Enterprises are realizing that their infrastructure is so complex and diverse that they cannot analyze them to make sound business decisions using spreadsheets descriptive paragraphs and presentations alone.
One area of current interest is in understanding the Application Portfolio including the integrations between those apps and
the Related Data consumed and produced through those integrations.
The larger enterprise architecture that identify competencies, roles,organization units and the processes performed by those entities are also critical to plan for business continuity.
The defacto choice made by companies is to attempt to attempt to glean meaning from the vast lists of assets in the enterprise use word processing, spreadsheet and perhaps visual drawing tools customarily installed on office computers. Very rapidly, the sheer number and variety of these assets, overwhelms one's ability to appreciate the interrelationships, integrations, processes, competencies and infrastructure. If you cannot "connect the dots", you cannot understand how profound the effect migh be of pulling a string that affects the enterprise. The result is a slow, if not parallized decision-making ability.
A comprehensive, integrated Enterprise Architecture solution offers superior artifact retention, relationship capture and traceability that eliminates the significant risks and effort of point-tool solutions.
We consult on implementing solutions using IBM Rational System Architect which offers a comprehensive means of exploring and analyzing the complex relationships that exist in your enterprise, enabling you to make sound business decisions.