IT Architecture Toolkit [Hardcover]

Jane Carbone (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131473794 | ISBN-13: 978-0131473799 | Publication Date: May 20, 2004 | Edition: 1

Information is the lifeblood of most organizations. In fact, in many cases information is not just critical to the business - it IS the business. Organizations struggling with the fallout from today's economy have a heightened need for enterprise architecture the set of IT plans that describes how all parts of the IT infrastructure need to behave to support the organizations needs. Urgent cost-containment issues, consolidations, productivity pressures and ebusiness integration all demand solutions. This book will help you master the vital skills needed to plan how data is collected, how data should efficiently flow through your organization, and how data is transformed into information can your business can use. Learn from Ms. Carbone's decades of experience and proven approaches to better understand and implement enterprise architecture.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Enterprise IT architecture made practical--finally!

There's only one way to maximize legacy infrastructure while integrating new partners, technologies, applications, and data streams: begin with a coherent enterprise architecture. But most approaches to enterprise architecture have been far too complex and theoretical--until now. IT Architecture Toolkit is a breakthrough: a practical, simple, rapid, and complete approach to delivering on the promise of enterprise architecture.

Jane Carbone's approach has been proven in mid-market and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. Step by step, Carbone shows how to integrate business, architecture, implementation, and all key outputs: for data, applications, technology, and people. Whether you're an IT leader, architect, planner, or analyst, you'll learn how to:

• Create strong, auditable links with business drivers
• Model your architecture simply, easily, and quickly
• Translate your models to real, manageable projects.
• Define the value proposition for architecture and establish realistic metrics
• Achieve buy-in throughout your organization
• Manage the "soft" aspects of your architecture initiative, including processes, roles, responsibilities, and organizational structure

Carbone provides a "soup to nuts" collection of methods and examples. Using her exercises, you'll construct a complete draft architecture for your own business: one that will handle change, opportunity, growth, mergers, downsizing . . . whatever comes your way.

About the Author

Jane Carbone is a co-founder of and partner at infomajic. She has over 25 years of experience in information technology working with network provisioning, finance, regulatory, customer sales and service, billing, and financial and credit applications. Ms. Carbone has developed and used the infomajic enterprise information architecture methodology to conduct and develop architecture assessments, enterprise and data architectures, IT strategies, data models, organization designs, and implementation project plans for financial services companies, IT HR and telecomm firms, and the public library.

Prior to forming infomajic, Ms. Carbone was the Director of Information Architecture Services at Datanomics, Inc., where she formed an architecture consulting practice. Prior to that, Ms. Carbone was with AT&T, where she was responsible for enterprise architecture for the consumer business unit. She was also responsible for developing and implementing the client/server architecture for AT&T American Transtech (now a unit of Convergys Corporation). Ms. Carbone was a member of the Gartner Group's Client/Server Best Practices Group. Working together with Gartner analysts, the group created research notes on all aspects of client/server architecture.

Ms. Carbone's experience also includes teaching analysis and data modeling, leading an enterprise data modeling team, developing and managing an enterprise-wide data stewardship program, managing HR and business planning for IT organization, managing data and voice network operations, and IT organization and job design. She has designed and developed software, and developed and taught programming and design courses.

Ms. Carbone delivers three-day architecture workshops for clients and one-day seminars for METAGroup/DCI Enterprise Architectures conferences. Her architecture seminars are available online through DCI. She has spoken on architecture at other DCI and DAMA conferences and is a past board member of DAMA-NJ. Her articles have been published in DMDirect, the TDAN Newsletter, and on eacommunity.com.

Ms. Carbone has a B.A. in English Literature and Language and an M.S. in Library and Information Science.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (May 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131473794
• ISBN-13: 978-0131473799
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #759,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pragmatic addition to body of knowledge, June 15, 2004

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: IT Architecture Toolkit (Hardcover)

I've used a number of approaches to architecture, including the Zachman Framework, the RUP 4+1, SEI's ATAM, and a plethora of others. I was skeptical that this book was going to add anything of value to the art and practice of architecture. I was wrong. This book gives a realistic approach to architecture. Better, with minor tailoring it can be applied to any of the more mainstream methodologies, and does so because it is a toolkit of methods more than a formal methodology. Of course, if you are not using one of the plethora of architecture methodologies, this book's approach will also serve nicely as a standalone methodology as well.

The approach is based on "Infomajic Enterprise Architecture Toolkit", which was developed by the author's company (Infomajic). In some ways the approach is a scaled down version of the Zachman Framework - indeed, there is a fairly detailed comparison between the two starting on page 11.

There are three main stages to the architecture toolkit, (1) connecting the architecture to business, (2) developing the architecture itself, and (3) implementation strategies. The latter is what sets this book apart from many which focus on 'fun' stuff and gloss over the gory details associated with implementation. Each step within these three stages are thoroughly discussed in great detail, yet the author's brisk writing style makes even the most mundane aspects highly readable.

Key aspects of this book that I particularly like include copious real world examples, width and depth of the content, and outstanding use of charts and tables to convey information. In addition to the detailed approach in the body of the book, the nine appendices are invaluable aids, ranging from interview outlines, to estimating work effort guidelines, to sample job descriptions and architecture assessment workshop outlines.

Regardless of which architecture methodology you are using (or are committed to using), you'll gain many useful ideas from this book. If you are searching for a viable methodology, this one is complete and has been proven in the real world.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the novice, October 4, 2004

By 

M. Brown (Washingotn, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: IT Architecture Toolkit (Hardcover)

This is a great book with a ton of practical advice, examples and exercises. I think the test with any IT book is can you apply the information easily to what it is you do, and the answer here is certianly "yes". Thr infomation is presented in the context of an imaginary project, and leads the reader through each step in an easy to follow format. A well done book that is well worth a sunday afternoon.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carbone nails it!, December 1, 2004

By 

Dianne Freed (Mendham, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: IT Architecture Toolkit (Hardcover)

Carbone takes the role of the enterprise architect and lays out a step-by-step approach for success. She breaks down Zachman's theoretical framework into a practical how-to manual. Zachman taught you what data to collect; Carbone teaches you how to use that data. By using examples and exercises, Carbone guides you through the sometimes overwhelming process of identifying the business problems; then helps you develop key actionable items in order to solve these problems and meet business objectives. I strongly recommend this book as well as her training course that covers the same subject matter.