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What Is Enterprise Architecture (EA)?

Alice Figuerola

Introduction

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a critical practice that plays a vital role in shaping an organization's structure and operations. In this guide, we'll provide a comprehensive understanding of EA and explore its various aspects. Whether you're new to the concept or looking to deepen your knowledge, this guide will help you get started.

What Is Enterprise Architecture?

Enterprise Architecture Defined

At its core, Enterprise Architecture is a well-defined practice for conducting enterprise analysis, design, planning, and implementation. It employs a comprehensive approach to ensure the successful development and execution of an organization's strategy. EA aids in structuring IT projects and policies to achieve desired business outcomes while staying attuned to industry trends and disruptions. This process is also known as enterprise architectural planning (EAP).

The Importance of Connectivity

Enterprise Architecture ensures that an overarching plan guides the organization, preventing the random stacking of "bricks." Isolated data and software within different departments hinder a company's efficiency. To ensure seamless operations, all tools must be interconnected.

E.A. Can Be Viewed as Three Things:

A Discipline — EA is a way of thinking about the structure of an enterprise, aligning it with its goals
A Set of Work Products — It involves creating models and diagrams that represent and describe the enterprise's structure
A Process — EA encompasses processes for architecting an enterprise, managing changes and evolution, and ensuring architecture consistency

The Six Basic Components of Enterprise Architecture

There are many enterprise architecture components that make up the EA model. Enterprise IT infrastructure varies, and business needs are organization-dependent. However, all EA frameworks consist of the same core elements.

1. Architecture Management
Every enterprise should have a dedicated team overseeing its architecture. This team ensures alignment with business goals.

2. Architecture Framework
The framework defines the big picture for enterprise strategy and the required IT infrastructure.

3. Implementation Methodology
This outlines the steps necessary to put the framework into action, from conception to conclusion.

4. Documentation Artifacts
This is where the organization's strategy, plan, and workflow are documented. IT solutions must be configured to meet the frameworks and implementation requirements. All modifications and procedures must be recorded in your documentation artifacts, which must be kept up to date.

5. Architecture Repository
This is the toolkit for businesses. All of an organization's resources and procedures will be available. Teams are free to utilize whatever tools they need to achieve the framework's objectives.

6. Associated Best Practices
When an organization establishes uniformity in its operational processes, it is referred to as best practices. This ensures process consistency and compliance. However, it encourages openness so that teams are aware of the deliverables (documentation artifacts).

(ringcentral.com)

What Can Enterprise Architecture Do for You?

Promoting Alignment and Standardization

The goals for Enterprise Architecture are to promote alignment, standardization, reuse of existing IT assets, and the sharing of common methods for project management and software development across the organization. The end result, theoretically, is that the Enterprise Architecture will make IT less expensive, more strategic, and more responsive if used with the right software infrastructure.

“By 2021, 40% of organizations will use enterprise architects to help ideate new business innovations made possible by emerging technologies.”

Marcus Blosch, VP Analyst, Gartner

Main Blockers

Challenges in Maintaining EA Models

Creating and maintaining an Enterprise Architecture model that is both up-to-date and accurate is a difficult task due to the size and complexity of the models and the dispersed nature of EA information in organizations. Some Enterprise Architecture models that are maintained manually with only a little automation in some businesses can be time-consuming.

Documentation is not comprehensive — Despite numerous updates to the most popular frameworks created in the 80s and 90s, their modern versions may still be considered impractical or outdated. Filling the EA documentation gap requires resources that may not always be available
They can be time-consuming and inflexible — Most EA frameworks are less dynamic than modern business toolkits. They take time to plan out to gather requirements, are not change-friendly, require training to develop and present, and are more about documentation than system implementation
Complete integration is difficult — The limitations of each framework may not provide an opportunity for seamless integration of legacy systems with a company's new system, requiring adjustments that require additional resources

A Solution

Keep your enterprise architecture models current by gaining input both from human and technical interfaces and discuss implementation issues to ensure the processes will be realized in practice. Then, analyze which mature processes exist and how they relate to each other, start integrating systems, and reduce double data entry with business process automation.

