Published: 01 July 2002
ID: G00108654
Analyst(s): Roger Woolfe, Marcus Blosch
An IT architecture is a set of guidelines and standards for bringing order into the otherwise chaotic world of information systems. The benefits can be significant: lower costs, improved inter-operability and easier system maintenance, just to mention three. But the challenges are considerable. IT architectures can hold a business back by setting it in electronic concrete. They're hard to justify, and they lead to political tensions. This report explains how to decide when and where you need an architecture, how to design and document an architecture and how to deploy and evolve the most appropriate architecture approach for your enterprise.
Executive Summary
SECTION 1 Diagnosing when you need an IT architecture, where and how much
SECTION 2 Designing and documenting an architecture
SECTION 3 Managing deployment and evolution of an IT architecture
SECTION 4 Focusing on the CSFs
SECTION 5 Case histories
SECTION 6 Further reading
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