What is Enterprise Architecture ?

Enterprise architecture is a term used to describe the practices associated with understanding and modelling an enterprise with the aim of identifying opportunities for optimisation and improvement. Examples include:

• Understanding the nature of an organisation(s) prior to conducting an acquisition or mergers
• Understanding the business and IT capabilities present in an existing organisation in order to identify deficiencies and/or opportunities for optimisation, for example, after a period of rapid growth.

Here is a presentation we prepared some time ago to help explain some of the concepts and management disciplines that are involved.

In addition we have a number of examples of IT system architectures for different industries that may be useful as reference models or as a comparison against your own.  Some examples include:

• Energy Distribution
• Energy Retailing
• Funds and Investment Management
• Transport and Logistics.