Following a rigorous methodology is key to delivering customer satisfaction and expanding analytics use cases across the business.
Gartner defines Enterprise Architecture (EA) as “a discipline for proactively and holistically leading enterprise responses to disruptive forces by identifying and analyzing the execution of change toward desired business vision and outcomes. EA delivers value by presenting business and IT leaders with signature-ready recommendations for adjusting policies and projects to achieve target business outcomes that capitalize on relevant business disruptions. EA is used to steer decision making toward the evolution of the future state architecture."
Today’s businesses are demanding new digital technology and other emerging technology tools, including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, to keep pace with evolving markets and consumer expectations. In this environment of total digitization, the centrality of the consumer experience is paramount. These demands are straining technology organizations that try to implement new technology within existing enterprise architecture. In fact, the old-school approach to enterprise architecture which was driven purely by technical objectives hinders the ability to use emerging technologies to improve business agility, speed, and innovation. This stove-piped approach of developing point solutions has left organizations with a huge technical debt in terms of fragmented, redundant and siloed environments. In contrast, modern enterprise architecture must be modular, layered, and flexible with enforced data abstraction. This approach allows businesses to form a complete and common view of information, guidance, and direction. It also enables them to stay responsive to technology changes while minimizing large scale costly application overhaul and business disruption.
The goal of Enterprise Architecture is to apply sound architectural principles and practices to guide organizations through the business, information, process, and technology changes necessary to execute their strategies. To thrive and stay competitive in both up and down markets, companies across industries must adapt to the increased pace of business. They must be able to make decisions faster, respond to customers faster, and bring new products and capabilities to market faster.
EA must take into account:
What the modern enterprise needs most is the ability to achieve the realization of business strategy from information technology. Enterprise Architecture should be able to show how all the disparate technologies, business processes, functions, and operations are stitched together to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
An advanced modern Enterprise Architecture is a prerequisite to effectively implementing a digital strategy that the business is demanding. Today’s enterprise architecture must be dynamic to handle rapidly evolving business needs through continuous review of products and services from customer service and supply chain to operations and human resources.
Informatica’s Enterprise and Cloud Data Management platform of enablers delivers on the key tenets of a modern enterprise architecture by:
EA helps business and IT leaders capture, understand and articulate opportunities, challenges and risks – including security. Three major benefits of EA are:
The higher-level Capability Model can be expressed in a more detailed structural format showcasing the holistic view of business and IT integration overall. Below is a sample reference model that can easily be adapted for any industry vertical as well as cloud implementation.
Informatica's sample Reference Architecture provides an end-to-end modular template solution to increase agility, reduce solution delivery time, and create a shared vision.
A sample iPaaS Reference Architecture used in Informatica workshops
Enterprise Architects must perform analysis of business structures and processes to draw conclusions for addressing the goals of enterprise architecture (e.g., effectiveness, efficiency, agility, elasticity, and continuity of complex business operations through thoughtful application of technology). To successfully execute their role, Enterprise Architects must have:
Architecture and technology must be fluid and flexible, capable of incrementally adapting in weeks or months rather than several years.
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Enterprise scale organizations and structures designed to power data management excellence.
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Power key business initiatives and ensure regulatory compliance.
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