Selecting the right
enterprise architecture tool
57% of enterprise architecture practices recently surveyed in the State of the Enterprise Architecture report are ‘immature’. Some practices aspire to become mature, but they still lag behind because they may be using homegrown architecture tools, such as Microsoft® Visio, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Are you still using homegrown tools for your Enterprise Architecture practice? It’s time to change.
Many enterprise architecture practices start with a cheap, homemade solution. The thinking is that once they see some value, the team may then (maybe) graduate to a professional tool. The role of the Enterprise Architect of today has evolved, which means that using homegrown architecture tools simply won’t suffice.
When you’re dealing with separate instances of various bits of software, it’s nearly impossible to coordinate effectively and get anything done. Ever had a team of people collaborate on a single extensive document? There are issues with the different software versions, the document itself, failures with syncing changes, etc.
5 Reasons to move away from homegrown Enterprise Architecture tools
01 Stunted collaboration:
While solutions like Visio might work for smaller organizations, enterprises need advanced functionality to gain important efficiencies. With a homegrown solution, you may be experiencing poor data linkage capabilities and unstable behavior and frequent crashes when you’re trying to stretch the functionality of what is essentially a basic diagramming program, among others.
02 Inferior modeling:
Much of the value of Enterprise Architecture lies in the insights obtained from combining the structure offered by models with the various kinds of attributes, metrics and other data you can relate to that. Microsoft Office tools simply don’t provide the analytical depth required to capture the structural side of your enterprise.
03 Lack of analytical depth:
A valuable message in an unattractive wrapping is useless and could easily be ignored or misunderstood by an audience. Operationalizing deliverables efficiently is just as important as creating them because poor communication is a major hurdle in large collaborative endeavors. Stakeholders that don’t get the message don’t act on it.
04 Poor transparencyand communication:
As a user, you aren’t dealing with a single product but a collection that doesn’t even integrate properly. There’s no visibility into whether things have changed since the last time you visited the model or whether someone has already done what you’re about to do. There are also no standards for building the architecture and presenting insights to audiences – it all looks and feels different.
05 No economies of scale:
Why do you need to migrate to an Enterprise Architecture platform?
Already using an Enterprise Architecture tool?
Teams typically replace their legacy tools because it:
Lacks standardization – they need more
Has rigid integration options
Provides limited flexibility
Focuses only on ‘current state’ architecture
Neglects a business audience with too much focus on ‘architecture’
we’re here to help. Our buyer’s guide is designed to give you a clear understanding of the key criteria you need to consider when selecting an Enterprise Architecture platform.
ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE PLATFORM CHECKLIST
Key features to consider when evaluating an Enterprise Architecture platform
Enterprise-focused product offering (not just IT)
The platform needs to focus on your enterprise’s entire product offering allowing you to make actionable insights across your entire IT landscape. Connect the dots from strategy through to capabilities and processes to technology/ infrastructure.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Single integrated product offering
Collaborating across multiple teams and functions is key – why should Business Analysts work separately from Enterprise Architects?
Transparent pricing model (not modular)
Get predictability in your annual spend with a future-proof investment without any hidden extras – you don’t want to be penalized for adding more assets to the platform.
Flexible deployment options
(SaaS, hybrid, on-premises)
Meet your organizational preferences or deployment strategy, as well as security classifications.
01 Integrated solution
Real-time metamodel validation
Modeling with minimal guesswork enables better quality architecture artifacts and reports and less rework on models.
02 Modeling support
Standards-based modeling support (Enterprise Architecture,
Solution Architecture,
and Business Process Modeling)
It’s important not to reinvent the wheel or burn effort on ‘academic discussions’ around ‘how to model’ – enable quick and easy import and export of content to other environments.
Target state modeling support
Enterprise Architecture is about delivering an optimal future business model, not just focusing on an ‘as-is’ state.
Native ArchiMate 3.1 support
ArchiMate is the de-facto standard for Enterprise Architecture modeling and is used by global enterprises in all market sectors. Why use proprietary methods?
Native REST API
Enterprise Architecture is not a standalone discipline – flexible integration options allow you to operate seamlessly in an ecosystem of technologies.
Easy-to-use UI
Solve your organization’s business challenges with consumable deliverables enabling rapid time-to-value.
03 Consumable product
User-friendly data management workflows
Keep your enterprise data (not just IT) evergreen by enabling casual users/ business stakeholders to update information directly in easy-to-use forms.
Customizable repository/
folder structure
Ensure a quick start with best-practice structures that are fully customizable to cater to your organizational preferences.
Custom scripting/ automation
Avoid meaningless effort spent on manual tasks. Powerful scripting capability provides advanced automation from periodic diagram generation repository clean-up to quality checks.
Customizable visualizations/ templates
Offer flexibility in the way information is presented to stakeholders – all without the need for technical resources or coding.
Bizzdesign Horizzon is an advanced enterprise architecture platform that allows you to plan, track and execute business change. By bringing strategy, business models, technology, and processes together, Bizzdesign Horizzon gives you and your organization the big-picture view you need to make critical data-driven decisions.
