These primary stage
activities create a
foundation to support
the goals and
objectives of an
enterprise. Once an
organization’s
business context is
understood, a well
engineered
architecture acts as a
springboard to launch
business line
initiatives aimed at
revenue growth or cost
reduction.
The Architecture
Plan is a blueprint
for the physical and
logical layers that
comprise an
organization’s
infrastructure. The
physical layer
includes hardware
elements such as
servers, firewalls,
routers and modems
that provide the
backbone of a
computing network. The
logical layer deals
with databases,
applications and
middleware
technologies, and the
integration of these
elements to serve the
business processes
that drive the
enterprise. Our
services focus on
assisting clients
plan, design and
deliver this logical
layer.
To support
e-business, the
logical architecture
must address the
following areas of
concern:
Message Management
involves the execution
of electronic
transactions between
partners and the
handling of
documents/messages as
they move over the
infrastructure. It
addresses:
- Synchronous and
asynchronous
business messaging
protocols
- Timeliness of
transaction
execution between
trading partners
- Document
standards and
formats
- Data transport,
storage,
transformation and
validation
- Audit
requirements
Applications and
Interfaces provide
business functionality
and the on/off ramps
that connect
applications to the
infrastructure. These
are the nodes of the
internal network that
include Web
applications, ERP
systems, legacy
applications and other
business systems that
run the enterprise.
Process Control
deals with the
monitoring and
handling of errors and
events that occur
while conducting
electronic business.
It addresses:
- Automated
detection of
abnormal or
noteworthy
conditions
- Fail-over
support
- Notification
Security
protects an
organization’s
assets and mitigates
the risks assumed
during the course of
day to day operations.
Controlling access to
resources, and
maintaining the
privacy and integrity
of electronic
transactions are of
primary concern.
We help clients to
define their immediate
and future
requirements in each
of these areas,
perform architecture
design, determine
buy/build
alternatives, provide
guidance in technology
selection, and assist
with infrastructure
construction. Our
belief is that an
architecture should
strike a balance
between capability and
economy, meet current
needs while enabling
expansion to handle
future growth in
demand, and leverage
investments made in an
organizations’s
existing technologies
and systems.
