Role of enterprise architecture in biz transformation is increasing: Infosys survey

A survey by Infosys Technologies has found that companies are increasingly using Enterprise Architecture (EA) to enable business transformation efforts, shifting towards leveraging processes and metrics to measure EA value and considering global sourcing solutions when it comes to managing their EA efforts.

Enterprise architecture is a comprehensive framework used to manage and align an organization's Information Technology assets, people, operations, and projects with its operational characteristics.

The finding which were released on Wednesday was the result of a poll across more than 200 organisations on their EA capabilities and needs.

For the past three years, Infosys has conducted the annual EA survey among CIOs, chief architects, and business and Information Technology managers with the goal of understanding how EA is managed within organizations and how the capability can better contribute to building a leaner, more agile and competitive business. The report also delves into the benefits, pain points, and overall integration process across organizational activities, such as strategic business planning, and enterprise and IT governance.
 
This year’s survey results show how EA is enabling business transformation, with 42 per cent of the clients polled noting that enterprise architects have an active role in strategic planning -- a 6 per cent increase from last year.  The increase solidifies the shift from activity-oriented to value-oriented metrics, driving the ability to help measure benefits generated for business and IT.
 
The survey also provided critical insight into emerging opportunities for outsourcing EA activities. While only a minority of respondents saw a strong potential to procure core EA activities like EA planning, a sizeable number see value in leveraging partners in activities like project architecture reviews and exception management. The interest in external sourcing of EA-related activities increases significantly with the size of the organization. Infosys considers this an emerging trend, particularly in more mature EA organizations which focus on business-IT alignment and strategic IT planning whilst engaging with their trusted vendor partners to take on more operational activities.