Architecture and Infrastructure

1
Architecture and Infrastructure

• Strategy ? Architecture ? Infrastructure
• Modern strategies are often
• Hypercompetitive, aggressive, rapidly changing
• Modern architectures are often
• Complex, connected, stretched between old and new
• Modern infrastructures are often
• Global, networked, client-server, multi-tier,
  modular (non-monolithic), loosely-coupled,
  web-like

(Related to Chapter 6 of Managing and Using
Information Systems)
2
If there were a grand hierarchy . . .
Component
Some Considerations
Mission
At least you would probably, usually, typically,
hopefully, consider things in this order !!!
Stakeholders
Strategy
Competitors
Goals
Structure
Business requirements
Compliance
Bus. process req.
Partners, supply chains
Architecture
Flexibility
Functional specs
Business rules translation
Application SW
Clients/servers, DBs . . .
OS software
Compatibility, security
Hardware
Obsolescence, scalability
Network
Bandwidth, protocols
3
Managers must be able to

• Articulate their business vision
• Understand technologys
• Capabilities (Can it enable my vision?)
• Applications (Does it fit my strategy?)
• Limitations (Could it thwart my plans?)
• Help map/translate business ?? technology
• Anticipate (or at least cope with)
  reorganizations, migrations, transitions,
  evolutions, revolutions

4
ABCs Acronyms, Buzzwords, Confusion
Thick client
Virtualized
Dashboard
XML
Collaborative
Client-server
HTML
Peer-to-peer
VoIP
Thin client
Java
Mainframe
TCP/IP
Business Intelligence
Web-based
Intranet
BCP
Email archiving
Web 2.0
Web service
ERP
Extranet
VPN
Compliance
EDI
Content management
T1
SOA
802.11
Data warehousing
Open source
Scalable
Ethernet
QoS
Bandwidth
Data mining
MIPS/Watt (what?)