IT Architecture

IT Architecture

IT Architecture is designed by a set of agreements decisions on policies & principles, services & common solutions, standards & guidelines as well as specific vendor products used by IT providers both inside and outside the Information Technology Branch (ITB). The major activities associated with producing an IT Architecture will be the process of achieving such agreements. It is understood that reaching may constrain purchase and design options, hopefully in the interest of enhancing interoperability. It is a given that the greater the achieved, the greater the organizational benefits attained.

IT Architecture Objectives

The IT Architecture is designed by the following objectives, which help make decisions for establishing individual standards:

1. Architectural decisions should serve the Department’s mission.
2. The architecture serves heterogeneous environments.
3. The greater the consensus achieved for individual architectural decisions, the greater the benefit.
4. The architecture should identify areas of stability without impeding essential innovation.
5. Architectural decisions should describe the tangible results of conformance and non-conformance with the architecture.
6. Architectural decisions should provide sufficient documentation to assess the compliance of a specific implementation.

Purpose of the IT Architecture

The purpose of the IT Architecture is to guide the process of planning, acquiring, building, modifying, interfacing and deploying IT resources throughout the Department. As such the IT Architecture should offer a means of stable evolution by identifying technologies that work together to satisfy the needs of the Department users.

Benefits of an IT Architecture

1. It will help to insure interoperability inside and outside ITB and the Department.
2. It’s a way to inform developers of Department directions.
3. It will help in making planning, development and purchase decisions.
4. It will be useful in aligning information technology providers for the Department.
5. It is a way to communicate direction (and changes) both inside and outside ITB.
6. It will reduce the maintenance and support requirements.
7. It will help in planning migration to new technologies.

IT Architecture Framework

A comprehensive view of an IT Architecture indicates

(1) policies

(2) principles that indicate direction

(3) services and common solutions

(4) standards and guidelines

(5) products

The framework for the IT Architecture is divided into five sections or layers from step1 policies to step5 products. Each section represents a type of architectural specification from the most general IT policy layer at the step1 policies to the step5 products most specific product layer at the step5.

There are relationships between the various steps of framework. For example, many if not all of the services that institutions provide are guided by the man made policies of the institutions in which the services are provided. An institution like the Department will have documented a number of these policies with information technology implications. Those policies are best implemented if some very basic information technology principles are adhered to. Continuing along the specification spectrum, one of the best ways to insure that IT principles are adhered to, is to reach consensus on a set of standards and guidelines so that the products we buy or build will be architecturally consistent.