Inland Revenue Enterprise Technology Architecture

1
Inland Revenue Enterprise Technology
Architecture

• GOVIS May 2005

2
Agenda

• Background
• ETA What is it?
• ETA Challenges and Goals
• SOE Standard Operating Environment
• Architecture Management Framework
• Lessons Learnt

3
Background

• ETA Project was established in early 2003 and
  completed in September 2003.
• Derived from IRs Technology Strategy.
• Based on TOGAF, with appropriate adjustments
• To suit IR needs
• Engaged IBM expertise to assist in establishing
  work products, and enhance IR/Method.
• Overall Enterprise Architecture established
• 3-year horizon
• Key capabilities of Enterprise Application
  Integration (EAI), and Identity and Access
  Management System (IAMS), acquired and deployed.

4
ETA What is it?

• A framework for making IT investment and design
  decisions in support of business objectives.
  (IBM)
• ETA Vision is to establish a technology
  environment which strives to
• be responsive to the business.
• maximise the use of information technology
  components.
• ensure informed and consistent technology
  decision making.
• ETA consists of the following
• Architecture Drivers which describe what the
  architecture must do to support the business.
• A set of IT Principles that define the underlying
  general rules to deploy technology resources
  across the organisation.
• Reference Architectures which provide a design of
  how logical components can fit together for a
  particular technology.
• Standard Operating Environment (SOE)
  specification which provides product standards
  governing the use of hardware, software and
  application systems.
• Architecture Management Framework (AMF)
  defining the processes, roles and
  responsibilities to manage and implement ETA.

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IRs Enterprise Architecture needs to be aligned
with its Business IT Strategies in order to put
in place an effective ETA.
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ETAs Architecture Framework is used as a
starting point. The ETA focus, at this time,
is on the Information Technology Architecture
associated Governance.
Corporate Strategy
Strategy
Enterprise Architecture
Governance
Business Architecture
Information Technology Architecture
Applications Architecture
Tax Agents
Consumer
Planning
Data Architecture
Business Services
Control
Human Resources
Strategic Operations
Technical Architecture
Finance and Investments
Project Office
Delivery
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Level 1 of the ETA Architecture Framework,
requires a Conceptual Architecture Description
for each layer, known as an Architecture Domain
- such as Integration Services
Governance
The set of principles, guidelines and processes
used to manage the IT portfolio and resources
Business Application Services
A class of software that is used to create and
maintain business data
Business Intelligence Services
A class of software that provides managers with
tools to monitor and evaluate the performance of
the business
Structured and unstructured data created and
maintained by business applications
Data Services
Applications that provide a variety of personal
or team productivity operations
Productivity Services
A class of interface software that provides users
with access to functions and data
Presentation Services
Systems and Network Management Services
Information Security Services
The tools, methods and processes used in the
development and maintenance of applications
Software Services
Software that creates uniform mechanisms for
application integration across diverse network
and platform technologies
Integration Services
Data Mgt Services
Management of data independent of the processes
that create or use it, maintained
indefinitely,and shared among many processes
Platform Services
The underlying hardware and software used to host
applications and other services
Network Services
The voice and data communications infrastructure
for the distributed computing environment
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Reference Architecture (such as one for EAI)
requires components from several Architecture
Domains of the ETA Architecture Framework
(including components from Integration Services)
Reference Architecture (EAI)
Component Model Operational Model
Governance
Business Architecture
Business Applications
Business Intelligence
Data Services
Productivity Services
Systems and Network Services
Information Security Services
Presentation Services
Software Engineering Services
Integration Services
Data Management Services
Platform Services
Network Services
9
The Enterprise Architecture (EA) Development
Methodology followed by the ETA project, best
describes the way in which the Project
Deliverables were produced.
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Building a Framework for Reuse
Unique Business Unit Infrastructure
Unique Business Unit Infrastructure
Unique Business Unit Infrastructure
Shared Components
ETA Focus
Common Corporate Components
Infrastructure Project (eg. EAI)
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ETA Challenges and Goals
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ETA Challenges

• Increasing speed to market ability to quickly
  react to change.
• Moving away from build to re-use to buy embrace
  open industry standards.
• Aligning business and IT making informed
  business decisions.
• Facilitating greater accessibility of IR services
  diverse mix of channels that are highly
  available.
• Lowering cost of ownership of IR systems
  Systems consolidation, rationalisation and
  standardisation.

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ETA Goals

• Virtual Organisation providing location
  independence for IR staff
• Systems Consolidation providing standardised
  and simplified IT infrastructure
• Channel Independence providing consistent user
  experience across multiple channels
• High Availability providing standards and
  techniques to deliver reliable and highly
  accessible customer services
• Single Identity providing consistent security
  treatment for internal users and external
  customers
• Time Horizon 3 years (05/06 to 07/08)

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SOE Standard Operating Environment
Platform
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SOE Decision Criteria

• Each asset will be categorised with these
  decision criteria

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SOE Evaluation Process
ArchitectureDrivers
Overarching IT Principles
Current Assessment
Market Trends, other organisations

• Base-lining
• Categorisation (TOGAF)

• SOE decision criteria
• Options Development
• Options Analysis
• Preferred Options

Analysis - Standards
IT Infrastructure Initiatives
Analysis -Validation
Gap Impact Assessment

• Market Capability / Alignment

SOE

• Determine extent of change
• Identify actions
• Consolidation
• Rationalisation
• De-commission
• Simplification

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Future SOE Goals

• Simplification
• Improved utilisation
• Reduced Cost of Ownership
• Minimised development effort of integrating new
  technologies
• Simplified technology decision making

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Platform tiers - diagram
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Platform SOE Decisions

• Greater impact at mid tier where there is high
  proliferation of platforms

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Architecture Management Framework
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ETA Governance Model

• ETA Governance Model has two objectives, namely
• The effective ongoing development and maintenance
  of the ETA as a whole.
• The enforcement of architecture compliance within
  Inland Revenue.

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Architecture Management Framework
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ETA within the Architecture Management Framework
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Implications

• Project life cycle will be different
• Project initiation ETA delivers architected
  solutions outline up front
• Project design ETA assures architecture
  compliance
• Project completion ETA adds re-usable
  components to asset base
• Project funding model will support both business
  and technology benefits (ie. projects
  contribution to technology asset base)

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Lessons Learnt
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Lessons (being) Learnt

• ETA is more effective when focusing on the future
  difficult to influence projects already
  commenced.
• ETA Project goals are in conflict balancing
  enterprise goodness goals against delivery
  goals of time and cost.
• Need to be better connected with key parts of the
  organisation
• Strategic Planning, Finance, Risk Assurance
• Project Governance groups
• Need to watch out for short termism or quick
  wins
• Short term always looks cheaper
• ETA benefits are always in the long term.
• Standards enforcement is difficult
• Must demonstrate business value why the
  standard is important
• Guidelines to projects on how they can conform
  shift in emphasis to Vendors
• Take away the choice from projects provide a
  standards based infrastructure
• Sound and top-down Governance is key