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Role of an Enterprise Architect by Naveen Sharma || C# Corner Conference
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Nov 6, 2023
Watch the second session of Software Architecture Virtual Conference as Naveen Sharma discuss about, "Role of an Enterprise Architect". Watch Full Conference here: https://youtu.be/0m0Jvcp76sE Conference Website: https://www.2020twenty.net/softwarearchitecture C# Corner - Community of Software and Data Developers: https://www.c-sharpcorner.com #csharpcorner #virtualconference #live #software #architecture #role #roadmap
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0:00
So good evening, good morning and good noon everyone
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For those who are joining across the globe and welcome to this very interesting session
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So although we had a very good kickstart of the session telling all about the architecture
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So let's start with the very big, big, big entity as per Magnus
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It's the whole enterprise, how we put and describe an enterprise into an architecture
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So it's like a very big mansion or very big palace. There will be different segments, you know, barracks, artillery rooms, people where the general public says all about King's Palace, Queen's Palace, everything
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So it's like a big, big, big mansion or palace and it's all architecture from where they get water, from where the food comes from, fire arrangements, etc
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So that is all about enterprise. So let's think about who is an enterprise architect. I just give you the hint
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So enterprise, as we know, is a group of people working for a common cause. So that cause is defined by the leadership
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They are into consulting. They could be into buying or selling the services, buying or selling products or pure consulting or any of the services
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So that is called an enterprise. And when this enterprise, all their goals, that is the business vision, strategies, process and guidelines are documented well in a very, you know, mandatory way
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so that anyone could go through, okay, this is company X, their vision is to sell this product, okay, this product
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To develop this product, they have the set of standards that this product complains to these standards
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And to follow these standards, to attain these standards, all the employees of the companies of that entity
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had to follow certain processes and guidelines. So how these terminologies support each other to create an entity which is an enterprise
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So enterprise is at different scales. They could be small. They could be medium
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They could be large enterprises. And their requirement of documentation or adherence to a specific set of standards depend on which domain they are
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For example, there is a in the banking or financial there is a SOC standard in hospitalization
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It's a HEPA standard. There are other if in the U.S. there are national security, there are NSA
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standard, there are ITAR standards. So there are different standards different entities could
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adhere to or could get complied with. For example, GDPR is a standard for private data production
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about the customers. So all these standards relate that they should follow the products
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they should use the products or develop the products that they are in standards. And the
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one guy including his team, so enterprise architect generally, they don't work alone
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They work in tandem. They work with the team. And who is their end consumer is their CEO or CIO
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So either the CEO or CIO, they sponsor the enterprise architecture group because creating
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an enterprise architecture is a very time consuming. And it's on the scale of economy, it's a very costly affair
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But once you have that enterprise architecture built up for an entity it very easy to change the shape of the organization like introducing new services to the customer on the go So that agility comes with having
4:15
that enterprise architecture in place. So we will take up with the small examples
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Let's first see what this enterprise architect basically does. So as I said, the enterprise architect works
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with CXOs, they know the business processes that this our company, they had the set vision
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to deliver X and X service. In this domain, it could be banking, it could be civil aviation
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any domain. And then they know that where what is the information flow between the different
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actors and stakeholders, how the information comes into the enterprise, where does it say
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and where it goes, if it goes to archive or reporting or auditing purposes, then they
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understand basis on the information flow. They understand the data architecture. How does the data relates to the information
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What are the standards or policies that apply on the data? Who can see the data and who not
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Then data ultimately is built by means of application. So if I need the data, I need the application interface
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So this is the application architecture or application landscape of that entity
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For example, for CRM data, we use X technology. For financial data, we use SAP
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So they could be different application architectures. And then this application architecture since sits on top of technology, technology is the
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core underlying layer. It could be cloud, it could be on premise
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it could be Unix operating systems. It could be databases that we use X technology as a standard
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So mentioning all that will help if someone, some new projects is launched and some new entity
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some new members join the team from outside, they know these are the set standards
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We read these documents and we get the clear guidelines which technology stack we have to adopt
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to maintain or to adhere to the company standards. And then the enterprise architect also knows
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the program management. So example, there are multiple programs that run in an enterprise at point of time
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So they understand that there are correlations between and dependencies between the programs
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If one program is running, the second program or the consecutive program cannot start until this finishes
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because it's deliverable is the input to the next program. So they understand these programs
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and then overall they are part of the governance. So they govern the whole documentation repository
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which is called enterprise repository where all these standards are written and maintained
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that is called this enterprise repository. So they are custodian of this repository
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In any standard, if needs change, there's a set process, how you get that standard change
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So this is enterprise architect. Let go into deep dive scenario, what exactly they do
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So this image taken from the Spark systems, so Spark developed the enterprise architect tools
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so that the repository, keeping a repository is easier. So first of all, they do business and IT planning
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So one, if a person understands clear relation between a business and the IT, the technology
