By Betsy Burton
AI Accelerates the Need for Integrative Architecture
In recent years, there has been a gradual shift from a focus on technology domains to integrative, business-driven solutions. Traditionally, IT professionals concentrated on their technology domains with little overlap into other areas.
For example, database experts primarily dealt with data management systems, data governance, data cleansing, and occasionally addressed issues related to reporting and analytics.
Today, the lines between business and technology have blurred to the extent that leaders must comprehend how emerging technologies empower their business strategy, people, business ecosystem, processes, and existing technology. It’s no longer sufficient to say, “I specialize in databases,” “I’m a security specialist,” or “I focus on the business.”
Naturally, your business and technology architecture work must reflect this evolution.
Traditional Domain Architecture
In the past, organizations supported their enterprise architecture teams with roles and responsibilities specific to various domains. The primary architectural roles included business architecture, information architecture, technology architecture, and solution architecture. Among these, only solution architecture functioned as an integrative discipline. The other architectural disciplines often remained within their specific domains with minimal cross-domain collaboration. Integrative architecture Integrative architecture
Hybrid Architecture Roles
Over the last decade, architects have organically taken on multiple roles to address the integrative needs of organizations, even without a formal structure.
Figure 1: Emerging Hybrid Architecture Roles
Integrative Architecture
Today, integrative architectures and roles are becoming increasingly crucial. While solution architecture has always been part of many enterprise architecture efforts, a solution architect’s role involves taking a holistic view of business, people, processes, information, and technology in relation to a specific solution (e.g., customer experience, enterprise operations, financial planning).
With the rise of cloud, mobile, and the growing need for security, organizations increasingly require holistic architecture encompassing business, people, processes, information, and technology for cloud, mobile, IoT, and, notably, security.
This marks the inception of true integrative architecture.
Now, there’s a need for AI Architecture (read more at Aragon Research). AI architecture must not solely revolve around technology but also encompass strategic, tactical, investment, and operational aspects of AI (learn more at Aragon Research).
Bottom Line
In the last decade, the disciplines supporting enterprise architecture and business architecture have undergone significant changes, driven by the proliferation of AI, security, cloud computing, and mobile technology.
Organizations must evolve their enterprise architecture and business architecture practices to accommodate holistic integrative architectures.
Practitioners in enterprise architecture and business architecture should seize opportunities to expand their roles beyond IT and technology and include these integrative disciplines.
Technology and service providers must acknowledge that they are now engaging with a new breed of architects who are equally concerned with the business impacts of their offerings as with the technology.
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How Is an AI Architect Different From a Solution or Application Architect?
Adopting AI-enabled technologies is as much a people, process, organization, and strategy issue as it is about technology. The best AI-enabled solution will go nowhere if it doesn’t address a future-state business need and is accepted by users. Adopting AI-based solutions requires outside-in customer, user, and business thinking; not inside-out technology first thinking. Adopting AI requires a business and future-focused architect to help guide the integration of people, process, information, solutions and AI.
- Why is an AI Architect Needed?
- How is an AI Architect Different from a Solution or Application Architect?
- Why Types of EA principles should AI Architects define?