Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2022.  Read them in this 14th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

Why Enterprise Architecture Will be in the Spotlight

By Michael D'Onofrio, CEO Orbus Software

As the world continues to react to fallout from the pandemic, every business is grappling with how to accelerate the pace of digital transformation. This is increasingly putting Enterprise Architecture (EA) front and center as a way to build resiliency and navigate the ongoing disruptions. As 2022 progresses, we can expect to see EA become increasingly crucial in reshaping how businesses operate and respond to the new normal. Below are three ways I predict that EA will impact organizations in the coming months:

While most organizations handled the immediate pandemic response to the best of their ability, they are now looking forward to how they can successfully recover. Likewise, enterprises of all types are taking it one step further, using this as an opportunity to discover how their digital transformation initiatives can both adapt and evolve. That's where enterprise architects play a vital role - as key enablers of strategic decisions to guide successful digital transformation.

According to a recent Gartner report, 72% of organizations are either starting, restarting, or renewing their Enterprise Architecture efforts. No doubt, this has been accelerated by recent events and the need to build back better. The key purpose of enterprise architects is to proactively identify disruptive trends (whether these relate to technology, economic, societal, political, or environmental topics), evaluate them to determine the impact on the business, and provide innovative solutions. Since an essential part of recovery is, logically, to plan and strategize beyond it, enterprise architects will therefore be a key asset in 2022.

2.  Enterprise Architecture to be used to fight increasing cyber attacks

The past year has appeared to break all records when it comes to the quantity of data lost in breaches, with nearly 281.5 million people having been affected by some sort of data breach in 2021 alone. With the growing complexity of enterprise technologies and the size of overall global business operations, companies are more vulnerable than ever to the prospect of some of the largest cybersecurity attacks we have ever seen.

With organizations desperately trying to stay one step ahead with their IT and security infrastructure, more are looking towards Enterprise Architecture to help bolster their risk posture and preparedness for a possible attack. In the form of EA, this extends to achieving full organizational visibility and control over all operations, including a holistic view over dedicated security architectures. Enterprise Architecture can support organizations both in terms of visibility and scalability, helping to increase their level of security detail and ensure its presence across each area of a company. Therefore, in 2022 we will see more organizations turn to EA to successfully prepare for and conquer sophisticated cyber attacks.

3.  Companies using Enterprise Architecture to reach sustainability goals

As outlined by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals developed by the United Nations and more recently COP26, businesses around the world are now focusing more on sustainable business strategies to transition to net zero emissions. In the year ahead, Enterprise Architecture (EA) will be a crucial tool to achieving such goals and to address technology roadmaps.

EA can help achieve sustainability goals by mapping out the most effective and efficient path to reach a desired future state. If a government develops a new digital platform for energy management, for example, they could then link this to existing technology roadmaps to leverage existing infrastructure for deploying and managing this new application.

Ultimately, this streamlined approach helps enterprises to achieve sustainable development objectives. This is because EA frameworks are designed to determine the questions they will need to answer in order to lower emissions and reduce carbon footprints and can then create an operating model which details the structures needed to achieve such outcomes.

Likewise, by integrating an organization's Corporate Social Responsibility framework into an overall business strategy, EA can assist with complex decision making and help to pinpoint opportunities for sustainable improvement. With COP26 highlighting the need to build a more sustainable future, the year ahead will see more organizations turn to EA to accelerate sustainable development.

As organizations look to secure a competitive advantage in the race to accelerate digital transformation EA will increasingly play a vital role in making that vision a reality.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael D'Onofrio, CEO Orbus Software 

Michael is a technology executive, sustainability entrepreneur and growth investor with over 15 years of global experience across the UK & Europe, US & Canada, Australia and Asia Pacific regions.

Michael's mission is to build a sustainable and enduring legacy for the next generation. He believes we are entering a decade of rapid scaling of cloud technologies, smart cities and sustainable brands at the scale of an industrial revolution and the speed of a digital transformation. Key themes include the intersection of B2B cloud software, sustainability, real estate, clean energy and impact investing.

Michael holds Bachelor of Engineering and Masters of Project Management degrees, both with first class honours, and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he graduated with High Distinction as a Baker Scholar.