Thomas Obitz is a Principal Architect with the Technology Consulting Group of Infosys Technologies, Germany. After studying Mathematics at Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, he has since gathered more than 15 years of experience in software development.

Thomas has broad experience conceptualizing and designing large scale distributed systems, especially in the the area of investment banking and capital markets. He has been working with enterprise architecture groups reviewing application landscapes and adopting them for improved support of the corporate’s processes and value propositions.

His key areas of interest are enterprise architecture, its potential vs perceived benefits, and mechanisms for its effective implementation. As part of the project team developing TOGAF 9, he helps advancing the most widely adopted enterprise architecture process.

Presentation

Enterprise Architecture in Challenging Times: How EA Teams should React to the Current Economic Climate

Times are tough at the beginning of 2009 – most mature economies are in or on the verge of a recession. Organizations are reacting by reducing cost and postponing investments.

In this situation, enterprise architects need to understand two things: Firstly, which levers they have to generate value to the company, and which of them yield short-term results. Secondly, how they can make their value transparent to corporate decision makers, avoid being classified as overhead cost and becoming a cost cutting target themselves.

The presentation discusses the value levers of architecture, how they influence results, and in which timeframes they yield benefits. It also explains what enterprise architects have to do to be able to justify their work.

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