IT Architecture Services
Based on the definition offered by the DOC Enterprise IT Architecture Advisory Group:
Information Technology (IT) Architecture is a blueprint that is developed, implemented and maintained an organization.IT Architecture can be used to explain and to guide how an organization’s IT and information management elements work together to efficiently accomplish the mission of the organization.
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IT Strategy | ||||||||
| How can Information Technology help give your organization the edge? How can IT help solve a business problem? Via IT strategy consulting, Cyrus-XP can help Clients find solutions to specific needs. Strategy consulting is for start-up businesses that have specific IT needs with regards to their business plan or are looking to make their business more attractive to investors. IT strategy consulting is also for established businesses that need specific advice with regards to strategic initiatives.Cyrus-XP consultants can serve as virtual CIOs (Chief Information Officers) or CTOs (Chief Technology Officers) in the context of Client organizations. We are committed to continual improvement and development. This translates into our excitement about opportunities where we exercise skills, knowledge and methodologies that bring tangible “bottom-line” benefits to our Clients. | |||||||||
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Blueprinting | ||||||||
Blueprinting is one of the core methodologies by which we seek to deliver our services. Even though every organization is unique in some way, almost always, there exists a core framework that is common to the specific industry. We focus on looking for common reusable frameworks that can be customized to fit the unique attributes of specific Clients. This approach yields the following benefits:
The advantages of blueprinting in IT are similar to those in the construction industry. A builder, who has experience building a particular type of structure, is able to build a similar structure more efficiently than one who has not. Experienced builders are also able to offer cost cutting and optimization measures that help attract and retain Clients. These value added service benefits apply to Information Management Architecture as well. Cyrus-XP delivers its services on the foundation of an extensive knowledge base of experience, in various industries and Healthcare settings. We seek to create and continually refine blueprints, of the varied environments that we deliver services in. |
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| Business Process Modeling | |||||||||
| Using Business Process Modeling (BPM) techniques our consultants can help model existing and future process states. Process models help define new information flows and the responsibilities of participating “actors” (employees, management…etc). These process models can help communicate important information to a diverse audience within the enterprise (Information Technology, Quality Assurance, Trainers…etc). | |||||||||
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Systems Integration | ||||||||
| Shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 are schematic representations of an Integrated Enterprise and a Dispersed Enterprise. In the near term, it may seem like adding technological automation to certain processes can make them function more efficiently. However, without proper planning and a strategic vision for the enterprise, technology can back fire – add unnecessary steps in a process that is already complex, lead to communication gaps and lead to confusion due to the lack of proper guidelines and rules. In the end, benefits envisioned can be outweighed by new problems experienced with the “new IT system” in place.Integrated systems within an enterprise can bring many benefits – reduce time required to accomplish a task, increase collaboration and allow management the ability to extract information they need - when they need it. This can lead to better decision making, increase in profitability and lower risk. But these benefits can only be realized with proper planning and execution. Figure 1: Dispersed Enterprise(Click here for larger image)
Figure 2: Integrated Enterprise(Click here for larger image)
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| Service Oriented Architecture | |||||||||
| Microsoft offers the following definition for Service Oriented Architecture:Service orientation is a means for integrating across diverse systems. Each IT resource, whether an application, system, or trading partner, can be accessed as a service. These capabilities are available through interfaces; complexity arises when service providers differ in their operating system or communication protocols, resulting in inoperability.Service orientation uses standard protocols and conventional interfaces—usually Web services—to facilitate access to business logic and information among diverse services. Specifically, SOA allows the underlying service capabilities and interfaces to be composed into processes. Each process is itself a service, one that now offers up a new, aggregated capability. Because each new process is exposed through a standardized interface, the underlying implementation of the individual service providers is free to change without impacting how the service is consumed.
Within the context of Cyrus-XP’s methodology, Systems Integration follows the foundational steps of Blueprinting and Business Process Modeling. Some organizations define their business processes on the basis of the IT infrastructure (software applications) available to them. This can be extremely risky. Considerable amounts of time and money are spent building business processes around applications. Hence, these business processes cannot change quickly to meet challenges in the business environment. Also, changes in technology can render the application supporting a process, obsolete or out of date. This means, the organization is faced with additional investments in business process reengineering and training to accommodate a new product.
Figure 4 shows a “black box” approach to business process. The interface to a process defines the functions that it performs. For e.g. the Admissions process may perform the following functions:
The interface to the Admissions process reflects these functions. When a patient is admitted, information about the patient is supplied to the Admissions process, via the Admit function. The interface then communicates with the applications that support the Admissions process to complete the Admit. The result of the Admit function (success or failure) is returned back to the initiating process. The business rules regarding the Admit function are executed by the interface. The Business Activity Manager orchestrates the larger workflows within the organization. |
