Selecting an Enterprise Architecture tool
When is iServer suitable for your organization?
If you are looking to purchase an enterprise architecture tool
and you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you should
be considering iServer.
Do you use Microsoft Visio ® and Office ®?
Most organizations already have a large investment in Microsoft
Office - skills (most people use the Office
products on a daily basis) and content (Microsoft
Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Visio drawings and PowerPoint
presentations). Uniquely with iServer, customers continue to work
in Microsoft Visio and Office whilst gaining access to the
multi-user repository and the extended modeling; analytical
functionality iServer builds around these products.
If your users are already familiar with and happy using
Microsoft Visio, then it makes sense to keep it that way. Rather
than a lengthy conversion / migration exercise moving existing
models into a new tool, with iServer, diagrams can be imported
immediately and remain as Visio diagrams within the
repository, which makes iServer a very low risk
investment. Microsoft Office documents can also be stored in the
enterprise architecture repository.
Are you starting out with Enterprise Architecture and need
something more than EVP (Excel, Visio and PowerPoint)?
It is estimated that 2/3 of organizations are in the early
phases of enterprise architecture maturity. Most start off using
Microsoft Office and Visio, until they reach a point where they
require a repository and greater modeling functionality.
Transition to an enterprise architecture tool can often be
difficult in terms of cost (tool purchase,
training and data migration), risk (one way trip,
dependency on tool experts), and long term viability. iServer is
deliberately intended to support organizations in the early stages
of enterprise architecture maturity, but fully scalable to provide
the enterprise architecture capabilities needed as the organization
evolves.
Is cost a constraint in the acquisition of an Enterprise
Architecture tool?
iServer is normally half the cost of most other
EA tools! The cost is kept down by continuing to use Visio and
Office as the interfaces for creating Enterprise Architecture
content.
Have you had trouble implementing other Enterprise Architecture
tools because of user resistance, lack of skills or tool
complexity?
User acceptance is key to the success of an Enterprise
Architecture tool - many projects fail simply because a tool proves
too difficult for people to use - and if people leave the
organization, they take the skills with them.
With iServer this is not a problem, because the key user
interfaces are based upon Microsoft Visio and Office, making it
very easy for anyone to learn how to use iServer in just a couple
of hours.
Do you want to showcase Enterprise Architecture work to the
business?
iServer is not just for
enterprise architects or analysts! The low cost,
ease-of-use and enterprise-wide use of Microsoft Visio and Office
make it possible to federate the tool out to other stakeholders
within the business. This is not possible with other Enterprise
Architecture tools because of the prohibitive cost, complexity and
the fact that everyone else in the business is using
Microsoft Office and Visio.
To view enterprise architecture content and collaborate with
other users, you don't need to be an iServer user.
iServer
Portal is a web interface to the repository, providing
live browser access to all diagrams and documents,
metadata and relationships. Portal makes enterprise architecture
models and documentation quickly available to the whole business at
a very low cost per user. Find out More about
iServer Portal.
iServer
Publisher allows you to create picture-driven HTML
presentations tailored to individual stakeholder needs. This is a
very effective way of making enterprise architecture content
accessible to business users who may not even be familiar with
iServer. With an intuitive user interface, publications require no
training and a simple feedback mechanism allow people to post
comments or questions to the content owners. Find out More iServer
Publisher.
Are you looking to Implement TOGAF9 ?
Orbus provides a comprehensive starter pack for TOGAF 9,
complete with metamodel, templates, user guides and pre-configured
repository. Find out
more about the TOGAF solution.
Next Steps
The best way to find out more about iServer is by .
