Enterprise Architecture Resource Management Service EARS

Mark Skilton
Jan 10, 2007
5 min read

1.1 Domain strategy

The focus of the Troux system is to provide:

Decision support,
Governance,
Services management

This is primarily the IT estate. Data is sourced from the IT estate to support visualisation and insight into the current state of the IT estate.

The system is not intended to be a replacement Asset management system but is more in the application taxonomy of enterprise service management tool.

Troux/EARS Contextual Architecture (Strategic Direction Model)

Figure 1 Troux/EARS Strategic Direction Model

The Troux system is designed to address the current shortfalls in organisations

Tight budgets
Evolving technologies
Constantly changing business needs
Provision of cost effective services
Inconsistent EA guidelines
Measuring progress
Managing complexity

Stated value add from Troux Service Portfolio management:

Proving and improving the business value of IT
Accelerating service delivery cycles
Reducing downtime due to IT environment changes
Increasing service availability / reducing non-compliance risk for SLAs
Increasing efficiency of SLA measurement and reporting processes

Stated value add from Troux Application Portfolio Optimisation

Reduced complexity in the application environment
Reduced sustainability costs for low-value applications
Accelerated value by focusing resources on the right investments
Streamlined application transition initiatives
Lower integration costs for new applications / infrastructure

Stated value add from Troux Standards management

Cataloguing of new / existing technology and architecture standards and deviations
Lifecycle planning of standards with advanced visualisation and communication
Compliance auditing of standards against the current-state enterprise architect

IT is commoditising and becoming service driven. Troux is a response to the move towards service based /smart outsourcing.

Challenges

Getting started to transition from provider of technology and applications to a provider of services
Limited, fragmented tools and processes to visualise and obtain a consistent single view of the landscape and services
The missing link – creates the enterprise services management structure to report and manage the IT estate

“IT shops don’t need more point tools- they’re looking for products that give them the visibility they need to make decisions and prove value… Troux Technologies, [is] and emerging vendor with a unique enterprise IT governance platform, to help companies gain end-to-end visibility of IT performance.” AMR Research

Process-Functional Decomposition

Figure 2 EARS/Troux Fusion Function-process View

Troux Outline Architecture

Figure 3 Troux Metis repository View

1.2 Goals

The stated aims of the Troux system are focused around a set of capabilities:

Service Portfolio Management
Create a comprehensive and centralised service catalogue
Streamline services delivery
Analyse the services environment
Application Portfolio Optimisation
Streamline the collection and management of disparate application information
Make application portfolio decisions on current, accurate data
Analyse the application portfolio across multiple dimensions
Reduce risk and accelerate project and service delivery by performing automated impact analysis
Identify artefacts that support recommendations to enable application transition planning
Standards Management
Centralise the management and use of standards with a comprehensive standards catalogue
Manage multiple lifecycles for technology standards
Measure compliance of existing portfolio against standards

EARS Process Decomposition

Figure 4 EARS Process Decomposition

2.0 Use case scenarios for Troux

Contextually the set of [usecase] of goals sought cover strategic and tactical activities as outlined in the previous section.

The following section defines a set of use cases potentially relevant to real value for Troux.

2.1 Core Entity access path queries/reports

An Organisation has one or many locations
Organisations own applications and other assets ( Laptops, desktops, SAN)
Types: BAES, programmes, Partners/Suppliers of services
An Application may interface to one or more other applications – and is part of one or more application portfolios
Applications are owned by a (Client user) and from a Supplier Owner (e.g. IBM, Oracle etc)
Applications exist on one or more Servers
Types: COTS, Bespoke etc
Locations have buildings and other assets identified to that location
A location can contain: Routers, Firewalls, Managed switch, buildings, circuit, network, server, Desktop, laptop
A Server is located in a room and is connected to one or more networks
A server can hold one or more applications
Servers are owned by a (Client user) and from a Supplier Owner (e.g. IBM, Oracle etc)
Types: Web server, database server, apps server, integration server etc
A Network is located in one or more locations
A network can connect to one or more other networks
Networks are owned by a (Client user) and from a Supplier Owner (e.g. IBM, Oracle etc)
A network is connected to a number of assets: managed switch, Desktop, Server, SAN, Circuit, Firewall (Note: Laptops are not directly linked to a specific Network in the model)
Types: WAN, LAN
Types: Security domain: Greenlink, AmberLink etc

3.0 Key Architect queries/report diagrams from Troux

3.1 Key minimum Architecture centric queries/reports

Application Architecture
Application à Applications
Owned by Organisation (select)
Serverà Applications
By financial / Billing (select)
By application type
Technology Model
Location à all assets at that location
Routers, Firewalls, Managed switch, buildings, circuit, network, server, Desktop, laptop
Show end to end connectivity of assets
Location Diagram
As above
For a selected asset
Asset à Locations
For all locations that have that asset
WAN Architecture
Network à all locations that that network exists in
Location à all networks at that location (same as asset)
Repeat above with Network/Circuit view
Selected by specific Security Domain
Selected by specific location with all circuits showing from that location
Server Architecture
Server à all related components connected to that server
Location, room, application, network, client owner, supplier owner
Billing / financial data à all servers in that group
End User Computing (EUC) Architecture
Desktop à network/circuits it can attach to
Laptop à network/circuits it can attach to
For selected Desktop/ laptop
End User SOE (Standard operating Environment) diagram
Organisation Structure
Organisational chart of relationships
BAE Systems organisational structure (Business group, Business Unit and major programme) and the Service Provider’s supporting organisation

3.2 Use case goals

Cost Scenarios

Licences

Support

Maintenance

Assets

Processes

Work activities

Time Scenarios

Collection

Decision making

Presentation

Collaboration

Productivity Scenarios

Rationalisation

Consolidation

Service levels

Administration

Programmes

3.3 Business Use Cases

BUC1 Mergers and acquisitions

Assess, assimilation and migration

The new CEO has this as his strategy so there is need to to quickly asssess and assimilate a new organisation, both from business perspective (single global processes on global applicaiton portfolio), and from IS governance perspective.

BUC2 Globalisation of IS

Rationalisation, move to commonisation vs regionalism

Similar issues in a way but NG to date has really been five semi-integrated businesses across UK and US with semi-integrated IS. Now is the time to rationalise - they are in the middle of announcing their global IS organisation to achieve this. This is a BIG opportunity to use Troux to answer the questions they have to allow this to happen.