Enterprise Architecture (glossary)
(1) A rigorous description of the structure of an enterprise, its decomposition into subsystems, the relationships between the subsystems, the relationships with the external environment, the terminology to use, and the guiding principles for the design and evolution of an enterprise. (Giachetti 2009)
(2) A strategic information asset base, which defines the business, the information necessary to operate the business, the technologies necessary to support the business operations, and the transitional processes necessary for implementing new technologies in response to the changing business needs. It is a representation or blueprint. (CIO Council 1999)
(3) The formal description of the structure and function of the components of an enterprise, their interrelationships, and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time. (MOD 2004)
(4) A discipline for proactively and holistically leading enterprise responses to disruptive forces by identifying and analyzing the execution of change toward desired business vision and outcomes. Enterprise architecture delivers value by presenting business and IT leaders with signature-ready recommendations for adjusting policies and projects to achieve target business outcomes that capitalize on relevant business disruptions. It is used to steer decision making toward the evolution of the future state architecture. (Gartner 2013)
(5) The practice of conducting enterprise analysis, design, planning, and implementation using a holistic approach for the successful development and execution of strategy. EA applies architecture principles and practices to guide organizations through the business, information, process, and technology changes necessary to execute their organization's strategies. (IEEE/ACM n.d. (b))
Source
(1) Giachetti, R.E. 2009. Design of Enterprise Systems: Theory, Architectures, and Methods. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press.
(2) CIO Council. 1999. Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEAF). Washington, DC, USA: Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council.
(3) MOD. 2004. Ministry of Defence Architecture Framework (MODAF), version 2. London, UK: U.K. Ministry of Defence.
(4) Gartner IT Glossary. S.V. "enterprise architecture." Accessed 11 March 2013, available at: http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/enterprise-architecture-ea/.
(5) IEEE/ACM (n.d. (b)). Guide to the Enterprise Information Technology Body of Knowledge article on Enterprise Architecture. Available at: http://eitbokwiki.org/Enterprise_Architecture. Accessed on May 7, 2023.
Discussion
There are many different definitions of Enterprise Architecture which vary in the content and application of the architecture and in the importance of the various components of the architecture. The five definitions shown here reflect authoritative and expert sources.