10-Tech Architecture

Technology Architecture phase

The Technology Architecture phase seeks to map application components defined in the Application Architecture phase into a set of technology components, which represent software and hardware components, available from the market or configured within the organization into technology platforms.
As Technology Architecture defines the physical realization of an architectural solution, it has strong links to implementation and migration planning.

Technology Architecture Inputs
  • Request for Architecture work
  • Org Capabilities, Communication Plan
  • SOW, Architecture Vision, Architecture Repository
  • Data Principles
  • Baseline and Target Business Architecture in Detail
  • Baseline and Target Data Architecture in Detail
  • Baseline and Target Application Architecture in Detail
  • Baseline and Target Technology Architecture in Draft
  • Gap Analysis reports
  • Business Architecture Components of EA

Technology Architecture Steps
  • Develop baseline and target Technology Architectures
  • Perform Gap Analysis
  • Get it reviewed by stake holders

Data Architecture Outputs
  • SOW Updated
  • Validate and update Technology principles
  • Update Baseline and Target Architecture Documents based on stake holders review
  • Draft Architecture Documents on Applications and Technology Vision
  • Constraints on Technology if any.

Outputs Detailed.

  1. Refined and updated versions of the Architecture Vision
  2. Statement of Architecture Work,
  3. Validated technology principles, or new technology principles
  4. Draft Architecture Definition Document
  5. Target Technology Architecture
  6. Technology Components and their relationships
  7. Physical (network) communications
  8. Hardware and network specifications
  9. Baseline Technology Architecture
  10. Gap analysis results

Architecture Definition Document – Tech Arch

  1. Baseline Technology Architecture
  2. Target Technology Architecture to include Technology Components and their relationships, technology platforms and their decompositions
  3. Environment and Location Diagrams
  4. Physical Network Diagrams
  5. Hardware and Specification Diagrams

Identify Required Diagrams

  1. Environments and Locations diagram
  2. Platform Decomposition diagram
  3. Processing diagram
  4. Networked Computing/Hardware diagram
  5. Communications Engineering diagram

Environment and Location Diagram

The Environments and Locations diagram depicts which locations host which applications, identifies what technologies and/or applications are used at which locations, and finally identifies the locations from which business users typically interact with the applications. This diagram should also show the existence and location of different deployment environments, including non-production environments, such as development and pre-production.

Platform Decomposition Diagrams

The Platform Decomposition diagram depicts the technology platform that supports the operations of the Information Systems Architecture. The diagram covers all aspects of the infrastructure platform and provides an overview of the enterprise’s technology platform. The diagram can be expanded to map the technology platform to appropriate application components within a specific function or process area. This diagram may show details of the specification, such as product versions, number of CPUs, etc. or simply could be an informal “eye-chart” providing an overview of the technical environment.

Processing diagram

The Processing diagram focuses on deployable units of code/configuration and how these are deployed onto the technology platform. A deployment unit represents grouping of business function, service, or application components. The Processing diagram addresses the following:

  • Which set of application components need to be grouped to form a deployment unit
  • How one deployment unit connects/interacts with another (LAN, WAN, and the applicable protocols)
  • How application configuration and usage patterns generate load or capacity requirements for different technology components

Networked Computing/Hardware diagram

Starting with the transformation to client-server systems from mainframes and later with the advent of e-Business and J2EE, large enterprises moved predominantly into a highly network-based distributed network computing environment with firewalls and demilitarized zones. Currently, most of the applications have a web front-end and, looking at the deployment architecture of these applications, it is very common to find three distinct layers in the network landscape; namely a web presentation layer, an business logic or an application layer, and a back-end data store layer. It is a common practice for applications to be deployed and hosted in a shared and common infrastructure environment.

Communications Engineering diagram

Similar to Sequence Diagram, the Communication Diagram is also used to model the dynamic behavior of the use case. The Communications Engineering diagram describes the means of communication – the method of sending and receiving information – between these assets in the Technology Architecture; insofar as the selection of package solutions in the preceding architectures put specific requirements on the communications between the applications. The Communications Engineering diagram will take logical connections between client and server components and identify network boundaries and network infrastructure required to physically implement those connections. It does not describe the information format or content, but will address protocol and capacity issues.

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