Just as an architect defines the overall design of a building and the components that it can be built from, Enterprise Architecture (EA) designs the overall framework for the University’s Information Technology (IT) and the services that IT provides.

EA is not just technology: it includes data, software, hardware, user experience, and also business organisation and processes.

Why do we need EA?

This animated Youtube video gives an introduction to EA in under 4 minutes.

In the University of Edinburgh, we use some slightly different terminology – for example, the person that the video calls a “project architect”, we call a “solution architect” – but the basic ideas are the same.

EA in a nutshell

EA provides a high-level design of how hardware systems, data, software applications, business processes and operating models work together to provide the University’s services.

EA promotes standards that maximize interoperation, minimize duplication, and simplify processes.

EA provides a common view of the University’s administrative data that gives users consistent and timely information, and gives management the evidence they need to make informed decisions.

EA designs the IT building blocks that developers put together to create services that provide a modern, consistent user experience.

EA advises the IT strategy to ensure our services are strategic, user-centred, reliable, secure, data-driven and sustainable.

Why Enterprise Architecture? – a short video / Enterprise Architecture by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0