What is enterprise architecture? Enterprise architecture is a symbiosis, a coordinated set of business architecture, i.e. a model of the business activities of an enterprise, and IT architecture, i.e. a set of models of data, information systems and IT infrastructure.
We can say that the enterprise architecture is a set of interrelated models. This set allows you to see the parts of the architecture as puzzle pieces that are well connected to each other.
Activity models, information systems, projects, business requirements, and implemented systems are all objects that have different management approaches. Architecture, meanwhile, is a means to unify such entities by establishing relationships between them. When all these entities are related to each other, we can talk about architecture as a set of interrelated models. These models make it possible to manage informatization well.
What is the essence of the architectural approach in informatization? The architectural approach involves nothing but the interrelated and coordinated consideration of business architecture and IT architecture in the development of enterprise information systems.
An architectural approach in informatization also means that the architecture should be used as a means of controlling business requirements, IT projects and IT solutions in operation, and regularly updated to reflect changes. This approach enables effective management of informatization to ensure its success in the face of uncertainty.
As a set of models and a tool for informatization management, architecture establishes a common language between IT stakeholders. Investing in cohesive interactions provides value that is easy enough to communicate to the business. Of course, architecture allows you to see the business from all angles, demonstrates deficiencies, helps you understand how to fix them, which systems to develop and why, what to do with the IT infrastructure, and so on. But much more convincing for business is the thesis that with the emergence of corporate architecture, all participants who have different points of view at the level of the company’s goals and objectives will begin to speak the same language.
Initially, all participants have different points of view on business, different issues and priorities. Everyone looks “from their own bell tower”. Shareholders look at the company in terms of targets. They set targets and expect senior management to figure out how to achieve those targets. Senior management formulates the business strategy and sets objectives for the functional areas, including the IT block. The interest of the functional area managers is to make their regular functions the most efficient. The IT block, in turn, is ready to implement solutions. Its task is to “implement and operate well”. Business partners care about the efficiency of the processes of interaction between companies, and counterparties offer to implement various products and services because it is in their interest.
The architecture establishes a cross-cutting and bidirectional relationship between goals and metrics, regular business unit functions and their problems, required data types, existing systems and gaps in the existing IT landscape, additional systems and IT projects. For business unit managers, the architecture will help prioritize and show which functions need automation first.
It is the architecture that allows you to show any business participant what effect the implementation of a particular IT solution has on the business.