For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Characterizing EA Teams And Their Challenges

by Alex Cullen, Katie Smillie, August 6, 2009

Forrester has seen that the mission and operating model of enterprise architecture teams can be characterized along two dimensions: orientation (technology-oriented or business-oriented) and focus (project-focused or strategy-focused). These two dimensions . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

European Airline Aims To Delight Passengers Through RFID Bag Tracking

Event-Driven Solution Lowers Costs While Promoting Happy Travelers

by Mike Gilpin, July 15, 2009

Processing lost bags costs airlines a lot of money: more than $1,200 per thousand passengers, not to mention the inconvenience to passengers. Thus, airlines are highly motivated to apply new technology to solving this problem. Through an innovative combination . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Role Overview: Virtual Infrastructure Architect

by Galen Schreck, Rachel A. Dines, June 25, 2009

As the adoption of virtualization across servers, storage, and networks continues to climb and organizations push to larger implementations of virtual infrastructure, a new question arises: Who is going to manage your virtual infrastructure? Sure, you . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Virtual Infrastructure Architect - Job Profile And Description  (32 KB XLS)

by Galen Schreck, Rachel A. Dines, June 23, 2009

Position overview: The virtual infrastructure (VI) architect is responsible for managing all of the virtualized infrastructure across technology domains (this usually does not include the virtual desktop).

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Wireless Architect - Job Profile And Description  (36 KB XLS)

by Chris Silva, March 31, 2009

Position overview: Wireless architect professional has the expertise to design and manage wireless networks by making mission-critical and business-critical wireless network decision.

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

EA Pros: Must-Read Research In An Economic Downturn

by Gene Leganza, Randy Heffner, October 28, 2008

Economists are debating the length and depth of the economic impact of the credit crunch and the October market meltdown. What can enterprise architects do to survive or — dare we think it — excel during an economic downturn? Enterprise architects must . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Global Telecom Manufacturer Uses Automated Discovery To Develop Its Enterprise Architecture

Case Study: Finding Out What You Do Not Know But Should Know

by Charles Brett, September 16, 2008

In an organization with applications spread across 500 networks and many more subnets, knowing what is running where and with what interdependencies is beyond purely human capabilities. A global telecom manufacturer with production and operational facilities . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Infrastructure Architects Link Technology Strategy With Long-Term EA And Business Goals

by Gene Leganza, Katie Smillie, July 16, 2008

The specifics of various architecture roles have become a hot topic as enterprise architecture (EA) practices have matured. A common role in many organizations is the infrastructure architect. A recent Forrester survey reveals that most enterprise architects . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

European Financial Services Architecture Shows Clear Strategic Direction

Enterprise Architects Need To Consider Value Delivery And Additional Options

by Jost Hoppermann, January 22, 2008

In the first half of 2007, Forrester surveyed enterprise architects, IT planners, and IT strategists in European financial services firms to get their take on the current state of architecture strategy. The survey yielded three key insights about their . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Enterprise Architects Should Use 3G For Site Backup, Not To "Cut The Cord"

by Lisa Pierce, February 22, 2007

Companies with several hundred or more small locations have faced many difficulties locating affordable, ubiquitous, and reliable access to support key internal and customer-facing applications. Many companies also are looking for better pricing and performance . . .

How To Manage Your Technology Portfolio

Using A Technology Life-Cycle Management Process

by Alex Cullen, October 26, 2006

Many enterprises struggle to manage the financial and labor costs incurred through technology diversity because of the absence of a formal process for approving and adopting new technologies and retiring older ones. By establishing a technology life-cycle . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Choosing A Strategic Systems Architecture

New Selection Criteria For Mission-Critical Unix Environments

by Brad Day, June 29, 2006

Most firms build their Unix server systems selection criteria based on the technology feature/functionality of the components — microprocessor type, micro-architecture design, and the server designs — applied against the optimization of select applications . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

ERP Applications — Market Outlook Improves Ahead Of The Architectural Battle

by Paul D. Hamerman, June 29, 2006

Companies using enterprise resource planning (ERP) software face difficult upgrade decisions and rising ownership costs as software vendors promote enhancements to drive support agreement renewals. Technical architecture advancement based on service-oriented . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

US Federal Enterprise Architects Are Committed To SOA, But Procurement Gets Complicated

by Gene Leganza, April 12, 2006

Forrester recently surveyed 20 federal enterprise architects to discover how they view the role of service-oriented architecture (SOA) in their agencies. They tell us that both the program areas and agency IT groups appreciate the value of SOA. More significantly, . . .

Conflict Resolution Within the Technical Architecture Processes

February 19, 2003

Because regular conflicts are to be expected in dealing with technical architecture issues, it is important to have a clear escalation path for conflict resolution.

Architecture Principles for Storage Technology Decisions

by Gene Leganza, Bob Zimmerman, January 27, 2003

Organizations that do not complete architecture definition for storage technology will miss an opportunity to coordinate architecture definition in this highly technical area, risking squandering considerable budgetary and human resources.