Preface

In today's business climate, the rules of competition have changed. Organizations are forced to eliminate the process of reinventing the wheel each time a new business problem arises that forces the enhancement of an existing system or implementation of a new one. Enterprise architecture is the practice that allows organizations to build foundations they need to survive and adapt to present and future business challenges. Sound enterprise architecture supports the ability to stay agile, provides for increased return on investment, and creates a framework for making future technology decisions.

Enterprise architecture identifies the main components of an organization and how components in the organization's nervous system function together to achieve defined business objectives. These components include personnel, business processes, technology, financial information and other resources. If decisions about components and their interrelationships are uncoordinated, minimally effort and resources will be duplicated; performance and management problems will arise and will result in the loss of agility. Enterprise architecture done correctly will ensure the choice of appropriate components and will specify how each component will operate together in a fluid manner that increases organizational efficiencies.

Enterprise architecture is one of the most challenging roles in information technology today. Many aspects of the role are technical while much more of it is about interaction. Many people who have this position have significant responsibility but do not have authority or control. Enterprise architecture as an area of study allows one to focus on interesting, complex problems, to advance on the corporate ladder, and to maintain technical competencies while making a colossal difference to the enterprise.

Enterprise architecture requires skill sets not normally taught in university curriculum or acquired on the job. Even good architectures are rarely accepted without formidable challenges. The successful architect has to overcome any aversion to politics and become the evangelist of architecture in the eyes of its various stakeholders. Architects cannot simply buy into any vision that is articulated. Any involvement in the implementation of enterprise architecture requires one to understand it. The most successful architecture will have an architect that can describe the motivation behind architectural choices. Likewise, a successful architecture has an architect who leads the architecture team, the development team, the technical direction of the enterprise, and sometimes the organization itself. The primary focus of this book is to be a guide and trusted advisor to those who want to be successful in this role.



Practical Guide to Enterprise Architecture, A
A Practical Guide to Enterprise Architecture
ISBN: 0131412752
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 148

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