Too few IT infrastructure projects are linked to business
objectives, analyst firm Meta Group has warned.
Speaking ahead of Meta and IRM UK's Enterprises Architecture
Conference in London next week, Philip Allega, vice-president of
Meta Group, said, "A common failing is that IT people often view
enterprise architecture as a set of blueprints, with no link to the
business vision."
He urged IT teams to prove that the technology they provide can
meet the aims of the overall business, whether that is, for
example, lowering the total cost of ownership, improving
efficiency, or easing integration.
Li Du, head of systems architecture at consumer goods company
GlaxoSmithKline, advised technology staff to consider themselves
facilitators of the business vision.
"You are dealing with people who are not technologically minded,"
he said. "It is often useful to position yourself as a facilitator
of the business vision, rather than walking in and saying 'these
are my principles, and building something up from scratch."
Du warned that a common failure among IT teams is that they do not
address the financial aspects of enterprise architecture.
"Enterprise architecture managers need to understand the concept of
finance within their own teams," he said. "If you know exactly
where the money is going, it is easier for the business to
understand."