Issue 4-2

Whenever business undergoes a change of focus, there is a resurgence of interest in the topic of “business-IT alignment.” Whether we transition into a period of economic uncertainty with greater attention to costs, into an opportunistic period of market repositioning through M&A, or into a period of competitive differentiation through innovation, there is a renewed focus on IT and its performance in serving the business—that “alignment” thing.

Which Is Harder: Blueprinting Manhattan or Building an Enterprise Architecture? Well, It Depends.   To reinvent themselves, support their missions, and improve upon day-to-day operations, government organizations are actively pursuing business transformation. This is no trivial undertaking for government agencies with complex enterprises, hundreds of business processes, and thousands of systems. To ensure compliance with regulations, save money by avoiding redundant systems, and simplify business processes, agencies are codifying their enterprise architecture.

Large banking organizations are always looking to consolidate IT and improve business efficiency. Historically, banks have developed their business and their technology organically and reactively to meet immediate business needs that have led to extreme and uncoordinated complexity. In the past few years, the regulatory demands placed on banks in the form of MiFiD, Basel II, and Sarbanes-Oxley have clearly demonstrated that these complex environments are extremely difficult to manage and change.

For centuries, engineers from many different disciplines have had to deal with the topic of risk. No architect, for example, can design any building without taking into consideration various risks arising from a multitude of sources, ranging from the possibility of material fatigue to fire or other natural hazards.

Bridging Business and IT Strategies

There are ways in which the enterprise can govern itself. No one person has to be the focal point for managing change across the enterprise. In fact, the correct way to maintain the link between business and IT strategy is through a systemic process. This article describes a governance process that provides an ongoing systemic solution to managing IT strategy and architecture blueprints at the enterprise level.

Sometimes it feels like a question of fairness. Even as technology has simplified and become almost invisible to most audiences, the complexity of maintaining technology is reaching a breaking point for information technology (IT) organizations. While digital sales and marketing channels proliferate and increase a company’s dependency on technology, little time is invested between the lines of business and IT to communicate corporate goals and how technology can support these goals.