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Enterprise Architects are practitioners of Enterprise architecture; an information technology discipline that operates within large enterprises.

1. Role of Enterprise Architects

Enterprise Architects conceptualize (and sometimes build) enterprise-wide approaches to IT architecture that addresses the changing needs of businesses. They operate across "organisational siloes" to drive common approaches and expose an organisation's information assets and processes across the enterprise.

Their goal is to deliver an architecture that supports the most efficient and secure IT environment meeting a company's business needs.

Enterprise Architects are like city planners, providing the roadmaps and regulations that a city uses to manage its growth and provide services to its citizens. In this analogy it is possible to differentiate the role of the system architect, who planns one or more buildings. Continuing, software architects are responsible for something analagous to the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) within the building. Even further, network architects are responsible for something like the plumbing within the building, and the water and sewer between buildings (and yet this is still not a whole city, just another part). The enterprise architect, like city planning, coreographs other activities into a larger plan.

2. Responsibilities of Enterprise Architects

• Alignment of IT strategy & planning with company's business goals.
• Optimisation of information management approaches through an understanding of evolving business needs and technology capabilities.
• Long-term strategic responsibility for the company's IT systems.
• Promotion of shared infrastructure and applications to reduce costs and improve information flows.
• Management of the risks associated with information and IT assets through appropriate standards and security policies.
• Direct or indirect involvement in the development of policies, standards and guidelines that direct the selection, development, implementation and use of Information Technology within the enterprise.

3. Skills and Knowledge

• System, hardware and software engineering
• Planning
• Communication
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills

4. Collaboration

The Enterprise Architect often closely collaborates with:

• Business analyst
• System analyst
• Software architect
• Systems architect
• Application developer
• Release deployer
• IT Administrator
• Project manager

5. References

• Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments
• IBM Developer Works: Article on SOA user roles

• Organizational studies and human resource management
• Information science
• Information technology management