Enterprise Architecture (EA)

Enterprise Architecture (EA) describes a comprehensive framework for information technology and business that supports the Arizona State government strategic plan. EA facilitates the application of information technology (IT) to business initiatives and objectives and aids subsequent change in an orderly, efficient manner by describing a direction for current and future activities, supported by underlying principles, standards, and best practices.
 
EA effectively supports and enhances the business of government and improves the ability to deliver responsive, cost-effective government functions and services. Effective utilization of technology to achieve business functions and services, increasing citizen access to those services, sharing information and resources at all levels of government, and maximizing investment in IT resources are major motivating factors for the development and implementation of EA. 

Photo of EA Framework

Statewide IT Policies, Standards, and Procedures (PSPs) are the means of applying EA to technology direction and decisions for the State. Adopting Statewide IT PSPs for EA capitalizes on an existing process that is already well defined to enable the orderly innovation, adoption, and implementation of technology throughout the State. The Statewide IT PSPs provide flexibility while at the same time ensuring compatibility across the enterprise. Resulting use of underlying technologies and products adhering to these PSPs enhances government services, promotes e-government solutions, improves productivity and performance, reduces total cost of ownership and optimizes economies of scale through interoperability, portability, scalability, and the sharing of resources.

To achieve the benefits of an enterprise-standards-based architecture, all information technology investments shall conform to the established EWTA that is designed to ensure the integrity and interoperability of information technologies for budget units. Statewide Standard P340-S340, Project Investment Justification (PIJ), defines conformance with the established EWTA and associated Statewide Policies and Standards. 
 
Arizona’s EWTA has been designed to maximize current investments in technology, provide a workable transition path to targeted technologies, maintain flexibility, and to enhance interoperability and sharing.
Photo of AZ EA Implementation Process Flow
The implementation of EA is project-based. Within the context of the Arizona Enterprise Architecture Implementation Process Flow, budget units assess their existing technologies relative to target technologies and business needs associated with a given project. Where gaps exist between existing and target technologies, the budget unit should identify them in the annual IT Plan submittal. Before the budget unit initiates the IT project or investment to close the gap, it submits a Project Investment Justification (PIJ) for necessary approvals. Variances from the established EWTA shall be documented and justified in the appropriate section of the PIJ document.

The EA Lifecycle indicates how the various components and processes interact and portrays the vitality and continuous renewal of EA within the State enterprise.

Arizona Enterprise Architecture Lifecycle Process Model Flow

The vitality of the EA Target Framework depicted in the lifecycle process is maintained through planned reviews. The more static components, such as the Architecture Governance Framework, undergo annual or biennial reviews. Components of the EWTA are reviewed and refreshed continuously to address major shifts in technology, as well as the emergence and adoption of new technology-related industry or open standards.

The EWTA Reference Model defines the desired target environment designed to support the State’s business functions and services. The EWTA Reference Model advances a consistent, industry-aligned framework for technology having the ability to accommodate a variety of viable e-government and other strategic business solutions. The model is flexible and capable of adapting to new and improved technologies as they become available.

Photo of AZ EWTA Reference Model

Effective utilization of technology to achieve business functions and services, increasing citizen access to those services, sharing information and resources at all levels of government, and maximizing IT resources investment were major motivating factors for developing and implementing Enterprise Architecture (EA).
 
EA facilitates the application of information technology to business initiatives and objectives and subsequent change in an orderly, efficient manner by describing a direction for current and future activities, supported by underlying principles, standards, and best practices. EA effectively supports and enhances the business of State government; improves the ability to deliver responsive, cost-effective government functions and services; and aligns with the State’s strategic goals.
 
The implementation of EA presents opportunities for State agencies to interoperate to deliver a higher level of courteous, efficient, responsive, and cost-effective service to the citizen owners and employees of State government. Individually, each State agency can independently implement EA components that are interoperable, however, e-government initiatives, economies of scale, consolidation, and cross-agency savings may best be realized not just through interoperability, but also by working together in partnership and sharing.
 
Aligning EA with the Governor’s Strategic Plan, which incorporated the business goals of state government, and the current State IT Plan, elevated the EA development beyond a pure technical level and provided a “check and balance” system between IT and the business of state government. This approach has resulted in EA becoming a strategic initiative in subsequent State IT Plans and prominently interwoven with the Governor’s Strategic Plan. Supporting rationale for the five EA domains (network, security, platform, software, and data/information) has been summarily presented below against the goals of the FY2002-03 State IT Plan.
 
