"The end product of your architectures is about how you go about providing the information at the least cost," Tan says. "And it goes down to your technology. You have to manage your technology diversity. You must make sure that your technology is sufficient, and also up to date, and that it is actually flexible so when there is a better technology on the horizon you can switch across."
Experts say the benefits of having an EA are potentially manifold. According to Bernus, when it comes to the day-to-day running of the business, using enterprise architecture to improve the way the organisation does business and uses its technology and people creates many efficiency dividends. Equally important are the wider benefits, including providing the organisation with an enhanced ability to respond rapidly to change. "It allows the enterprise to develop a survival capability and flexibility and dynamism, which otherwise is very hard to achieve," Bernus says.
And it vastly improves the organisation's chances of achieving true business/IT alignment. "Successful deployment and use of enterprise architecture will provide an environment in which IT solutions can be more closely aligned with business requirements," says Chris Nugent, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing, Popkin Software. "With rapid pace of change and the competitive pressures in the commercial world, business-IT alignment is typically the number one problem facing IT today."
Nugent says the benefits of a well-deployed enterprise architecture include: Quality IT systems built in line with the requirements of the business with less deviation, greater interoperability and greater adherence to standards. Investment protection the IT infrastructure and applications represent enormous investments in time and money. They should be built to last and easy to maintain. Lowered costs enterprise-wide standards open the way for streamlined operations, volume purchase agreements and significantly reduced support costs. Faster time-to-market - greater reuse of processes, knowledge and designs leads to faster implementation using proven techniques.
Nugent says synchronising business requirements, strategy, infrastructure and processes with IT infrastructure, data, systems and processes within an enterprise architecture can achieve business-IT alignment. But he notes a successful EA requires a strong buy-in and support at all levels, from the executive to the development team, not to mention a high degree of governance and effective knowledge management. And he warns deployment of an EA is a typically a significant challenge for an organisation.
"Strategies for enterprise architecture can be reduced to purely academic exercises if there is no effective mechanism for deployment of the standards, monitoring their effectiveness and maintaining them in line with an ever-changing knowledge base," Nugent says.
Australian Defence Force (ADF) is completely overhauling its information environment following the endorsement of a centralised enterprise architecture framework as recommended by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO).
The office is working to a three-year plan to embed an architectures approach to improve the design and management of the Defence Information Environment (DIE). The task to embed an architectural approach into the design of the DIE is being pursued under the following guidance: Architecture must not be imposed as new work onto old practices.
Only architect for a purpose: just enough just in time, concentrating on problem areas.
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