IT Architecture from A to Z: Theoretical basis. First Edition

• Enterprise survey

° Main goals and objectives;

° Precise identification of the project objectives and goals;

° Formulation of functional and technical requirements for the project;

° Infrastructure audit of the enterprise IT system for the design of the solution architecture;

° Shaping the enterprise’s ongoing business processes, automated within the project;

° Obtaining data to justify the number of licenses;

° Evaluation of the resources required for the project;

° Project risk assessment;

° Development of a preliminary project plan, schedule and specification of supplies for each stage and whole project.

• Survey results:

° Report on the situation “As is”;

° Proposal for creating an information system “As required”;

° Proposal for “functional and technical requirements of the project”;

° Project implementation plan;

° Project risk assessment and proposals for their minimization;

° Estimated cost of the pilot project and final solution.

• Supply of necessary hardware and functional solutions for the business units automation:

° Adaptation and adjustment of basic and development of new solutions (if required) in accordance with the functional and technical requirements obtained at the survey stage;

° Deploying a platform with basic document processing and storage services;

° Trial operation of the solution;

° Integration with ERP-system;

° Putting the system into commercial operation.

• Training of technical staff and users.

• Providing additional functionality, i.e. the work allocated at the stage of the survey in separate stages.

Framework is a ready-made methodology and a set of supporting tools to be adapted for use in a particular company. Framework contains typical architectural processes, recommendations for their adaptation for a specific company, recommendations for creating templates of architectural artifacts, requirements for their filling, requirements for architects and much more.

“The Enterprise Architecture model” diagram

The Enterprise Architecture model can be divided into several key levels (categories):

•A business architecture contains the company strategy, management approach, organizational structure and key business processes.

•An information system architecture describes arrangement or potential arrangement of the company’s information systems. An information system architecture can be divided into two subgroups:

•Application architecture shows the business applications deployed in the company, their interaction and relationship with the company’s business processes.

•Data architecture contains a description of the logical and physical structure of the company’s data, as well as the approach and means of data management.

•Technical architecture describes the software and equipment required to deploy business services, data and applications, IT infrastructure, application servers, networks, telecommunications, standards, etc.

“Enterprise Architecture documentation level”

The next level of hierarchy can be:

•Strategic architecture – describes the entire company. At this level, you are not immersed in the peculiarities of specific departments, business areas, etc. The strategic architecture focuses on the company’s overall strategies, business processes, investments, data, systems and technologies. Its primary focus is the implementation of the company’s strategy. At this level, principles and priorities are defined, the common IT services are created for the whole company.

• Segment architecture is the architecture of the company’s activities, the program of projects or a separate subdivision. The company will have several segments like this. At this level, you are immersed in the peculiarities and requirements of a particular subdivision, function, or company within an organization. You study the IT business case with departmental leadership. The segment architecture should have the same structure and shared services as the strategic architecture does.

• Solution architecture is the architecture of a specific IT solution. It is used to implement new or adjust the current IT solutions, services or their parts. It considers both the common requirements for the entire company and the specific needs identified at the segment architecture level. The solution architecture is limited to a single project, process, or function. The solution architecture is studies in the most thorough way. It allows avoiding unpleasant surprises in the future as the project is implemented.

IT maturity levels

In the organization grows and develops, the IT department also goes through several stages of its development. Building an Enterprise Architecture one should take into account the maturity level of the entire organization and IT in particular. The following stages and symptoms of the IT department state can be distinguished:

Initial or “localization”

The company rapidly develops or purchases information systems that give value to a particular business unit or function. The main symptoms of this stage of development are:

• IT department is secondary;

• No IT department strategy;

• No IT department budget;

• IT department acts upon request only;

• Managerial staff is concerned in maximum savings;

• Service within the business department (administration, finance) in the organizational structure of the company.

Development or “standardization”

The company moves from closure of the needs of individual business units or functions and increases IT efficiency by standardizing technology and infrastructure. The main symptoms of this stage of development: are: