We live in the age of self-service. Devops lets developers provision their own infrastructure, and SaaS enables any businessperson to set up an account and start working without the help of IT. This increased agility means we need enterprise architecture now more than ever -- an overarching vision ensuring that decentralized growth in the use of technology follows a productive path.
For the sixth year in a row, InfoWorld, in collaboration with Forrester Research and the Penn State University Center for Enterprise Architecture, invites you to enter the Enterprise Architecture Awards. Our new entry form has gone live, with a deadline of June 15. As in past years, the winners will be announced in September.
The roster of past Enterprise Architecture Awards features companies you may find familiar, including Allstate, American Express, Capital One, MasterCard, Proctor & Gamble, and Verizon. In all of these cases, the practice of enterprise architecture made a substantial positive impact on the organization, which is the key criterion we look for in determining the winners.
Often, in winning organizations enterprise architects identify new opportunities rather than simply determine the technologies and processes necessary to meet new business goals. Today, I believe another big part of the architect’s job is to enable others up and down the organization to try new ideas. That means establishing frameworks that empower people but at the same time prevent them from making poor choices. Best practices need to be established, and preapproved services and technologies must be promoted internally.
As automation becomes embedded in every line of business, then business and technology become part of the same endeavor with technologists playing strategic business roles and business leaders acquiring a deeper, more realistic view of capabilities.
The Enterprise Architecture Awards provide an opportunity to share stories that serve as instructive examples for other business and government organizations -- and earn a well-deserved, prestigious honor for a successful effort. Tell us about your initiative and submit your entry by June 15.