Last updated on August 9, 2019

A Brief History of Enterprise Architecture

(From Arnab Chattopadhaya ‘s Enterprise Security Architecture)

Enterprise Architectural Methodologies

• Consortia-developed Frameworks

– ISO 19439

– RM-ODP (ITU-T X.901-904)

– TOGAF

• Defense Industry Framework

– DoDAF

– MODAF

– NAF

• Government Framework

– ESAAF

– FEAF

– NIST Enterprise Architecture Model

• Open Source Frameworks

– TRAK

– SABSA

• Proprietary Frameworks

• Zachman Frameworks

• IAF (Capgemini,  1993)

Case Study to Compare Zachman Framework (Taxonomy) with TOFAF

How Zachman Taxonomy can help DreamKart – Summary

• Five ways Zachman Taxonomy can help:

– Ensure that every stakeholder’s perspective has been considered for every descriptive focal point

– Improve the DreamKart Enterprise Architecture artifacts themselves by sharpening each of their focus points to one particular concern for one particular audience

– Ensure that all of CxO’s business requirements can be traced down to some technical implementation

– Convince Business function of the organization that the technical team isn’t planning on building a bunch of useless functionality

– Convince Technology team that the business folks are including IT teams in their planning

What Zachman Taxonomy does not  provide

• Does not provide step-by-step process to create new architecture

• Does not provide much help in validating an architecture

• Does not provide help in deciding future architecture

• Inference: Zachman alone would not be sufficient to meet DreamKart’s challenges

TOGAF compliments Zachman

– Zachman tells how to categorize architecture artifacts

– TOGAF gives the process to create them

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EA = S (Strategy) + B (Business) + T (Technology)

Technology = Information / Data + Systems / Applications+ Networks / Infrastructure

Core is ADM.

ADM = ARCHITECTURE DEVELOPMENT METHOD

There are four major parts to Enterprise Architecture:

  • Business Architecture
  • Data or Information Architecture
  • Application Architecture
  • Technology Architecture

There are six overall elements to TOGAF documentation (see fig):

  1. Architecture Capability: This element offers guidance to those looking to set up an Enterprise Architecture practice.  It offers organizational models and defines roles and responsibilities.
  2. Architecture Development Method (ADM): The central element to TOGAF. The ADM provides a step-by-step approach to developing an enterprise architecture.
  3. Guidelines & Techniques: Building on the previous element, this piece helps in adapting and customizing the ADM based on the more specific nature of your business.
  4. Reference Models: This element offers two architectural reference models, these being the TOGAF Technical Reference Model (TRM), and the Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model (III-RM).
  5. Enterprise Continuum & Tools: This addresses the taxonomies and tools to classify and store the enterprise’s architecture activity output. The Enterprise Continuum offers a view of the Architecture Repository. This view shows the related architectures and their evolution; from generic to specific, from abstract to concrete and from logical to physical.
  6. Architecture Content Framework: This element outlines the TOGAF content framework.

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References: 

  • Enterprise Security Architecture—A Top-down Approach : Enterprise frameworks, such as Sherwood Applied Business Security Architecture (SABSA), COBIT and The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF), can help achieve this goal of aligning security needs with business needs.