Enterprise Architecture

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Chess and the Art of Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architecture is the discipline of managing the complexities of the Business-IT landscape. It has been around since the 1980’s, when for the first time computers were connected in networks, and the already serious (and unsolved) problem of the complexity of computer programs for relatively simple business needs turned into the huge problem of large networks of them in complex business landscapes. In spite of many ‘best practices’ and ‘frameworks’ that have been introduced, Enterprise Architecture is not a great success. After thirty years, we still have the same problems. Chaos is still everywhere. Projects still fail far too often. In this book, (hidden) assumptions behind the existing approaches to enterprise architecture are challenged, and a more realistic perspective that helps us battle the complexities and unpredictabilities of today’s Business-IT landscapes is described. Practical suggestions about enterprise architecture governance and products, based on real-world experience with the described approach, complete the book. From general management to IT professionals, everyone who is confronted with the problem of managing Business-IT landscapes can profit from the insights this book offers. No specialist prior knowledge is required. Gerben Wierda is author of Mastering ArchiMate, and was, amongst other things, Lead Architect of the Judiciary in The Netherlands, Lead Architect of APG Asset Management, and is now Team Coordinator Architecture and Design at APG.

The Agile Architecture Revolution: How Cloud Computing, REST-based SOA, and Mobile Computing are Changing Enterprise IT

A sneak peek at up–and–coming trends in IT, a multidimensional vision for achieving business agility through agile architectures The Agile Architecture Revolution places IT trends into the context of Enterprise Architecture, reinventing Enterprise Architecture to support continuous business transformation. It focuses on the challenges of large organizations, while placing such organizations into the broader business ecosystem that includes small and midsize organizations as well as startups. Organizes the important trends that are facing technology in businesses and public sector organizations today and over the next several years Presents the five broad organizing principles called Supertrends: location independence, global cubicle, democratization of technology, deep interoperability, and complex systems engineering Provides a new perspective on service–oriented architecture in conjunction with architectural approaches to cloud computing and mobile technologies that explain how organizations can achieve better business visibility through IT and enterprise architecture Laying out a multidimensional vision for achieving agile architectures, this book discusses the crisis points that promise sudden, transformative change, unraveling how organizations spending on IT will continue to undergo radical change over the next ten years.

A Reference Architecture for Enterprise Architecture: According to EA3, Documented in EA3

This book endeavours to help further lift the discipline of EA by providing a reference architecture for an EA function and taking an EA approach to its documentation and analysis to help demonstrate, explain and rationalize EA and the EA function. In doing so outlining the key drivers and components of an EA function, including the influences on and objectives of EA, and the business and technology processes and resources required and used to address these. Keeping on point and avoiding being pushed into related but non-EA activities; buying time to do things properly while still being responsive and agile to changes in enterprise drivers; fitting into the organisation’s governance structure; building a capability not just delivering a series of non-repeatable, point-sensitive EA services are just some of the many challenges facing Enterprise Architects today. While there are a number of useful and informative EA frameworks and books available guiding organisations on what EA should deliver, organisations and individuals are left without the one thing they espouse for the enterprise at large, a target architecture for the EA function that can be used to best align it to their enterprise and allow them to plan and oversee its formation and change effectively. This leaves many decisions to be made in the absence of sound, communicable, measurable and transparent views as to why and what to strive for in doing EA. As a reference architecture typically describes a complete target architecture, and a complete architecture can take a long time to develop and fine tune, more than can be expected within a single release, project or time frame that initial outcomes are required by EA stakeholders and customers, the book takes a look at the different capabilities or themes that might be focused on to allow for the different needs and expectations enterprises have from EA. To ensure the reference architecture incorporates best practices in EA, it is built on the concepts and principles of EA outlined in Dr Scott Bernard’s book, An Introduction to Enterprise Architecture, EA3, and his EA training program and certification courses. Both of which in turn build on the EA experiences and practices of EA practitioners over near to three decades.

Building Enterprise Architecture

Savvy organizations know their Enterprise Architects enable business outcomes. This formerly tactical IT “job” is today a strategic position. Enterprise architects increasingly report outside of IT to the CFO, CMO or office of the CEO. Why this quiet elevation? Enterprise Architects work at the leading edge of organizations; in the zone where business capabilities are born. This is why today’s CEO’s collaborate with their Enterprise Architects when evaluating short and long term strategies. Enterprise Architects continuously blend business and technical capabilities to meet the ongoing demand for new capabilities. If it sounds like ninja smoke…. It is… and smart organizations already know it works. Making Enterprise Architecture work involves mutual understanding and trust between EA’s and CEO’s. This is the first in a planned series of books designed to help maximize investments in Enterprise Architecture. The topics are based on executive’s questions and issues addressed in the author’s experience teaching enterprise architecture to executives and in delivering EA solutions to large organizations. This first volume begins with basic connecting points between executive and architect and discusses effective techniques for moving architecture to the enterprise level in the organization. The centerpiece in this volume is the ERAM (Enterprise Resource Allocation Management) concept. This volume isn’t intended to answer every possible question on Enterprise Architecture. It is intended to start the dialogue in a productive way…

Strategic Enterprise Architecture Management: Challenges, Best Practices, and Future Developments (Management for Professionals)

The discipline of Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) deals with the alignment of business and information systems architectures. While EAM has long been regarded as a discipline for IT managers this book takes a different stance: It explains how top executives can use EAM for leveraging their strategic planning and controlling processes and how EAM can contribute to sustainable competitive advantage. Based on the analysis of best practices from eight leading European companies from various industries the book presents crucial elements of successful EAM. It outlines what executives need to do in terms of governance, processes, methodologies and culture in order to bring their management to the next level. Beyond this, the book points how EAM might develop in the next decade allowing today’s managers to prepare for the future of architecture management.

Enterprise Architecture Made Simple: Using the Ready, Set, Go Approach to Achieving Information Centricity

Learn how to institute and implement enterprise architecture in your organization. You can make a quick start and establish a baseline for your enterprise architecture within ten weeks, then grow and stabilize the architecture over time using the proven Ready, Set, Go Approach. The authors have combined more than three decades of experience in enterprise architecture, business development, and business modeling. They have introduced enterprise architecture to numerous different sectors and areas of operations. Both have been active as consultants and educators; they have also been examiners for a training course that certifies enterprise architects. In these roles, they have established the foundations of the enterprise architecture concept for numerous individuals and businesses. Håkan Edvinsson is currently the CTO and partner of Informed Decisions and Lottie Aderinne is the owner and partner of Vilante Consulting. Both companies provide consulting services for EA and change management projects.