Benefits of Enterprise Architecture

Boosted Productivity
Unified companies are better at adapting to change. And that means they are prepared for more changes in technology. A good Enterprise Architecture simplifies the flow of technology and tech systems. In addition, they free up specialists to focus on their areas of expertise.

Increased Clarity
Enterprise architects help push a company's mission to the front of the decision-making process. And, that can make choices much simpler. They help simplify tasks and boost the efficiency of information technology systems. This all saves time and gets the money streaming in a direction that's consistent with the company's goals.

Less Risk
Enterprise architects have a knack for simplifying information technology. And, that usually means safer IT. They can identify potential risks and improve system security. That also tends to turn into fewer big crashes or technological disasters.

A Focus on Measurability
It's hard to monitor progress without measurement tools. Enterprise architects can set up measurement tools, gather data, and improve a company's productivity and ROI, which in turn can set a company on a path to accomplishing its strategic goals.

Enable Growth
Companies need to innovate rapidly to stay competitive. Many organizations struggle to adopt newer technology like microservices, IoT, or cloud migration, or to implement the lean DevOps methodologies needed to keep pace in today’s digital world. These trends can bring considerable value by speeding up time to market, creating new revenue streams, reducing costs, and improving agility. Enterprise architects and enterprise architecture are in the best position to help their companies navigate digital transformation – which, if done properly, can lead to tremendous growth opportunities.

Ensure Compliance
Enterprise architects are integral in maintaining their company’s compliance with financial and government regulatory bodies. Take, for example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This regulation imposes unprecedented rules on the management of personal data. The GDPR proposes severe penalties for noncompliance – up to €20 million or 4% of the global annual turnover for the preceding financial year. Enterprise architects can clearly demonstrate GDPR compliance by ensuring all pertinent data is gathered and presented in a well-organized manner.

Reduce Complexity
As organizations experience organic and inorganic growth, IT landscapes can become unmanageable, and fast. This results in duplicate systems, inconsistent data, and reliance on patchwork integrations. Enterprise architects can tackle overcomplexity head-on by providing a roadmap for streamlining IT environments, which directly contributes to reducing costs.

Business Logic in Enterprise Architecture

The main objective of business logic in Enterprise Architecture, also known as Business Architecture, is understanding what the company's strategy is. Business logic seeks to bridge the gap between a company's strategic vision and its tangible operations, ensuring that value is delivered seamlessly from point A to point B. This streamlined approach not only bolsters efficiency but also fosters a more responsive and adaptive IT environment that can pivot as business needs evolve.

Communication is key, supported by documentation that outlines the company's most important business processes. Top managers usually meet once a month for four to eight hours. This meeting provides the opportunity to review performance and to make adjustments to the strategy and its execution. The underlying hypotheses of the company’s strategy can be tested and new actions initiated if needed. Unless all employees understand the strategy, the process will not run smoothly. You want employees to have:

1. Big Picture Thinking – Able to see the end result and how their work contributes to that end.

2. Attitude – A positive attitude and pride in what they are doing that show up in their work and its execution.

3. Connection to the Organization’s Mission – Employees who are aligned and connected with the organization’s mission, vision, values, and goals are happier, more engaged, and more productive employees.

Data in Enterprise Architecture

Data architecture encompasses the models, policies, rules, and standards that govern what data is collected and how it is stored, arranged, integrated, and used within an organization and its various systems. Great data architecture enables stakeholders to see business-critical information regardless of its source and relate to it from their unique perspectives.

Business process architecture represents the elements of a business and how they interact. It aims to align people, processes, data, technologies, and applications to meet organizational objectives. The end result is a real-world picture of how an organization functions, including opportunities to create, improve, harmonize, or eliminate processes to improve overall performance and profitability.

Application Architecture

Application Architecture maps the relationships that software applications have with each other. The architecture describes the interfaces that are provided or required by the applications and the way they interact to carry out the activities described in the business models such as the Business Process diagrams.

