The Evolution of Information Systems Architecture

Information systems architecture is an emerging discipline directed towards the planning and control of information systems resources throughout an organization. It is seen as a vehicle for assisting managers in the task of dealing with the need for integration in a complex technological environment, and coming to grips with issues concerning the role of information systems in supporting the organization\u27s business needs. One of the most important applications of architecture for some companies may well be in the area of competitive strategy. Architecture can provide the vision and structure that will enable a company to utilize its information systems resources to gain strategic advantage over its competitors. Thirteen companies facing architectural problems were organized in a consortium to exchange ideas on common issues and to work on developing architectural frameworks, guidelines and methodologies. This article presents the results of an exploratory research study which examined the state of architectural activities at each of these companies

Information systems architecture for fire emergency response

Purpose There has been a lack of meaningful information systems architecture, which comprehensively conceptualise the essential components and functionality of an information system for fire emergency response addressing needs of different job roles. This study proposes a comprehensive information systems architecture which would best support four of the key fire-fighter job roles. Design The study has built on the outcomes of two previous preliminary studies on information and human-computer interaction needs of core fire fighter job roles. Scenario based action research was conducted with fire fighters in a range of roles, to evaluate human computer interaction needs while using various technology platforms. Findings Several key themes were identified and led us to propose several layers of an integrated architecture, their composition and interactions. Research limitations The selected fire scenarios may not represent every type of fire expected in high risk built environments. Practical implications The current paper represents a shared discussion among end users, system architects and designers, to understand and improve essential components. It, therefore, provides a reference point for the development of an information system architecture for fire emergency response. Originality The proposed information system architecture is novel because it outlines specific architectural elements required to meet the specific situation awareness needs of four of the key firefighters job roles

IS Architecture Characteristics as a Measure of IT Agility

As markets change, business models alter and technology evolves information systems need to change. The ability and speedof change in information systems are crucial success factors for the success of the business itself. We call this IT Agility.IT Agility depends on many internal and external factors of the enterprise and can be achieved through reactive and proactiveactions. In this paper the focus is on the information systems architecture as a main proactive contributor to IT Agility.As measurement is essential for the management of IT Agility a framework is suggested that quantitatively evaluates themain influencing factors of information systems architecture on IT Agility (coupling, redundancy, complexity andparameterization). Results from a real-world application show the ability of the framework to identify fields for improvementin IT Agility in the information systems architecture of enterprises

ELISA, a demonstrator environment for information systems architecture design

This paper describes an approach of reusability of software engineering technology in the area of ground space system design. System engineers have lots of needs similar to software developers: sharing of a common data base, capitalization of knowledge, definition of a common design process, communication between different technical domains. Moreover system designers need to simulate dynamically their system as early as possible. Software development environments, methods and tools now become operational and widely used. Their architecture is based on a unique object base, a set of common management services and they host a family of tools for each life cycle activity. In late '92, CNES decided to develop a demonstrative software environment supporting some system activities. The design of ground space data processing systems was chosen as the application domain. ELISA (Integrated Software Environment for Architectures Specification) was specified as a 'demonstrator', i.e. a sufficient basis for demonstrations, evaluation and future operational enhancements. A process with three phases was implemented: system requirements definition, design of system architectures models, and selection of physical architectures. Each phase is composed of several activities that can be performed in parallel, with the provision of Commercial Off the Shelves Tools. ELISA has been delivered to CNES in January 94, currently used for demonstrations and evaluations on real projects (e.g. SPOT4 Satellite Control Center). It is on the way of new evolutions

Experiences with applying a genetic algorithm to determine an information systems architecture

While determining information systems architectures (ISA), business systems planning (BSP) is a well-known method to join processes and data classes to subsystems. BSP matrices have generally been rearranged without describing the underlying methods. Meanwhile, various techniques have been developed for solving the ISA problem. Since exact optimization methods often fail to provide results for large ISA problems, different heuristics have been applied. A new heuristic for solving the ISA problem is the application of genetic algorithms (GA). This paper examines the application of a simple GA to the ISA problem and compares the results of applying the GA with those obtained by exact method

Managing cultural heritage: information systems architecture

This chapter is about the architecture of systems that store, preserve and provide access to digital cultural heritage objects. It presents some major design considerations for implementing cultural heritage system architectures and some existing architectural patterns currently in use. Then, a simpler architectural design is proposed; this new architecture could potentially have a positive impact on digital preservation

DRIVERS AND EFFECTS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE COMPLEXITY: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY

Today’s organizations deal with a significant complexity of their information systems (IS) architec-ture—a complex cobweb of heterogeneous IS with tight, mutual interrelations. With the constantly in-creasing number of IS along with the inherent complexity of the organizational context in which IS are embedded, organizations lose control of their IS architecture’s evolution. Through employing a se-quential mixed-methods research design, this study investigates the drivers and effects of IS architec-ture complexity. Based on the extant literature and on focus groups data, at the outset we develop a research model and derive its constitutive hypotheses. We subsequently test the research model follow-ing a partial least squares (PLS) approach to structural equation modelling (SEM) with survey re-sponses from 249 IT managers and architects. While differentiating structural and dynamic complexi-ty, this study confirms a high degree of integration, large size, high diversity, strong dynamics, and, in particular, inadequate planning as the main drivers of IS architecture complexity. Further, this study affirms the negative effect of IS architecture complexity on the efficiency, agility, comprehensibility, and predictability of the IS

An operational information systems architecture for assessing sustainable transportation planning: Principles and design

This paper offers the description of an integrated information system framework for the assessment of transportation planning and management. After an introductory exposition, in the first part of the paper, a broad overview of international experiences regarding information systems on transportation is given, focusing in particular on the relationship between transportation system's performance monitoring and the decision-making process, and on the importance of this connection in the evaluation and planning process, in Italian and European cases. Next, the methodological design of an information system to support efficient and sustainable transportation planning and management aiming to integrate inputs from several different data sources is presented. The resulting framework deploys modular and integrated databases which include data stemming from different national or regional data banks and which integrate information belonging to different transportation fields. For this reason, it allows public administrations to account for many strategic elements that influence their decisions regarding transportation, both from a systemic and infrastructural point of view

Information Systems Architecture for Operational Management and Control

Monitoring and control within process industries may be divided into discrete levels in a functional hierarchy. The respective levels have distinct charactersistics that determine the underlying systems architecture. The paper contrasts the functions of on-line monitoring and control with those of off-line operational management. A generic systems architecture is proposed in which these levels of control are supported by separate systems, connected by a standard data interface

Corporate Information Systems Architecture for Business Intelligence Solutions

One of the most important elements in decision-making is the availability of information which is used in the management of organizations. In this paper, we present the method SIMBIOSIS (System of Indicators for Managing Business Intelligence Oriented Strategic Information System). This method considers the two basic levels of decision-making in organizations; these levels are named strategic and tactical. In addition, the method looks at the minimal business intelligence objective of providing the right information to the right person at the right time as a variable. The conjugation of these two points of view permits us to generate a set of indicators. Using these indicators, with a system of information status identification we have proposed, help in the tagging of each component. The information analyzed by these indicators and the status identifiers provide the organization with an extended view of an information system that can aptly be adapted into business intelligence solutions. This also allows a vision of not only the organization but also the extended organization (i.e. organization that includes its environment)