An easy way of understanding Enterprise Architecture is to
understand the term “architecture” in the general sense first. It means the
style or character of a building, right? Relate this to an enterprise, and you
have a definition of Enterprise Architecture. An enterprise, as a
technology-oriented business is generally known, also has its architecture.
This architecture defines the character of the enterprise.
Just as how a building has its own features that constitute its
architecture; an enterprise has its unique ones, too. A building’s architecture
has its elements, the sum of all of which it consists of. Similarly, an
enterprise has to have its architecture, or what may be called its
constituents. So, what are these? Broadly, these can be said to be Business
Architecture, Information Architecture and IT Architecture. Having said this,
let us move on to an understanding of the uses of Enterprise Architecture.
Getting strategies right
The most important reason for which Enterprise Architecture
evolved is that it was noticed that more than four fifths of organizations’
strategies failed. The reason for this was not the ineffectiveness of the
strategy itself, but rather the implementation. Over the last couple of decades
or so, Enterprise Architecture has evolved as a result of an understanding of
this fact, and the need to address it.
Professionals put together a concrete and well-defined practice
for analyzing, designing, planning and implementing a set of ideas to fully
understand and implement strategies. This involves identifying the information,
processes and the technological aspects of an enterprise and implementing
solutions using a systematic approach. The entire purpose is to take the
enterprise to higher levels of performance with the minimum hitches. This
approach helps enterprises and organizations of various kinds to come up with
strategies for minimizing loss.
The various Enterprise Architecture programs and certifications
Since Enterprise Architecture has evolved highly over the past few
years, it has grown into a full-fledged profession with its own certifications,
programs and forums. At present, these are the most popular certifications and
programs for Enterprise Architecture, used in a number of organizations
worldwide:
o TOGAF®;
o ArchiMate®;
o The Open Group Exploration, Mining, Metals & Minerals vertical
(EMMM) Forum;
o The Open Certified Architect (Open CA) program (formerly ITAC);
and
o The Open Group Business Forum.
References:
http://feapo.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Common-Perspectives-on-Enterprise-Architecture-v15.pdf
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