What is enterprise architecture?

According to the Federation of EA Professional Organisations, enterprise architecture is "a well-defined practice for conducting enterprise analysis, design, planning, and implementation, using a holistic approach at all times, for the successful development and execution of strategy".

That work is delegated to the enterprise architect, who reviews the structure and processes of the business and aligns them to effectiveness, efficiency, agility and durability.

Enterprise architecture defined

• The description of an enterprise as a system, in terms of its components, their inter-relationships, and the principles and guidelines governing the design and its evolution
• Usually produced to identify the gaps between the current state and a desired future state
• It provides a roadmap for the organisation to reach its goals and deliver its objectives
• It is often described at several levels of breadth and depth
• At its most effective it enables the execution of an organisation's strategy
• IT architecture is a major enabling component of an enterprise architecture, not a synonym for it

Why would I need it?

• Effective management and exploitation of information is central to business success and competitive advantage
• A good enterprise architecture pulls a fragmented legacy of manual and automated processes into an integrated environment
• It gives the organisation a way to respond to change
• It supports the delivery of the business strategy
• It holds the balance between IT efficiency and business innovation

Business drivers

• Mergers and acquisitions, and integrating the cultures of disparate organisations
• Getting people to work together more effectively
• Increasing profitability and improving return on investment
• Complying with government regulation cost-effectively
• Managing operational costs through right-sizing
• Better use of IT resources and assets
• A changing business environment, new technology and new markets

The framework

The most widely used framework for governing enterprise architecture is The Open Group Architecture Framework, the TOGAF® Standard. It gives a method, a content framework and a shared vocabulary, which is why it travels well between organisations and why employers use certification in it as a benchmark.