And we wonder why Enterprise Architecture efforts seldom succeed...

It's been a while but worth the wait since I have finally been rewarded with a question on the ebizQ SOA forum worthy of attention :).

Gartner recently stated "Enterprise architecture (EA) is a key strategic initiative, as the majority of practitioners have shifted their focus to their business's strategic vision, not focusing on the IT organization alone. By 2016, 30 percent of EA efforts will be supported as a collaboration between business and IT, up from 9 percent in early 2011."

The question on the forum was "Do you agree?"

All I can say is "Wow!!!"

A 30% collaboration on EA between business and IT by the year 2016! I wish I could have heard and seen Betsy Burton, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, as she quoted these numbers. I would have loved to see how she would have managed to keep a straight face while quoting these numbers without any hint of sarcasm in her voice. 

With abysmal numbers like these is it any wonder why most Enterprise Architecture initiatives fail miserably? If only 9% of EA efforts today are a collaboration between business and IT then what the heck are the other 91% efforts doing? 

Want to see more wins for EA? Then don't wait for 30% collaboration by 2016; instead strive for 100% collaboration by the year 2012.

Click here to follow the entire discussion on the ebizQ SOA forum.  

Back to the Future - The Role of an Enterprise Architect

My first question on ebizQ's Enterprise Architecture forum is an interesting one that was inspired by a blog entry titled Enterprise Architects' Role In Aligning IT With Business by Forrester Research VP Gene Leganza as he ponders what the Enterprise Architect role would look like in the future based on what he is seeing happening today. 

While it's a question worthy of serious thought, I believe that the role of an Enterprise Architect (EA) has always been and will always be to implement an organization's business strategy with a supporting and complementing IT strategy. Different companies have different names and reporting structures for this role depending on their size, vertical, and geographical location. Some call the role an EA, some a business architect, some a chief architect, and some call that role a CTO or CIO, but the role always exists. The biggest game changer that I see is that our global, innovation-based economy is just accelerating the pace at which "EA"s that don't fit this role are exposed and replaced.
 
* Originally posted on ebizQ's Enterprise Architecture forum on February 23, 2011.

Have Cloud... Bye bye IT Department?

It's been a while since I've participated in the ebizQ forums. But I'm back now! :)

Today's question on the Cloud Computing forum was whether the advent of the cloud will one day make IT departments a thing of the past - especially for "smaller" companies. Will the cloud at some point allow smaller companies to do away with their IT department?

I think the question needs some further clarification. Is it do away with the IT Department or with IT Capital Assets?

Although it may seem trivial on the surface, there is a major distinction between the two. An IT department has more than just physical "IT" or technology. It has people and processes as well. Cloud Computing might be able to replace all of the technology but not all of the people and processes. So, my answer is "Yes" to doing away with IT Capital Assets but "No" to doing away with the IT Department.

By the way, way back in early 2010, Gartner had made the bold proclamation that one-fifth of all businesses will own absolutely no IT assets come 2012. While I don't know if that number (20%) will hold true, I would like to point out that they too mentioned "IT assets" as opposed to IT department.

* Originally posted on the ebizQ Cloud Computing forum on February 9, 2011.

Implementing Clouds - What can a baby teach us?

According to a recent survey quoted on this blog by DevX, companies are more likely to virtualize their apps than move them to the cloud.

Maybe it's just me but is that really news?

Honestly, so much has been said and written about this very topic over the past couple of years that I won't bore you by rehashing the details. Suffice it to say that in most cases virtualization is the stepping stone to a Cloud. Typically a virtualized data center leads to what is known as a "private" Cloud, which ultimately helps companies figure out - realistically - what makes sense to farm out to a "public", "hybrid", or "community" Cloud and what to keep in house.


The above analogy is akin to saying that "babies are more likely to crawl than to walk and run". Motherhood and apple pie, anyone? :)

* Originally posted in the ebizQ Cloud Computing forum on January 11, 2011.

Is your precious data safer in the Clouds?

It is if you believe this blog that states Cloud computing offers 'no data security fears'. Well, that's a fairly bold statement that sparked a healthy discussion on the ebizQ Cloud Computing forum today.

But, honestly, does it even matter today - whether your data is really safer in the Clouds or not?

From a purely technical perspective the seemingly blatant statement made in the above referenced blog entry might even be true but as the saying goes "perception is reality" and the Cloud is no exception! So while Cloud providers might be the most technically capable of securing data (the potential reality), organizations will still continue to be very leary (because of their risk averse perception) of actually letting go of their control over the data by putting it in the Cloud.

In their defense, though, data security is not just limited to technical ability. Rather, most of the complexity in securing data is actually around legal and privacy issues, which have yet to be figured out adequately such that organizations can adjust their perception.

To be clear, the issue of perception is not just a challenge for Clouds. I still encounter people (even in the technology field) who will not use online banking in the fear that their account information might be exposed. These same people who will not trust SSL to protect their account or credit card information over the Internet will happily hand over their credit card to a complete stranger to take to a backroom and charge them for their meal. And they do so fully knowing that with the right equipment it would only take a few minutes to make a complete working copy of the credit card!!!

So, yes, perception is reality, and thus the real question then is not whether Clouds are safer than in-house data centers but rather if they are or will ever be perceived as such.

* Originally posted on the ebizQ Cloud Computing forum on January 4, 2011.