Why you should consider Bizzdesign
Since change relies on many individuals, our platform’s technology and user-friendly experience bring dashboards, architecture models, and business design capabilities and analyses to a broad audience. From executive decision-makers to enterprise architects, everyone can get value from Bizzdesign Horizzon. Our platform is delivered as a fully hosted SaaS solution, on-premises, or a hybrid of on-premises and cloud-based components.
The Bizzdesign platform helps executives
see the full multi-dimensional picture, find
and design the right path, and execute with confidence to their targeted future.
Most common Bizzdesign
use cases:
Digital transformation
Cloud migration/ transition
Product and service rollout
Supply chain consolidation
IT rationalization
ERP transitioning
Process Automation
Mergers and Acquisitions
Target operational model
Why you should consider Bizzdesign
Bizzdesign delivers rapid value to business and key stakeholders
3 Key features that differentiate Bizzdesign from other tools
01 Models and modeling:
simplify complexity with a powerful and intuitive modeling environment
Open standards approach, ensuring uniformity and re-useability across datasets
Well-scoped, aligned metamodels that build understanding
02 Data integration and management:
build and maintain high-quality data for faster multi-dimensional decision-making
Gain more automated, richer insights with the latest version of our open API
Collaborate more effectively through intuitive people-centered data policies
Engage with more stakeholders by using intuitive guided data-entry functionalities
03 Analytics and visualization:
leverage and share impactful insights to unite stakeholders in decision-making
Faster decision-making and shared understanding among different stakeholders
Break down silos and collaborate effectively across disciplines
Book a demo
Ready for a change?
Get started with Bizzdesign
Quick start and
time-to-value
We help you realize value fast with our Organizational Value Assessment and preconfigured practice templates, standardized imports, model structures, visualizations and dashboards
Deliver on specific outcomes
Our custom Business Value Accelerator packages provide consultancy, training, and resources to deliver your specific outcomes.
Join our customer success programs
Take advantage of our support, training, and e-learning customer programs and share knowledge with your peers through our Bizzdesign online customer community.
Bizzdesign in a nutshell
Industry-expert consulting and customer success
Rapid value for customers
With over 20 years of experience with thousands of world-class customers, we’ve built a knowledge base and team of experts that few other companies can match.
We’re known for our ability to create rapid value for customers. They’ve told us that Bizzdesign Horizzon had increased their decision-making and visibility by 30%, and system and common design reusability by at least 15%.
Bizzdesign was named a Leader for the 6th consecutive year in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Architecture Tools. We’re recognized for our ‘Ability to Execute’ and our ‘Completeness of Vision’.
Industry-recognized software
We consistently receive high satisfaction scores, and many of our customers have been with us for more than 10+ years.
Responsive, customer-success led sales support
Our global network of Service Partners and Channel Partners allows us to offer you a range of industry experts, professional services, or local sales and support.
Global Partner program
Bizzdesign publishes an annual State of the Enterprise Architecture report, which examines the maturity of Enterprise Architecture organizations worldwide.
Voice of the industry
We’re an ISO 27001 certified company and we’re also
ISAE 3402 SOC 2 compliant covering Confidentiality, which is critical for enterprises looking for a cloud-hosted Enterprise Architecture solution. We’re also GDPR compliant.
Security Compliance
Experience our software first-hand
Book a live demo
Talk to a Bizzdesign expert about your specific needs and get a live demonstration of Bizzdesign Horizzon.
To design and deliver the future business
Business model innovation
Capability-based planning
Next generation operating model
Customer Experience
Strategy
Capabilities
Agile Transformation
Strategy
Business Model
Ecosystem
People
Process
Data
Technology
How does our strategy support Enterprise goals?
How are we performing on Delivering our strategic goals?
Which products will we offer
via which channels?
Business Architect
CIO
Head of Strategy
Solution Architect
Investment Manager
Does the planned project meet our criteria to proceed?
Chief Risk Officer
Which risks require mitigation?
What are our greatest threats?
What is the impact of making a change? What are the Dependencies?
Technology Portfolio Manager
Project Portfolio Manager
Which project affect which
Capabilities and when?
Application Portfolio Manager
Which applications get
Replaced when?
Which applications are at risk from
end-of-life technology? Which
Applications are most costly?
Enterprise Architect
Chief Customer Officer
What is the and target
Customer experience?
Chief Digital Officer
Who will we partner with and how will we create value?
Which capabilities require
Investment to deliver our goals?
