Enterprise Architecture (EA) for
Dummies
Explore The Enterprise
Architecture
Toolkit
Enterprise
Architecture is
a framework or "blueprint" for how the organization achieves the
business objectives at hand and in the future. The Enterprise
Architecture looks at the key business, information, application,
and technology strategies and their impact on business functions.
Each of these strategies is a separate architectural discipline and
Enterprise Architecture is the glue that integrates each of these
disciplines into a cohesive framework.
Enterprise
architecture for Dummies, or in other words, how in an easy way to
explain what Enterprise Architecture is.
A
building’s architecture is more than a set of blueprints. High-level
diagrams explain
the
concept of the architecture to the owners of the building and allow
them to
decide
if the overall approach will meet their needs. Second-level diagrams
lay out
the
basic units, the foundation, rooms and roofs. These elements must be
designed
with
each of the other units in mind. A foundation must have the strength
to support
the
rooms. If the house has two or three stories, the foundation must be
proportionally stronger.
More
bathrooms require more water heating capacity and larger
pipes.
More
electrical capacity must be routed to rooms that are going to house
utilities,
like
dishwashers or dryers. In other words, there may be different
blueprints, one for
the
foundation, one for the layout of the rooms, one for the electrical
systems, and
still
another for the plumbing, but there must ultimately be relationships
among the
various
blueprints to assure the house, as a whole, works as it
should.
Similarly,
one group in an organization may survey the competitive environment
and
recommend
changes in strategy and new goals. Another group may define
business
processes,
and still another may create designs for new software applications.
The
enterprise
architecture defines all of these elements, and also defines how
they fit
together
to assure the organization functions as
intended.
