The ITAM Review

News, reviews and resources for worldwide ITAM, SAM and Licensing professionals.

Market Guide: Enterprise Architecture Suites

This is the third in a series of Market Guides looking at technologies and services that sit adjacent to ITAM in large enterprises. The purpose of this series is to provide an introduction for ITAM professionals to the tools used by their key stakeholders. By doing so, we will identify areas of overlap in tooling and further opportunities for collaboration. ITAM starts with Trustworthy Data, so it makes sense to look at the market for tools which may provide data and services of use to ITAM teams.

What are Enterprise Architecture Suites (EAS)?

Enterprise Architecture Suites enable stakeholders to create and maintain comprehensive models of an organisation’s IT estate. These models are used for a wide range of deliverables ranging from simple record keeping to facilitating the planning and execution of complex change programmes. Historically, these have been IT tools used by a small number of IT users working somewhat independently of both the wider IT organisation and the business the technology serves.

This model is undergoing rapid change, partly driven by the increasing relevance of cloud and the move to “as-a-service” business models. The role of the architect is changing to reflect the modular approach to providing technology services enabled by cloud computing. Rather than mapping and planning internally developed bespoke systems modern IT architectures increasingly stitch together services and products running on cloud computing resources. This increased complexity requires architects to include a wider number of stakeholders in their work and typically to give up some degree of control over the technology operating model they’re tasked with maintaining.

Architecture Models and Domains

Broadly speaking, architecture is split into four domains – Business, Data, Applications, and Technology.

Figure 1: Layers of Enterprise Architecture. Adapted from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Layers_of_the_Enterprise_Architecture.jpg Niles E Hewlett, PMP CEA, Enterprise Architecture Team, USDA-OCIO

Put simply, business processes and activities use data which is stored and processed by applications running on technology.

Optionally, some models split out Security Architecture as a domain which spans all domains. This recognises increased threats, regulations, and solution diversity.

Key deliverables and functions of an EAS

The following functions are critical for a modern EAS. As IT estates become more complex EAS rely more heavily on modelling and scenario mapping, integration, and automation. As can be seen from the below list, the functions of an EAS are broadly similar to the capabilities we expect from our ITAM tools:

  • Architectural Repository
  • Analysis
  • Reporting & Presentation
  • Modelling & Scenario Mapping
  • Integration
  • Automation

Why are EAS of interest to ITAM?

The architecture model & functional requirements above highlight the usefulness of ITAM processes and data to Enterprise Architects. Whilst ITAM programmes are rarely tasked with managing data assets, they are undoubtedly focused on managing applications and technology. ITAM supports architects working at those layers of the architecture model in the following ways:

Managing Technical Debt

Architects help businesses move from “as-is” to “to-be” operating models by highlighting what needs changing, why it should be changed, and how it should be changed. For example, they may identify that the incumbent ERP system is unable to support digital transformation and improvements to the customer journey. ITAM’s role here is to provide architects with an accurate inventory of asset data, enriched with data such as support status, warranty status, length of support agreement, usage, and costs. ITAM teams will also know if technologies needed to implement change are already in use in the environment. This is a key output from strategic ITAM programmes which have become trusted advisers to decision-makers.

Accurate cost models and ROI calculations

An ITAM team’s expertise in managing costs and understanding license terms means that they can contribute detailed cost forecasts to aid solution selection decision making. For example, ITAM teams will know what software or hardware is already owned and can provide a rigorous estimate of the cost of expanding a datacentre. Accurate costs are vital to the success of an architecture-driven change programme and these accurate forecasts are made possible through detailed understanding of license agreements

Adoption & Usage tracking

A key risk caused by changing technology and application architecture is whether the new applications and processes have embedded fully. ITAM tools are one of the few data sources for this information and most will have detailed usage trends which are invaluable in detecting whether action needs to be taken to drive value from technology change.

Enriching architecture models

Enterprise Architecture isn’t just about managing change. It’s impossible to implement change without first knowing the “as-is” – what’s currently deployed at the application and technology layer. Not all architecture tools have their own discovery and inventory technology and so an ITAM team can help build a richly detailed picture of the current architecture. By combining asset data with contextual data from, for example, the CMBD or Application Portfolio Management (APM) architects can understand relationships between technology assets and the services they provide. As IT estates become more complex it becomes harder for EAs to keep track of all the moving parts and the often real-time data acquired by ITAM tools is invaluable.

