model
- Monitor and adjust the implementation as needed
TOGAF Framework
The TOGAF Framework consists of seven steps:
- Define enterprise goals and objectives
- Create an enterprise architecture framework
- When designing or redesigning your enterprise architecture, you need to think about the different business processes, information systems, and infrastructure that will be necessary.
- Develop a detailed design for the components identified in step three. Then, consider how each component should work individually and interact with other enterprise components. Be sure to include any relevant non-functional requirements such as security, scalability, or performance requirements—document things like data models, user interface designs (UI) specifications, etc.
- Develop a transition plan that identifies what needs to change from the current state to the future described in the target enterprise architecture model.
- Implement the enterprise architecture plan.
- Validate enterprise architecture by checking that what was designed and implemented meets enterprise goals
MODAF Framework
The MODAF Framework consists of five steps:
- Define what is to be modeled
- Construct the enterprise model
- Model elements and relationships within the enterprise model
- Derive system requirements from the enterprise model
- Implement the system requirements
Enterprise Architecture Tools?
More popular tools and software include enterprise modeling, requirements management, and simulation.
Enterprise modeling tools
The enterprise model is the most important document. It uses enterprise modeling tools to build models that visually describe the enterprise’s business strategy, processes, information systems, and other components.
More popular enterprise modeling tools include Avolution ABACUS, BiZZdesign Architect for Enterprise Architecture (AEA), MEGA HOPEX Business Architecture, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect, and Troux Transform.
Requirements management tools
Requirements are used to specify what an enterprise needs from its information systems to be designed or redesigned accordingly during enterprise change initiatives.
Enterprises can use software like Blueprint OneWorld Requirements Management Suite or Jama Connect Requirements Management to manage specifications in a central place.
This way, enterprise architects, business users, and IT personnel can see and use the specifications to build systems.
Simulation tools
It can use enterprise simulation software to model the enterprise’s current state and future state. This software can help them test whether or not these changes will be feasible before they are implemented.
Who should be involved in Enterprise Architecture?
It should be a collaborative effort involving enterprise architects, business analysts, enterprise IT personnel, and other stakeholders as needed.
Enterprise architects
They have a thorough understanding of enterprise architecture. They are in charge of developing and maintaining the company’s architecture framework, identifying components that need to be designed or redesigned, producing detailed designs for these components, and ensuring that the corporate architecture is adequate.
Enterprise IT personnel
They will implement it. Therefore, when designing EA, this should always consult with enterprise IT personnel to ensure that what is designed can be implemented and will meet enterprise needs.
Business analysts
They should be involved in this because they help define EA’s enterprise requirements to build their models.
Other enterprise stakeholders
People who should help create the architecture for an enterprise include enterprise architects, IT personnel, business analysts, and enterprise customers, suppliers, and shareholders whenever possible.
For example, while they may not be required to help build out the architecture’s components, such as business processes or enterprise applications, enterprise customers and enterprise suppliers can provide valuable feedback that should be considered by enterprise architects when designing the architecture.
Conclusion
EA is a powerful tool that can help your business grow. By learning about EA and how it can be used in your organization, you are setting yourself up for success.
In this post, we have introduced EA and its key concepts. We have also discussed what enterprise architects do and their skills to succeed.
We hope you have found this information helpful and that it has encouraged you to learn more about EA.
