university of california, irvine changing the way it delivers application services through...

University of California, Irvine

Changing the Way IT Delivers Application Services Through Architecture for Increased

Agility

Marina ArsenievAssociate Director / Enterprise Architecture

Administrative Computing Services, UC [email protected]

University of California, Irvine (Administrative Computing Services)

AgendaAgendaChallengesEnterprise Architecture - An OverviewVisionSteps to get there… ValueEA and Web Services/SOA?


Our ChallengesOur ChallengesHundreds of systems - IBM Mainframe, Solaris, Windows

Lack of Real-time integrationUsers use disparate systems, user interfaces = TrainingIT skill-set reuse

New compliance regulations, security threatsDefine processes that govern technology changes,

investments and future strategyLifecycle management –focused on inventorying, building, maintaining,

acquiring, consolidating, and retiring technologyInformed IT decisions


Our Challenges (cont’d)Our Challenges (cont’d)Customers know technology can make serious improvements

Demand business process automationForms, Document Management, Workflow, Imaging... Growing queue of application projectsIT Agility as business pressures/needs change

Complex project management became critical to missionProject justification, selection, prioritization, sequencingExtraction of common requirements for horizontal, reusable solutions. Application

“assembly”, not customization.

Enterprise Architecture (EA) Initiative identified


Overview: What is EA?Overview: What is EA?

B u s in ess P roce ssesa n d F un c tio ns

In fo rm ationa n d D a ta

T e ch no lo gy

T ra n sit io na l P ro ce sse s th a t ke e p a ll a lig n ed

A blueprint of an organization to analyze and plan changes. The structure of (Enterprise) components, relationships, and

principles and guidelines governing their evolution over time.A strategic asset repository which defines the current and

target architecture environments.


EA Planning Consists ofEA Planning Consists ofA standard methodology or framework

Logical framework – not technologyNot to be confused with J2EE, .Net, Portal, or Web Services

A modelA repository of knowledge (populated model)A change management process

Business needs define application and required infrastructure change

Project-oriented approach to EAProject = Change Agent


VisionVision

Imagine the perfect world…

goals articulatedinitiatives, roadmaps,

projects linked to goals

technology linkedchange strategyagility


Steps to start with EASteps to start with EA

1: Create a list of specific questions, focusing on critical areas.

2: Identify senior technical and business people to gather knowledge from; their roles and responsibilities

3: Develop change impact analysis methodology4: Choose an Enterprise Architecture Framework


Steps to start with EASteps to start with EA5: Choose a tool to model and populate Enterprise

Architecture Asset RepositoryGoal: easily accessible and maintainable repository

6: Plan communication methods7: Document Technical Reference Architecture

Principles, standards, and governance 8: Enforce architectural control

Choose key technologies and standardize. Constrain new development.


The step that never ends…The step that never ends…Step 9: Incremental EA model development and populationCreate and populate model as defined by questionsDefine As-is:

Business model and processes.Applications, data, components.How technology supports the business processes.

Identify desired enhancements to business as projects. For complex enhancements, organize projects into roadmaps.

Communicate, assess and track impact of change.


Specific QuestionsSpecific QuestionsLife cycle management, governance

Control proliferation and retirement of technology?What database technology should I use today? When will it be retired?How many workflow engines do we own? Where are they used?

Application and data security for HIPAA, PCI, and California Privacy compliance?

Which applications use SSN? Encryption?How can we extract “Common Requirements” across projects

into patterns for Web Services/SOA?What reusable, tested, horizontal components implement which requirements? Which applications satisfy what requirements? Which ones operate together?What interface(s) create an Invoice? Timecard? Web Service candidate?


Develop Change Impact Analysis Methodology

Develop Change Impact Analysis Methodology

Need a change… How do you know which one, when, and how?

Analyze and articulate impact of change to business or technology.

Measure impact of moving from a current to targeted practice.

Freely available Sloan School of Management’s “Matrix of Change” tool. (http://ccs.mit.edu/MoC).


Enterprise Architecture Framework

Enterprise Architecture Framework

Need direction and guidance?Many frameworks to choose from. Comparison at:

http://www.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8-doc/arch/p4/others/others.htm

Adopted the Zachman Framework (http://www.zifa.com)What is it?

A language that helps people think about complex concepts and communicate in less technical terminology.

Planning tool


Zachman Framework Intro

Zachman Framework Intro

Planner / Scope

Owner / Enterprise Model Designer / System Model

Builder /Technology Model

As built

What How Where Who When WhyData Function Network/ People/ Time/ Motive Node Work Cycle

Rule design

Business logistics

Logical data

model

Semantic model

System design

Business locations

Human interfac

e

Timing

definition

Business plan

Important things

Business functions

People and

groups

Events and

cycles

Goals and strategy

Process model

Work Flow

model

Master schedul

eApplicatio

n archDistributed system

Processing

structure

Business rule

modelPhysical

data model

Tech arch

GUI arch Control structure

Data

definition

Code

Network

arch

Security

arch

Rule

repository

Question

View


Model and Repository Management

Model and Repository Management

How do I model and capture information for the EA repository that can answer my specific questions?

Zachman Framework - powerful thinking tool, not technologyStoring redundant lists of “stuff” in Word, Excel, Visio...

