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Eteie Achitecte: The Jey Bei Hee. A Iteet.cm Eteie Achitecte eBk. © 2009, WebMediaBad Ic.
Enterprise Architecture: The Journey Begins Here, Part 1
here you are. Where you are going. How toget there. The plan or the journey begins withenterprise architecture.It is no longer possible to run a large organization withoutsignicant investments in technology. Thoughtul investmento IT dollars requires the practiceand discipline o enterprise archi-tecture.In order to assess where you are,enterprise architecture beginswith a current state baseline othe IT asset portolio. These as-sets must be assessed or howwell they support the organiza-tional mission.To dene where you are going,a uture state target architectureoutlines the capabilities requiredto support strategic businessgoals. A gap analysis identiesthe shortalls o the current state.A roadmap and sequencing plandetermine how you will reach yourdestination through a series ostrategic and tactical initiatives to transition rom the currentstate baseline to the uture state target. Underlying principles,standards, and reerence architecture are needed to guidethe journey. Solution architecture applies these models toprojects that incrementally bring the vision to reality. Technol-ogy governance is necessary to ensure organizational assetsare leveraged and projects stay on course.This eBook will introduce you to many o the required elementso an enterprise architecture practice. I you are already an en-terprise architect, you will nd much amiliar material here andsome ideas or urthering your practice. I you are new to theeld, you will nd many practical ways to get started.
Roadmap or the Journey
An architecture blueprint is an important enterprise architec-ture deliverable that creates a city plan o an organization’sIT assets. Chapter 2, The 4C Architecture BlueprintingProcess, introduces a method or creating an architectureblueprint. The 4C method collects inormation about the ITportolio, classies it into zones,assesses each cluster o assetsand creates a transition plan ortheir consolidation.Architecture standards denewhich products, patterns, andpractices are to be used in de-veloping or acquiring sotwarewithin an organization. In Chapter3, Maturity through Standards,you’ll look at how standards canaccelerate application develop-ment and lower the total cost oownership o IT assets. You willexamine a process or dening,maturing and leveraging archi-tecture standards across the or-ganization.Reerence architecture capturespre-dened architecture pat-terns, proven or use in a particular business context, togetherwith supporting artiacts that enable their use. Reerence ar-chitectures serve as guideposts in your enterprise architec-ture journey. Providing a Clear Point o Reerence, will outlinea repeatable process or capturing and leveraging organiza-tional knowledge through reerence architecture.Enterprise architecture denes the uture state vision andprinciples guiding the journey. In Part 2, Front End Archi-tecture: Where Business Meets IT, describes the uture statevision and principles that guide how business capabilities areexposed to employees, customers, and partners through theWeb, mobile, voice, and Web services interaction media. This
Enterprise Architecture:The Journey Begins Here
By Je Ryan
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This is an excellent quick guide to the basics of implementing an enterprise architecture. It contains great definitions, examples and summaries. There are some validations for work that I have already accomplished as well as ideas for making architecture useful, actionable and relevant to managing top line and bottom line goals that are compelling for management buy in. I recommend this highly.