Rise of Enterprise Architecture 2.0
"A traditional EA approach that focuses on technical and solution architecture is no longer enough to meet the needs of today's enterprises," says Saul Brand, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner.
Enterprise architects are now in charge of integrating intelligence into the operating and business models, looking for ways to support their organization's data, analytics, and artificial intelligence for planning, monitoring, and managing their digital business investments.
Though EA emerged years ago, it was not prosperous. But now, EA 2.0 is embraced by many organizations for it to be better shaped and better comprehended by the corporates.
By 2023, 60% of EA practices will incorporate intelligence into their business and operating models to assist with strategy creation and implementation.
Enterprise Architecture?
The concept of enterprise architecture (EA) can be defined as a discipline in which enterprises proactively and holistically respond to disruptive forces by identifying and analyzing changes toward their business vision.
Using Enterprise Architecture, businesses can ensure that their people, equipment, and technology investments are aligned with their goals, strategies, and operations.
When an organization needs to make changes to its business, information, processes, or technology to carry out its strategies, enterprise architecture helps it do so by applying the principles and practices of architecture. Such techniques employ multiple enterprise components to discover, inspire, and implement these changes.
Enterprise architects are in charge of analyzing the organizational structure and business processes. They must conclude from the data they have gathered to address the objectives of enterprise architecture, which include effectiveness, efficiency, agility, and continuity of complex business operations.
Layers of Enterprise Architecture
The following are the four most commonly used EA domains.
1. The business architecture domain explains the organizational structure of the enterprise and the functional capabilities required to realize the business vision. Business architecture responds to the queries: WHAT and WHO.
- What are the organization's business vision, strategy, and goals that direct the development of business services or capabilities?
- Who is carrying out specific company functions or services?
2. Individual applications, their interactions, and their connections to the organization's primary business processes are all described in the application architecture domain. The HOW of previously established business services or capabilities is addressed by application architecture.
3. The domain of data architecture describes the logical and physical data assets, as well as the data management resources, of an organization. Data analytics provides knowledge about clients, allowing them to improve and develop their business procedures continuously.
4. The software and hardware required to implement the business, data, and application services are guided by the technology architecture domain. There are well-known artifacts, diagrams, and practices in each discipline.
Benefits of EA
- Alignment of business and technology.
- Consistency in a federated landscape.
- Interoperability and information sharing.
- Return on investment.
- Achieve flexibility and agility.
The Rise of Enterprise Architecture as a Service (EAaaS)
The critical issue with enterprise architecture is that small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) find it challenging to hire dedicated enterprise architects and instead choose domain-specific architects. With rising digitization, the demand for EA specialists is increasing. With such expectations, the company encounters a particular difficulty: it is unrealistic to hire EA professionals on a full-time basis. Such issues have been addressed with a fresh model—called the Enterprise Architecture as a Service (EAaaS).
The goal of EA As A Service is to provide value in creating and applying an enterprise architecture.
Similar to other "as-a-service" models, EAaaS is based on the idea of assigning a centralized group of enterprise architects with a particular set of domain-specific business activities and duties. EAaaS refers to the centralized group handling all planning, analysis, and architectural management.
What specific steps does EAaaS take to close the cost gap?
Domains do not demand architecture support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a result, especially for SMEs, an EA specialist may not always be required and may be assigned to other projects. EAaaS has a sound influence in this area. EAaaS requires only payment for the consultation essential for any EA service and does not demand anything on the technology part. Because of this, domains produce the same value with less expense, whereby multiple ideologies fit into the business architecture without much investment.
Understanding the distinction between an EA and an EA as a service will help you comprehend why your company must implement it.
Deliverables
Deliverability is critical when comparing EA and EAaaS. EAaaS is a strategy for streamlining every stage of production—so that a superior, fully structured system can be created. EAaaS avoids ambiguous claims and definitions so that a domain business can implement IT tools and system integration through the viability of each solution.
Mindset
The overall attitude of IT leadership alludes to a unique method where deliverables are taken into account once EA is completed. Enterprise Architecture as a Service generates and delivers results through available services throughout the production life cycle. This contrasts with the EA strategy, where outcomes are produced only at the end.
Setting reasonable goals
A significant part of the software lifecycle is expectations. When domains employ EA, there is uncertainty regarding what may and cannot be made. For example, if an EA is created for a particular purpose, the necessary finances may not be acquired, resulting in a loss of confidence among stakeholders. Presentations and visualization of IT goals are one thing, but turning them into a reality for a practical use case is a much bigger problem.
Businesses misapplied EA, and the anticipated results were not realized. When enablement is more critical, some companies still prioritize compliance.
EA is changing the game with a service-based philosophy that focuses on enablement alongside essential enhancements.
"Enterprise as a Service" Is Economical.
Here is how.
Accessibility
The topic of "How are we going to access and communicate with the essential services, tools, and architects?" is frequently asked because a single party handles the EA. The use of an EAaaS does not compromise accessibility in any manner. EAaaS components facilitate access through user-friendly interfaces, both automated and human, which means no hindrance to technical development.
Modularity
Modular development is essential. Smaller applications might not benefit from modularity, whereas larger applications can significantly benefit from it. Modularity is supported by EAaaS, allowing any domain component or process to be upgraded or altered without adversely affecting the rest of the system. Sounds economical, right?
Reusability
Reusability is an essential component of any software architecture, much like modularity. Reusability is the ability to reuse already existing IT assets. This concept of reusability was introduced by EAaaS, which can shorten the development lifetime, saving time and money.
Flexibility
The dynamic aspect of architectural design is its flexibility. A lack of flexibility under certain circumstances even calls for significant changes to the base code and architectural layout, which is time-consuming. But with EAaaS, flexibility, irrespective of time, saves many funds, uncompromising the technology growth of the organization.
Portability
The ability to use an architecture's components in various applications is called portability. EAaaS facilitates the migration of particular system modules to other systems, speeding up the delivery of products.
And thus, applications created utilizing EAaaS can be accelerated and deployed on time, allowing all project deadlines to be met.
This article must have enlightened you about one of the trending services. Ready to adopt it for your enterprise? Here are a few suggestions on areas of its implementation.
- Development Services to construct the appropriate EA components at the proper time.
- Service for the Development of Architecture
- Service for Architectural Inventory (Archeology Service)
- Customer Service Capability Roadmaps
- Analysis of Gaps
- Process optimization for services
- Services for Architectural Development
- Management Services to guarantee that the EA initiatives constantly generate value.
- Benefits for the Architecture Repository Repository
- Architecture review and assessment services
- Service of contractor evaluation
- Services to support decisions in portfolio governance
- Consulting for Governance
- Program for Compliance Creation and Compliance Evaluation
- Collaboration and Buy-in Services to Ensure the Right People are Involved in the Organization
- Service for Soliciting Requirements
- Workshop facilitation services for architects
- Service for Tradeoff and Risk Management
These services prove that EA as a service can be enforced in any discipline of a company. Therefore, offering Enterprise Architecture services is suitable for developing technology without making a significant investment, whether the firm assisting is inside the organization or outside.