Operate and deliver value for every stakeholder
01 Integrated solution
02 Modeling support
03 Consumable product
Portfolio Management
Application Rationalization
Business Capability Mapping
Operational Resilience
Month 1
Month 2
Month 3
Month 4
Capability Enablement - Rapid iterative value delivery
Optimize
Investments
& Operations
Optimize
Application Portfolio Value
Align to Business Priorities
Reduce Risk
from Business Disruptions
CapEx & OpEx
Alignment to Value Drivers & Categories
Application Cost, Business Value, and Technical Health
Business Alignment
of All Investments, Activities and Assets
Business Discontinuity
Risk
Enterprise Architects, App Portfolio Mgr,
Tech Portfolio Mgr
CIO
App Portfolio Mgr
Enterprise Architects
CEO, CIO
Chief Architect
Business Architects
EA Team
COO
Chief Risk Officer
Business Managers
Enterprise Architects
Applications,
Projects,
Costs
Application Business Value, Technical Health, Complexity
Capabilities,
Projects,
Applications
Capabilities, Organizations, Business Processes, Applications
Goal
Value Measure
Key Stakeholders
Data / (Integrations)
Month 5
Month 6
Month 7
Month 8
Reduce Risk and Cost
of Unsupported Technology
Align Capabilities
with Strategy
Reduce Risk
of Data Breaches
Increase Business Agility and Reduce Complexity
CISO, CFO, COO
CIO & CTO
App Portfolio Mgr.
Tech Portfolio Mgr.
CEO
Business Managers, Strategy Team
CEO, CISO, CIO, CDO
Risk Managers
Business Managers
CIO,
Chief Architect
Enterprise Architect,
Solution Architects
Applications, Technologies, Vendor Support Lifecycles
Business Goals, Strategies, Projects,
Capabilities
Data, Applications, Interfaces, Organizations, Risks & Impacts
Projects,
Solution Architectures,
Standards
Extended Support Costs, Vulnerability/Outage Risk, Functional Value
Strategic Capability Gaps, CapEx Misalignment
Business InfoSec Risk, InfoSec Incidents
Alignment
to Standards
Technology Version Currency
Business Strategy Advancement
Information Security Risk Management
Architectural Alignment
Bizzdesign value equation
Before
After
Product changes
Reorganizations
M&A integration
Proposition changes
Strategy planning
Portfolio optimization
Price changes
Portfolio assessments
Program analysis
3 YEARS
3 Months
3 Weeks
3 Months
3 Weeks
3 Days
Book a Demo
Journey: Design for a Change
Decision-Makers
Transformers
Designers
Gap Analysis
Roadmapping
Future State Design
Scenario Analysis
Tranformation
Management
Design
Change
Strategy
Business Model
Customer Experience
Ecosystem
People
Process
Data
Technology
Designers
Transformers
Strategy
Business Model
Customer experience
Ecosystem
Capabilities
People
Process
Data
Technology
CIO
Head of Strategy
Business Architect
chief risk officer
Investment manager
Solution architect
chief digital officer
Chief Customer Officer
Enterprise Architect
Application Portfolio Manager
Project Portfolio Manager
Technology Portfolio Manager
01 Integrated solution
02 Modeling support
03 Consumable product
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Single integrated product offering
Collaborating across multiple teams and functions is key – why should Business Analysts work separately from Enterprise Architects?
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Transparent pricing model (not modular)
Get predictability in your annual spend with a future-proof investment without any hidden extras – you don’t want to be penalized for adding more assets to the platform.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Flexible deployment options (SaaS, hybrid, on-premises)
Meet your organizational preferences or deployment strategy, as well as security classifications.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Real-time metamodel validation
Modeling with minimal guesswork enables better quality architecture artifacts and reports and less rework on models.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Standards-based modeling support (Enterprise Architecture, Solution Architecture, and Business Process Modeling)
It’s important not to reinvent the wheel or burn effort on ‘academic discussions’ around ‘how to model’ – enable quick and easy import and export of content to other environments.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Target state modeling support
Enterprise Architecture is about delivering an optimal future business model, not just focusing on an ‘as-is’ state.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Native ArchiMate 3.1 support
ArchiMate is the de-facto standard for Enterprise Architecture modeling and is used by global enterprises in all market sectors. Why use proprietary methods?
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Native REST API
Enterprise Architecture is not a standalone discipline – flexible integration options allow you to operate seamlessly in an ecosystem of technologies.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Easy-to-use UI
Solve your organization’s business challenges with consumable deliverables enabling rapid time-to-value.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
User-friendly data management workflows
Keep your enterprise data (not just IT) evergreen by enabling casual users/ business stakeholders to update information directly in easy-to-use forms.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Customizable repository/
folder structure
Ensure a quick start with best-practice structures that are fully customizable to cater to your organizational preferences.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Custom scripting/ automation
Avoid meaningless effort spent on manual tasks. Powerful scripting capability provides advanced automation from periodic diagram generation repository clean-up to quality checks.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
Customizable visualizations/ templates
Offer flexibility in the way information is presented to stakeholders – all without the need for technical resources or coding.
Key functionality
Key features/ benefit
03 Consumable product
02 Modeling support
01 Integrated solution
01 Integrated solution
02 Modeling support
03 Consumable product
Bizzdesign Buyer's Guide
Evaluating
and Purchasing an Enterprise Architecture Tool in 2022.