Application lists, critical business cycles…

One possible solution: Stanford’s Protégé Knowledgebase and Ontology Tool Auto generates forms for capturing information based on ontology

and class definitions. Ontology defined by questions.Open source at http://protege.stanford.edu/


Communication PlanCommunication PlanAny method selected must

minimize redundancy increase consistency of information provide reporting

Example - our use of Protégé meets Zachman vision of storing an enterprise artifact in a single place Web HTML reports, plug-in for XML outputsupports slicing and dicing of information via powerful link abilitycustomizable reports - executive to programmer, for Zachman views


Example: ProtegeExample: Protege


Technical Reference Architecture

Technical Reference Architecture

Documented principles, guidelines, and best practices of Architecture Domains:

Lifecycle Management Adopt the “4 year/16 Quarter Sliding Window Methodology” Identifies technologies that are “Approved”, “Maintained but not Upgraded”,

in “Sunset”, “Retired”, or “By Approval Only”.

Developed Apps Vendor/ASP Apps Security Network Database Operations

Common Conceptual Architectural Principles


Architectural ControlArchitectural Control

Kerberos, WebAuth SSO

LDAP (Directory), IP Security*

Distributed Computing Infrastructure

Portal Channel, CMS, Workflow

HTML/JavaScript, Java Applet*

Employee Self-Service, SNAP, DWH

Functional Requirements, Project Plan/Schedule

Goals, Objectives, Initiatives, Strategic Plans

Campus Business Units - HR, Budget, Purchasing

Educational Instruction Administration

PK

I*

* Technology to be used by exception (ie Vendor required)

SA

MS

, R

ole

s, P

olic

y

To

mca

t, A

pa

che,

IIS

*, A

SP

*, .

NE

T*

IdentityManagement

Authentication

Authorization, User/Group Management

J2EE, Web Services, XML/SOAP

Core Components(Reusable)

Ente

rpri

se D

ata

, B

usi

ness

Obje

cts,

Rule

s

Presentation (GUI)

XM

L, Ja

va A

pplic

atio

n*,

Fla

sh*,

VB

*, P

B*

Pro

cess

, D

ata

Dic

tion

ary

, Data

Mo

dels

, R

ule

s, M

ob

ility

Applications/Services

Project Management

Build

/Buy

, P

rioritiz

atio

n,

Re

sourc

e A

lloca

tion,

Mo

dels

, Q

A

Mission

Sys

tem

Enha

nce

ment

Request

s, S

teer

ing C

om

mitt

ees,

Gove

rna

nce

Stake Holders

Students and Parents (Customers)

Rese

arc

h a

nd G

raduate

Stu

die

s, A

cad

em

ic U

nits

Person Registry

Database Sybase, MSSQLServer


Realized ValueRealized ValueTechnologies retired

Database servers consolidated, reduced DBA costs.MS IIS Web Server (except where required by vendor)Clipper, Foxpro

Applications are database neutral (Expresso/JDBC)Tracking security and compliance (ie HIPAA)Reduced development costs

Tested Code reuse: Java components shared between IBM, Solaris, Windows. GUIs made consistent with reusable templates.

Reuse of staff skill setsCommon infrastructure for development: ie LDAP, Workflow, uPortal, and Web

Services/SOA.


StatusStatusUsing Protégé to model and capture information

about business process, data, and technology. Tracking common requirements across projects. Using EA to assess and justify investment decisions

and vendor selection. Linking goals, roadmaps, projects, and technologies. Determining “touch points” between projects and

technologies to assess impact of change.


EA and Web Services? SOA?

EA and Web Services? SOA?

Application agility mandated by business user community.Business community starting to think in terms of SOA.

Revamped our Technical Reference Architecture to include Web Services to facilitate reuse.

Moving stove-pipes, 30 year-old CICS technology to Web Services, Portal, and SOAP/XML.

Examples:Tririga Facilities Management System uses Web Services/SOAP for Integration.

WSDL for Project reporting via campus business portal.Web Services enabled Workflow Engine (Autonomy) used to eliminate “stove-pipe”

workflows via Business Portal.Kuali Financial System – open source and Web Services enabled.


BenefitsBenefits Comprehensive approach to enterprise strategic planning that

encompasses business, technology, data and logical modeling.Management decisions based on more accurate and timely

information.A strategic road map for change with careful project selection,

sequencing, and planning and technology management. Increased Agility!

“Projects done without architecture planning cost significantly more in the long term” (John Zachman)


Q & AQ & A

This presentation: apps.adcom.uci.edu/EnterpriseArch/PresentationsConferences/IQPC/IQPC_200603.ppt

UC Irvine’s EA Web Site: apps.adcom.uci.edu/EnterpriseArchZachman Framework: www.zifa.com/Sloan School of Management’s “Matrix of Change”: ccs.mit.edu/

MoCOntology and Knowledgebase: protege.stanford.edu/UC Irvine’s Administrative Portal: snap.uci.edu uses JA-SIG

uPortal software: www.ja-sig.org/Reporting using XML/XSLT: www.apache.orgJava Application Dev. Framework, CMS: www.jcorporate.com/LDAP: www.openldap.org/

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