A. Increase the use of e-government solutions
Rationale:
  • EA facilitates the acquisition, development, implementation, and support of e-government business solutions that provide consistent delivery of services to external business partners and the public through the Internet, through common, proven, industry-wide technologies that focus on interoperability, sharing of information, scalability, portability, and Internet/Intranet and Extranet technologies.
  • Network Architecture provides the mechanism for a consistent method of organizing and categorizing State information, which results in consistent methods of presenting information to external business partners and the public through the Internet.
  • Security Architecture provides the secure framework to be able to conduct e-government business processes that provide access to information and resources, while maintaining compliance with the legal requirements established by existing Federal and State statutes pertaining to confidentiality, accessibility, availability, and integrity. Security Architecture and effective privacy protections are essential elements of all information systems.
  • Platform Architecture provides the devices for common, open, citizen access interfaces, and interoperable processing capability for implementing e-government solutions and improving access to State resources and information.
  • Software Architecture provides the software implementation of e-government solutions facilitating common, open, citizen access interfaces and improving access to State resources and information.
  • Data/Information Architecture correlates disparate agency business functions, modeling the desired outcomes into potential e-government solutions facilitating common, open, citizen access interfaces and improving access to State resources and information.
     

B. Effectively share common IT resources to enable State agencies to better serve the people of Arizona
Rationale:

  • EA provides a foundation that allows agencies to select, develop, and implement secure network infrastructure, platforms, and software applications that complement the State’s data/information architecture and assure business continuity and integration with other agencies. EA provides a common framework for sharing of domain implementation strategies and a common basis for standard technology documentation
  • Network Architecture provides agencies with guidance to seamlessly deploy common applications, information, and resources in a secure, network infrastructure environment.
  • Security Architecture provides guidance for agencies to securely deploy common applications that allow for appropriate levels of protection for any sharing of information and resources.
  • Platform Architecture provides agencies with guidance for selecting and deploying common, interoperable devices that economically and effectively support agency business applications.
  • Software Architecture provides agencies with guidance for selecting and developing software applications, programming, database, and productivity software that support the sharing and exchange of information with other governmental entities and the private sector, while economically and effectively supporting agency operations.
  • Data/Information Architecture provides communities of interest and individual agencies with guidance for designing and implementing e-government solutions and services that support the sharing and exchange of information with other governmental entities and the private sector, while economically and effectively supporting agency operations. Data/Information Architecture provides data modeling outcomes that allow communities of interest and individual agencies to design and implement interoperable e-government solutions and services that expand business continuity and integration opportunities with other agencies.
     

C. Improve access to broadband infrastructure statewide
Rationale:

  • EA, in conjunction with broadband availability and access and implementation of secure, network infrastructure, provides for a common, consistent, open, interoperable array of platform devices for enhanced citizen and State employee execution of business software applications and access to e-government solutions, services, and information in an Internet/Intranet and Extranet environment, regardless of location.
  • Security Architecture implementation protects individual agency, and statewide access, to information and resources, while maintaining compliance with the legal requirements established by existing Federal and State statutes pertaining to confidentiality, accessibility, availability, and integrity.


D. Improve the quality, efficiency, and usefulness of cross-agency applications integration and data sharing.
Rationale:

  • EA promotes consistent, common, proven, open-standards-based methodologies for securely implementing agency and potential cross-agency business-specific software applications and associated data/information to allow agencies to improve interoperability and integration, and consequently, opportunities for sharing data.
  • EA enables interoperability at multiple levels statewide as well as improved capabilities for sharing documents, graphics, and reports.
  • Implementation of EA improves cross-functionality and interoperability of agency information systems and development methodologies.
  • Data/Information Architecture facilitates a community of interest approach to e-government solutions, which support interoperability and the sharing of information across the State enterprise.


E. Improve the capability of IT functions in order to deliver quality products and services.
Rationale:

  • Network Architecture maximizes the ability to leverage existing assets by capitalizing on existing infrastructure to accelerate agency acceptance and minimize the difficulties of migration and integration. The architecture provides a recommended framework for legacy migration and integration.
  • Implementation of the Security Architecture ensures that responses to changing business needs maintain compliance with the legal requirements established by existing Federal and State statutes pertaining to confidentiality, accessibility, availability, and integrity.
  • Platform Architecture maximizes the ability to leverage existing assets by capitalizing on open, interoperable infrastructure to accelerate agency acceptance of the domain and minimize the difficulties of migration and integration.
  • An understanding of current business processes and their environment in conjunction with the implementation of Software and Data/Information Architecture provides the technical guidance and tools necessary for IT functions to collaborate with the respective, responsible business unit and communities of interest to effectively deploy and deliver interoperable, integrated e-government solutions to provide a faster response to changing business needs. It also allows decision-making to progress more rapidly and advances an environment that enhances citizen access to information and services.

Governance provides the structure, commitment, and support for the development, implementation and management of EA, as necessary, to ensure it achieves its objectives. Governance consists of the leadership, organizational structures, direction, and processes that ensure IT supports and enhances budget units’ and the State enterprise’s mission, strategies, and objectives in a planned manner.

Roles and responsibilities are specific to the functions performed. Arizona has distributed roles among individuals, groups, and committees according to Statute and as best meets the needs of the State.