EA Software Tool for the CIO

All you need to know as CIO about a software tool for Enterprise Architecture

This page explains high-level to CIOs what is an EA Tool or EA Software Tool in general and what its common benefits and basic features are.

Reducing the time spent on controlling IT complexity is one of the CIOs objectives. Supporting how technology can be best aligned to the execution of strategic business plans is one of his challenges.

More and more Enterprise Architecture is becoming a strategic instrument in organizations for managing risks and controlling programs of change. With this also specialized software is more and more used to be able to practice Enterprise Architecture at a more mature level than just working with PowerPoint, Excel and Word.

EA Software Tool, the most significant software tool in the workplace

Enterprise Architecture Tool or EA Software Tool is a fairly new type of tool on our workplace. The first generation appeared on the business market around 2000. EA Tools started out as pimped UML modelling tools and some still are.

A lot of EA Software Tools then focused on supporting the creation of formal diagrams of process models, software application models and IT network models that fitted the Zachman Framework.

Solution Design

One could argue that currently the third generation of EA Tools is around: entering the visual age, supporting the creation of user-defined models and visualizations. And really the best EA Tools nowadays are like a toolbox or toolkit: containing all different types of applications for administering, modeling, visualizing and publishing architecture products.

Enterprise Transformation

With an EA Software Tool managers, architects and chiefs are able to do things like enterprise and solution design, solution creation, enterprise architecture and enterprise governance.

With business models, process models, data models, application models and IT models created with EA Tools, impacts of change or risky undertakings can be identified and dealt with very efficiently in projects and programs.

Enterprise Governance

With real EA Tools people can create blueprints, design sketches, artist impressions and infographics of business and IT concepts and solutions. Everything that is needed for enterprise governance.

There are commercial EA Tools like our own Dragon1, but also open-source tools like Archi that can be downloaded for free. Free EA Tools often offer less service, support, benefits and features than commercial tools.

Solution Design with an EA Tool

In our opinion with an EA Tool one should be able to do solution design. But in a very visual way, for example, creating an application landscape or process landscape at A0-sized of the AS-IS situation and future state.

Our own Dragon1 EA Tool focuses on visualisation and reporting rather than just modeling. In a second you can draw the most beautiful and convincing visualisation of a solution concept answering all the needs and requirements of stakeholders.

Next to Solution Design with EA Tools people must be able to do Enterprise Design of several generic structures such as the enterprise's governance, enterprises business, human capital, information facilities, IT Infrastructure and information security.

For this every EA Tool needs a basic set of entities and shapes for market, client, product, process, service, contract, organizational- unit, capability, application, database, interface, network, computer, etc..

EA Tools as instrument for Enterprise Transformation

The enterprise architecture product one creates with an EA Tool are valuable for every project as a guiding framework.

With an EA Tool, people must be able to design scenarios and stable migration plateaus. This makes risk management and control easier to do when changing the enterprise fundamentally at a strategic level.

Enterprise Governance using an EA Tool

With EA Tools people can do Enterprise Governance: strategic planning, supervision / control, accountability / justification, evaluation / feedback, adjusting plans / change. All this can be done with true EA Tools.

Dragon1 supports the user in Business Intelligence Information, Management Information, Dashboards and Management Report Views. Everything you need for Enterprise Governance.

Enterprise Architecture in the Boardroom using Dragon1

Here is an article on the usage of Enterprise Architecture in the Boardroom: Enterprise Architecture in the Boardroom - Read how to use Dragon1 in the boardroom successfully.