Information Sciences and Technology

Penn State's enterprise architecture center gains prominence with DoD

Enterprise architecture (EA) -- the alignment of enterprise information systems and technology with business strategy and goals --  is having a growing impact on business, industry and government. Brian Cameron, executive director of Penn State’s Center for Enterprise Architecture, recently presented at the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) 2012 Enterprise Architecture Conference, where about 600 people gathered to interact around the role of EA in the Department of Defense.

"Enterprise Architecture is growing within importance in the DoD and within the government in general,” Cameron said.

In addition to presenting at the DoD conference, Cameron recently was invited to speak to a meeting of the Federal Chief Enterprise Architects in Washington, D.C.

The DoD Enterprise Architecture Conference, hosted by the DoD Chief Information Officer (CIO) office, was held in Miami, Fla. The conference, according to the event’s website, covers a number of critical information environment and security issues facing all DoD organizations. Participants at the conference come together for training, information sharing, and discussion of EA practices and requirements. This year’s event, Cameron said, focused on how EA can generate efficiencies within DoD operations in light of impending budget cuts.

During his presentation, Cameron discussed the research and educational resources of the Center for EA. The center, which launched in January 2011, seeks to gather intellectual resources across Penn State to address research concerns and questions that span the design, functioning and governance of contemporary, information-driven enterprises.

Cameron served on the committee for the 2012 Defense Enterprise Architecture Awards (DEAA). The DEAA awards, according to the conference’s website, “recognize significant contributions and achievements in advancing enterprise architecture as an enabler of information advantage for the Department of Defense.” This year, the selection criteria placed greater emphasis on demonstrating architecture methodology/modeling, operational improvements and financial benefit.

During the conference, Cameron said, the Center for EA received recognition from a high-ranking member of the Defense Department. Walt Okon, a senior enterprise architect who leads the DoD program on Standards and Technical Direction and the chief architect for DoD Information Sharing, endorsed the work that is being done in the Center for EA during his keynote address.

 

Last Updated July 5, 2012

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