The SIM Guide to Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise architecture is leading IT's way to the executive boardroom, as CIOs are now taking their place at the management table. Organizations investing their time, money, and talent in enterprise architecture (EA) have realized significant process improvement and competitive advantage. However, as these organizations discovered, it is one thing to acquire a game-changing technology but quite another to discover ways to use it well. A project of the Society for Information Management's Enterprise Architecture Working Group and edited by Leon A. Kappelman, The SIM Guide to Enterprise Architecture provides insights from leading authorities on EA, including John Zachman, Larry DeBoever, George Paras, Jeanne Ross, and Randy Hite. The book supplies a solid understanding of key concepts for effectively leveraging EA to redesign business processes, integrate services, and become an Information Age enterprise. Beginning with a look at current theory and frameworks, the book discusses the practical application of enterprise architecture and includes a wealth of best practices, resources, and references. It contains the SIM survey of IT organizations' EA activities, which provides important metrics for evaluating progress and success. Successful businesses exploit synergy among business functions and push the boundaries of process design. IT's cross-functional position uniquely qualifies it to lead process innovation. EA lets CIOs integrate technology with business vision and is the roadmap for implementing new systems, changing behavior, and driving value. This book explores the vision, foundation, and enabling technology required to successfully transform organizations with enterprise architecture.