Pleiades IT architecture

	Pleiades Consulting Ltd Specialists in Enterprise IT Architecture
	IT Architecture

What?

Pleiades defines an architecture as 'a blueprint for future information technology purchases and deployment'.

This definition emphasises the similarity between an architect in the construction industry and one in IT. Each acts as a broker between 'users' and 'developers', the catalyst for a dialogue being the set of plans, or blueprints, understood and agreed to by all parties.

Why?

Traditionally, enterprise IT architectures were established to control IT costs. We believe that the fundamental raison d'être of an IT architecture is change. The only way IT can hope to keep up with the rate of change in all aspects of modern business is to expect and anticipate change. And the best way to avoid legacy infrastructures is to build them with change in mind. An architecture can enshrine this principle of change across the whole enterprise.

How?

Our approach to the creation of a technology architecture is to start from first principles. Principles are statements which embody the enterprise's approach to IT decision-making. For example:

Principle: Systems that support the integration of off-the-shelf components are preferred to those that require building in-house.

Rationale: Savings in costs. Reduced risk due to less reliance on in-house specialists.

Implications: Use of packages usually involves compromising on IT’s ability to meet all of the requirements of the business application.

Avoid motherhood, and principles become very powerful. Getting agreement from both business and IT to principles on which it is possible to disagree can save countless hours of argument on detailed product selection at later dates.

What can Pleiades offer?

Pleiades Consulting have helped major multi-national organisations develop their information technology architectures, and we have built up a wealth of real-world experience in the process. Talk to us to find out more.