The rapid advancement of technology in the business world has remarkably shifted how organizations function. An effective framework is critically important to ensure business goals align with the IT infrastructure within an organization. With the help of TOGAF architecture, businesses can improve their efficiency and optimize their operations.
An enterprise could be a medium or large-scale corporation or a single department of a large organization. An enterprise architecture framework is an approach that streamlines optimizes, and integrates manual and automated workflows to achieve a competitive edge. It refers to the comprehensive view and approach of software technology across an entire organization.
It helps to tap into useful insights for business progress and spot the opportunities to innovate the IT infrastructure in an organization. The goal is to provide real solutions to business problems through analyzing, designing, planning, and executing the right technology in the right way that makes the process effective.
TOGAF helps to achieve this goal by building the right tools that align the business needs with the IT operations and makes them efficient.
If you want to advance your career in the IT industry and get attractive job opportunities, consider taking Simplilearn’s TOGAF 9.2 Certification, which helps you master the terminology, structure, and concepts of enterprise architecture based on the recent TOGAF Standards. It equips you with the necessary knowledge and skills that demonstrate your professionalism in architecture principles and practices.
What is TOGAF?
TOGAF is an Open Group Architecture Framework that allows businesses to design, plan, develop, and implement their infrastructure with maximum efficiency and fewer errors. It can be used freely by any organization that wants to develop and maintain an enterprise architecture.
TOGAF was incepted in the 1990s, and since then, it has undergone numerous changes with the constant evolution of IT architecture in organizations. The Open Group has updated the features of TOGAF to the latest version. It is highly customizable to suit the unique needs of every organization.
TOGAF Vs. ITIL
TOGAF and ITIL are the two most popular management frameworks to improve the operational activities in an IT organization. Both frameworks allow organizations to anticipate and prepare for a change in a fast-evolving IT environment.
In essence, professionals with ITIL 4 certification handle the IT services in your company, while TOGAF-certified experts are mainly concerned with business architecture.
- TOGAF methodologies help to develop enterprise architecture. In comparison, the scope of ITIL is limited to developing an efficient IT department within that business architecture.
- TOGAF is a methodology and set of tools for developing an enterprise architecture. The role of ITIL concerns the delivery of information technology services.
- TOGAF ensures consistency in developing new products or services while also addressing business challenges and needs. ITIL ensures that there is consistency in the services by employing standard methods.
TOGAF Vs. Zachman
Developed in 1987, the Zachman framework is another alternative enterprise architecture framework. It is not a conventional methodology but a template that describes different perspectives across the enterprise architecture.
- The TOGAF framework is more concerned with design principles and implementation details. The Zachman framework is more focused on defining and organizing the data.
- TOGAF uses three different models: a business model, a technical architecture model, and the application management model. The Zachman framework uses a single data model with different sub-groups that correspond directly with any of its six perspectives.
- TOGAF utilizes a bottom-up approach that begins by gathering all the relevant data about an organization’s process and structures and uses that information to integrate those structures together. However, Zachman’s framework follows a top-down approach where it starts with a high-level view of the organization and narrows down to more specific details.
Why do TOGAF certification?
It is important to understand how to implement a TOGAF framework that will benefit organizations and improve their performance efficiency. A few of the reasons to take a TOGAF certification are highlighted below:
Meet your organization’s need better
Businesses are constantly looking for ways to improve their workflow and achieve more in less time and with adequate resources. Hence, they prefer to hire certified TOGAF professionals who can develop ideal TOGAF architecture and meet the company’s needs better.
A certified TOGAF program teaches you how to optimize various inter-departmental processes, manage a large team as a single unit and reduce friction to ensure smooth operations. This makes you a valuable asset to your organization and increases your chances of better job security.
Open doors for new opportunities
Large enterprises prefer to have certified professionals rather than non-certified ones. A certification shows that you have been trained and tested by industry-recognized boards and are well-versed with the latest tools and practices relevant to your industry. You get a great chance to grow your career.
As business architecture methodology advances, the demand for expert TOGAF professionals will soar. Therefore, it is recommended to take a TOGAF certification that will scale your career prospects in different industries.
Attract higher salary packages
TOGAF is a highly sought-after domain for certification by IT professionals. It is extremely useful for enterprise architects since it is a common methodology and framework used in the field. According to industry estimates, the average annual salary of an enterprise architect is around Rs.34 lakhs.
However, professionals with a TOGAF certification can negotiate for higher packages due to their skills and vast knowledge of enterprise architecture approaches. A TOGAF certification can boost your salary packages for roles like solutions architect, IT architect, software architect, and IT director.
Conclusion
With evolving business needs, there is a high demand for skilled TOGAF professionals. They are the ones who simplify complicated business processes and provide a standard architecture that suits the needs of the company. As for businesses, they need to evaluate their current IT infrastructure and their business objectives to map out the ideal architecture approach that will help them achieve their goals in less time.
