Building Enterprise Information Architectures: Reengineering Information Systems [Paperback]

Melissa Cook (Author), Hewlett-Packard Professional Books (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0134402561 | ISBN-13: 978-0134402567 | Publication Date: February 1, 1996 | Edition: 1

The manager's guide to building a business-oriented information systems architecture. Written for IS and corporate management, CIOs, and consultants. Provides a practical, easy-to-use framework for developing and implementing an enterprise information architecture aligned with business requirements. Learn to eliminate redundancy, control costs, and deploy new technology in an orderly way.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Less technical and detailed than other like texts, this book sets out to put Business Executives and Managers back in control of their Information Systems Architecture. The approach utilized in this book takes the mystery out of technology, and is based on information processing concepts and breakthroughs that have been largely ignored or buried in technical jargon. This worldwide approach is not limited to any language or cultural constraints.

From the Back Cover

The manager's guide to building a business-oriented information systems architecture. Written for IS and corporate management, CIOs, and consultants. Provides a practical, easy-to-use framework for developing and implementing an enterprise information architecture aligned with business requirements. Learn to eliminate redundancy, control costs, and deploy new technology in an orderly way.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0134402561
• ISBN-13: 978-0134402567
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #753,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Business-Focused and pragmatic - highly recommended, February 24, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Building Enterprise Information Architectures: Reengineering Information Systems (Paperback)

Ms. Cook takes a no-nonsense approach to building an enterprise architecture that puts business requirements first.

She starts this excellent book with a quick history, setting information architecture into a context. This is followed by addressing the hard part of architecture: overcoming political resistance and tackling the thorny problems of aligning systems to what the business needs. She pulls no punches.

The next part of the book, chapter 3, introduces the Zachman Framework, which I personally believe is one of the best foundations for an architecture that aligns IT to business.

Chapters 4 through 7 thoroughly delves into the layers of the Zachman Framework, and provides a coherent and comprehensive description of all of the "moving parts" from both an IT and a business perspective.

The theoretical underpinnings are translated into an actionable plan in chapter 8, titled, "Making It Happen". This chapter is pragmatic and gives a detailed roadmap to implementing an enterprise information architecture that will truly align information technology to business requirements.

Here are the key things I like about this book: (1) It focuses on the business, subordinating technology to a supporting role. This is refreshing. (2) It provides one of the best descriptions of the Zachman Framework I have ever read. (3) Political realities and organizational resistance are taken into account, and some excellent advice for overcoming these barriers is given. (4) Ms. Cook's approach to implementation is straightforward, and if followed, will greatly improve your chances for a successful implementation of an enterprise information architecture. Make no mistake, such an implementation is a daunting task with opportunities to fail lurking in many places. She has obviously encountered a good many implementation problems and gives some great advice on how to overcome them.

Ms. Cook has made a significant contribution to the body of knowledge of information architecture, and a strong case for the Zachman Framework in this book. She also reinforces the need for a well thought out approach to implementation, and provides clear advice on how to successfully accomplish this.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good introduction to what an EA is all about, July 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Building Enterprise Information Architectures: Reengineering Information Systems (Paperback)

Definitely a book to read to understand what an Enterprise architecture is and how to develop one. The book provides a step-based approach to get you to the point where a company can define its EA and how to evolve it. If you are looking for technical details you are in the wrong place. But if rather you want to understand the business benefits, then I doubt you'll find something easier to read on this subject.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Overview for the Uninitiated, February 29, 2000

By 

Greg Speyrer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building Enterprise Information Architectures: Reengineering Information Systems (Paperback)

Melissa Cook's work is best suited for the reader possessing little exposure to the overarching concepts concerning the use of modern information systems to support enterprise environments. Viewed from this perspective the book appears to be successful. The text covers several EA topics and issues in a simple, relatively non-technical manner. It also devotes, where possible, a portion of its space to the historical background concerning a particular topic.

For the contemporary CIO or VP of information systems/technology who needs to wrestle with the demands of actually building an enterprise information architecture, the prospects for Cook's book may be different. Such readers may well want to search for texts that drill deeper into the issues and challenges to be faced when building or reengineering application architectures.