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by means of the information flows, by means of application architecture and technology architecture
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that means he is on the path to become an enterprise architect because he keen to learn and he understands this and continuously develops its understanding about it Second part is capability modeling So he creates these models so that any it a snapshot of the
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skills attained by a company at any given point of time. And if a new product has to be developed
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For example, a company is into software development. They produce some CRM software
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So now the digitalization demands that the end user should be able to send a tweet
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to get the required service, say, a required report or bank statement or something
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So your company's onus becomes to add that module in their software
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To add that module, first of all, you will check what are the resources I need to add
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that module in my existing software. So you create this as data project
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You check what are the resources available. Anyone who has worked on Twitter APIs is an in-house, then they check what sort of infrastructure
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I would require. That is the IT landscape by business area. So what is the infrastructure I require to offer this module
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Then they assess the current and future states that this is to be model
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This is to be with this popular or this module add on
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And this module will impact three, four, five services. On top of that, they run the programs
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They understand the dependencies and the change impact of every program. They do the predictive ysis of the outcome and
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consecution of impact of each parallel program is running. They develop the architecture frameworks or adopt the
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architecture framework from the market and then they customize these frameworks who you know which suits best to the company
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Then they do the enterprise project planning running multiple, assigning multiple program managers
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They follow the methodology. It could be PMP, it could be Prince2
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These are the methodologies being followed worldwide for having a good program project execution
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So they follow the methodology defined by the standards and they keep track of that
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Then they highlight the technology risk, they create mitigation plans and they assign owners of these risk-based mitigations
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and then they understand the technology maturity curves. So if, as I said, now the CRM needs Twitter to be introduced
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so they understand that this is the new technology and they have to adapt it
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which will ultimately bring more collaboration with either the application users or their direct customers
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So that is, you know, here to stay for another couple of years
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So they are visionary. They understand this from the technology impact they have and the technology OEM network they have
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So they go to different events. They understand what new products are coming in and how a typical technology is involving
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For example, email is a one technology. Now it is a generic technology
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So it is matured. enough. Now we have a secure email. There are different variants of email, but now the email
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as a service has matured. But in the earlier stages, most of the companies did not have email
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or the facility or infrastructure to provide email as a service to its users or their customers
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So in those areas in those days the technology architect played the enterprise architect role Now it evolving The whole landscape is evolving and there are new positions coming For example CISO
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So CISO is corporate information security risk officer. He understands the information security so well
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that he can take care of the whole enterprise risk ysis, information risk ysis
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and mitigate and provide measures to mitigate it. Similarly, new CRO that the corporate risk
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So he understands other operational risk as well. So these are the new roles, CXO level roles
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which have come into picture over the years. Similarly, enterprise architect as a role has come
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become more visible in the careers, different technology related careers, but as Magnus mentioned, after software architect
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enterprise architect role is a league and how to become an enterprise architect
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So there is a road, you need to be a SME first
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So earlier we understand one technology better way and we start giving the point solutions
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So our company puts us in front of customer to provide solution to their problems
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So we understand, we try to understand the whole ecosystem where my solution will fit in
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And this understanding of the whole ecosystem make us an architect. So architect generally does not give just a point solution
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So it's not off the shelf product. He understands first the business landscape
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the challenges, and then he creates the overall solution, which answers to most of the, or all of the questions
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and puts added benefits on the table as well. So that becomes an architect
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And when we talk about the whole enterprise, set of standards, information, technology
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business-wide mapping, then we become enterprise architect. So it's a long journey
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but there are certifications available, which can give you more in-depth learning
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about what an enterprise architect is and more about enterprise architecture. So TOGF is the one, so I myself am TOGF certified
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I am on the certification standing committee as well with the open group
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So TOGF, there's another framework like ZACMAN but TOGF is more widely accepted
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And last year only as a working group member, we introduced Interpes Architecture of India
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So we call it INDIA, I-N-D-E-A. So enterprise architecture of India. So we working with government of India
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and we are developing and continuously receiving feedback on that. So this is what an enterprise architect does
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So basically it is an evolution of software or technology architect into a business person
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and he starts relating business to IT and start understanding more and more about enterprise so that their enterprise can become
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more agile, have a set of standards to follow and can easily transform itself as the need be
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because everything is in the repository and they can easily adapt the changes required for
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you know, bringing more benefits or a change of dimension of the business
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something like that. So that's all about enterprise architecture and interface architect
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I am glad if you have more questions you can type in the chat boxes and we will take it up in the
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so over to you Simon
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