As many parts of IT become more automated, companies must decide whether buying, subscribing, or building software for these parts is a better approach. Choosing to build custom tools and applications to automate your business processes is often the better choice, but does that require managing an in-house software department team? No, you can contract with a software development company near you to build your application so that you don't have to manage a software company/department on your own. Even if you have an internal team, they may be consumed with other projects but they could absorb a new application if developed by an external team with your data and business architecture in mind.

Entrusting another company with building and maintaining platforms that are crucial for your business requires research. You must know your partner has the experience and will support you as you grow and your needs evolve. Close, personal contact goes far in maintaining a productive partnership, so determine which firms in your region you can trust to manage your software development. The SilverLogic, a South Florida company, has worked successfully as an extension team for renowned companies developing automated applications.

Technology in Enterprise Architecture (Hardware/IT)

Infrastructure technology architecture provides a blueprint for scaling up your hardware, storage systems, and networks. Business architecture is the most critical, but also the most difficult to implement, according to industry practitioners. The technology and risk management objective is to leverage transparency about important IT components to reduce complexity and resolve security vulnerabilities, compliance issues, and the inability to support the business. The expected results should be a full list of all applications in use, a full assessment of all software versions, servers, and data centers in use, and a direct analysis of how technology is affecting the business.

Architecture vs Enterprise Architecture

The term “architecture” pertains to the overarching structure and design of a specific IT solution or system. It's all about how different components (like databases, servers, and apps) mesh together, communicate, and function as a cohesive unit. It's akin to designing the layout of a single house, ensuring every room connects seamlessly. Meanwhile, "Enterprise Architecture" is the bigger picture view. It orchestrates how all IT systems within an organization interrelate and align with broader business strategies and objectives. If Architecture is about crafting a single house, Enterprise Architecture is like master planning a sprawling, interconnected neighborhood, making sure every house, road, and park fits perfectly within the larger ecosystem.

The Enterprise Architecture Frameworks

The Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture

As described on Zachman’s main website, The Zachman Framework™ IS NOT a methodology for creating the implementation (an instantiation) of the object. The Framework IS the ontology for describing the Enterprise. The Framework (ontology) is a STRUCTURE whereas a methodology is a PROCESS. A Structure is NOT a Process. A Structure establishes a definition whereas a Process provides Transformation.

“A Framework for Information Systems Architecture” (1987), a conceptual precursor to the “Zachman Framework”, as it appeared in Vol. 26., No. 3 of the IBM Systems Journal.

The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF)

The Open Group Architecture Framework is a framework for enterprise architecture that provides an approach for designing, planning, implementing, and governing an enterprise information technology architecture. TOGAF is a high-level approach to design. Its strategies have been iteratively improved upon for 25 years.

Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEAF)

Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework, an architectural framework designed initially for use by the U.S. Government to integrate its federal agencies, is a collaborative planning methodology that has become a popular EA model used in private enterprises.

Looking for Growth?

Assess Your Software Architecture

Since technology is advancing so rapidly, many firms are left with a patchwork of systems, applications, and software, which has resulted in a technological mess. Enterprise architecture takes a holistic approach to boosting business productivity, getting entire corporations on the same page by pulling together all operations and systems. Taking a look at a company's different technologies, information systems, and processes, good enterprise architecture helps shift and unite those entities toward common company goals.

The SilverLogic: Your Software Solution Partner

Consider partnering with The SilverLogic, an award-winning custom software engineering company based in Boca Raton, Florida. Our team leverages cutting-edge technologies and tools to develop custom solutions that save businesses time and money and turn costly business problems or bottlenecks into streamlined profitable solutions. Since 2012, we have transformed clients’ ideas and the vision of their ideal business into reality by enhancing client experience or reducing operating costs, resulting in their investment paying for itself.

Incorporating Enterprise Architecture into your organization can be a transformative step toward achieving your strategic goals. It simplifies complexity, reduces risk, and fosters growth, all while ensuring compliance and maximizing productivity. So, embrace the power of Enterprise Architecture and chart your path to success.