How is iServer different to other Enterprise Architecture
tools?
iServer extends the Microsoft Office ® & Visio ®
interfaces
For for the first time, customers have the option
of remaining in Microsoft Office and Visio whilst gaining the full
functionality of an Enterprise Architecture tool.
Most other Enterprise Architecture tools have proprietary
interfaces, and any information stored in Visio and Office must be
(at best) imported or even reworked just to get started.
iServer is Low Cost
iServer offers a unique solution - a scalable, practical and
cost effective toolset for organizations working through the early
phases of Enterprise Architecture maturity; it is typically only
about 50% of the cost of other leading Enterprise
Architecture tools. This means that the return on
investment is faster, and it is also viable to engage in a
cost-effective proof of concept deployment prior to investment in a
wider-scale EA initiative. iServer users can be trained in a few
hours, and familiarity with Microsoft Visio means that much of the
system is already known to the majority of users.
iServer provides a very quick start to Enterprise
Architecture
For a number of reasons, iServer can be deployed &
productively used quicker than any other EA tool:
iServer allows you to get started with the information
you have now
Many other tools require a lengthy data-migration exercise, with
decisions to be made up-front on metamodel and standards. Your
diagrams and documents may not be perfect, complete, or consistent
(for example in use of notations), but this information can be
imported immediately into iServer. Of course standardization and
consistency are important, but this does not have to be achieved on
day one. Use of templates/standards/metadata can be enforced within
iServer as usage evolves, but at the start it can be very useful to
have an initial view of "where we are today". This can be published
to the intranet (with all its problems) and discussed online,
leading to immediate improvement.
iServer provides pre-packaged "quick start"
solutions
Orbus provide quick start solutions for TOGAF and
the Zachman framework for Enterprise Architecture.
Training is quick and painless - users can be
productively using iServer within a few hours.
iServer turns dumb Visio Shapes into Intelligent Objects
Visio shapes and Office document components become the
repository objects (components, building blocks) stored within
iServer. Examples include: applications, services, processes,
organizational units and network devices.
iServer is different from a document management system because
functionality such as versioning and audit trail, permissions,
relationships and metadata (attributes) is provided for the objects
(Visio shapes), and not just for documents. And.. iServer is
different from other EA tools because it uses Visio, rather than a
proprietary interface.
iServer is Easy to Use
Because iServer extends the familiar Office tools, a large
proportion of the interfaces are already familiar to new users -
models and other supporting artifacts can be created without the
usual training "down-time", resistance is minimized and is not seen
as a "one way trip". iServer is not just a tool for architects (see
below), so appropriate levels of functionality and complexity can
be turned on for different groups of users.
The best way to see this for yourself is to
or to sign up for a where you can see the benefits of iServer
first-hand.
iServer is not just for Architects!
The cost and complexity of most Enterprise Architecture tools
means that other users are often excluded. iServer's continued use
of familiar MS Office products allows artifacts to be managed in
the tools best suited for the job, whilst providing an appropriate
set of functionality for each level of user.
Architects (e.g. Enterprise Architects,
Solutions Architects, Domain Architects)
A repository, a range of analysis tools, a customizable
metamodel, stakeholder-driven views and out-of-the-box solutions
for a quick start (such as TOGAF). Models can be built using industry
standard notations such as ArchiMate, UML and BPMN.
Contributors (e.g. business managers, service
managers, network managers, business modelers, systems developers,
project managers)
An easy to use modeling environment, picture-driven stakeholder
views, synchronization with other data sources (for list-based
management of artifacts), configurable extensions to BPMS &
simulation environments, reports in Excel & Word, model
comparison and search capabilities.
Consumers (e.g. general business users, senior
managers, customers, or suppliers)
Picture-driven access to Enterprise Architecture information,
simple feedback mechanisms.