Enterprise Architecture Market Overview

Enterprise Architecture as a concept has been a fixture of IT Management for many decades. For much of that time tools tended to focus heavily on IT deliverables, mapping information, processes, and outcomes from a technology perspective. These tools modelled IT systems without much regard for the purpose and value of those systems. The objective was to produce and keep up to date a richly detailed model of the technology estate. In recent years, the market has been disrupted by tools that truly deliver an Enterprise or Business Architecture rather than a model of the IT estate. A wide variety of stakeholders across the business contribute to mapping the current technology estate and value chains with a view to enabling change and ensuring the estate is serviced.

As a result of this trend EA tools are opening up, providing connectivity to and from systems such as ITOM, ITSM, and ITAM.

Inclusion Criteria

In compiling this guide, we sought to include a wide variety of solutions in terms of cost, target organisation size, and geographies. If you are a vendor with an Enterprise Architecture solution that integrates with ITAM tools and processes and are not included, please contact us for possible inclusion in a later revision. Similarly, if you are an end user of a solution not listed, please submit a review on The ITAM Review Market Place.

Vendors

ADOIT

Name: ADOIT

Description: ADOIT from BOC is available as a free community edition for individual users, including in commercial settings, alongside a paid-for Enterprise Edition. In the market since 2003 it supports common EA standards such as TOGAF. It is available on-premises or as a SaaS product

Offer price: Free

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of ADOIT?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of ADOIT, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
Alfabet

Name: Alfabet

Description: Alfabet entered the EAS market in 1998 and was acquired by SoftwareAG in 2013. It forms part of SoftwareAG's solutions for Digital Transformation and is also available as a SaaS offering, Alfabet Fastlane

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of Alfabet & Alfabet Fastlane?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of Alfabet, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
Ardoq

Name: Ardoq

Description: Ardoq, founded in Norway in 2013, is a SaaS-based Enterprise Architecture Suite. It is available in four editions and Ardoq sell the service with comprehensive onboarding support. It focuses on a bottom-up data-driven democratic approach to enterprise architecture.

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of Ardoq?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of Ardoq, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
ARIS

Name: ARIS

Description: ARIS is a free tool for modelling business processes, which can form the basis for an architecture suite. It was first released in 2009, and the company was acquired by SoftwareAG in 2010. It is a standalone application running in Java.

Offer price: Free

Operating System: Java

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of ARIS?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of ARIS, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
BizzDesign

Name: BizzDesign

Offer price: POA

Operating System: SaaS

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of BizzDesign?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of BizzDesign, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
Essential

Name: Essential

Offer price: From $16,500

Operating System: SaaS

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of Essential from Enterprise Architecture Solutions?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of Essential from Enterprise Architecture Solutions, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
HopEX

Name: HopEX

Description: HopEX from Mega is a platform for delivering Enterprise Architecture, Business Process Management, Data Governance, and Risk Management.

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of HopEX?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of HopEX, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
InnoSlate

Name: InnoSlate

Description: Innoslate offers a full lifecycle software for model-based systems engineering, requirements management, verification and validation.

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of InnoSlate?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of InnoSlate, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
LeanIX

Name: LeanIX

Description: The LeanIX platform promotes continuous transformation and enables Corporate IT and Product IT teams to establish superior governance while efficiently organizing, planning, and managing IT landscapes.

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of LeanIX?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of LeanIX, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
Orbus iServer

Name: Orbus iServer

Description: iServer provides a central repository for the enterprise architecture team to collaborate on architecture models and documentation. It also offers support for EA frameworks and standards, such as TOGAF® 9.1and ArchiMate®

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of Orbus iServer?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of Orbus iServer, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect

Name: Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect

Description: Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is available in 4 editions as a subscription. A veteran in this market, it was first released in 2000 and is now on version 15

Offer price: $299 - $899

Application Category: Enterprise Architecture Suites

Summary

What are the pros, cons, ROI and ease of use of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?

Which use cases is it good for? What are the best alternatives?

Use the ratings bars below to submit your opinion of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect, and use the comments to provide your detailed review

User Review
  • Sending
    Ease of Use
  • Sending
    Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Sending
    Technical Support
  • Sending
    Customer Service
  • Sending
    Overall Satisfaction
0/10
Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)