Enterprise Architecture Frameworks and Value

Enterprise Architecture will form an integral part of ongoing IT strategies in 2012.  This Reality Checker discusses the prevalence and maturity of EA frameworks and processes, benefits that organisations are realising and tools used successfully. 

There has been staunch advocacy of an Enterprise Architecture (EA) approach over the past few years - one of the key benefits highlighted is that EA can ensure that an organisation's business needs drive its IT plans, and that those plans then focus on achieving the business needs.  For others, however, EA remains a challenge, either difficult to justify in terms of resource, or an initiative gradually running out of steam or business support. And with it now imperative for all teams and functions to be able to demonstrate the value added to the enterprise, EA, where value can be hard to assess, presents a particular issue.

In November and December 2011 The Corporate IT Forum conducted a Reality Checker survey to understand the prevalence and maturity of EA frameworks and processes, benefits that organisations are realising and tools used successfully.  Key findings show that processes are relatively immature and not measured formally.  Contributing organisations represent an annual IT spend of £9.2billion and employ over 1 million people.