Information Technology Architecture (ITA)

 

The purpose of this paper is to establish minimum criteria for an agency information technology architecture (ITA) required in the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-106).

 

Background

 

The Clinger-Cohen Act assigns the Chief Information Officers (CIO) the responsibility of "developing, maintaining, and facilitating the implementation of a sound and integrated information technology architecture." (Section 5125 (b) (2)) The Act defines the ITA as:

 

an integrated framework for evolving or maintaining existing information technology and acquiring new information technology to achieve the agency's strategic goals and information resources management goals.

 

Investments in major information systems proposed for funding in the President's budget should be consistent with Federal, agency, and bureau information architectures which: integrate agency work processes and information flows with technology to achieve the agency's strategic goals; and specify standards that enable information exchange and resource sharing.

These references highlight three important characteristics of the ITA as agencies plan for investments in information technology (IT) assets:

• CIOs are responsible for the architecture;
• the architecture must integrate the business processes and goals of the agency with IT acquisitions; and,
• the architecture focuses on work processes, information flows, and standards.

 

Agencies may address the topics and elements set out herein in a manner appropriate to the agency. Each element identified need not have specific or "stand-alone" documentation.

 

Information Technology Architecture Defined

 

For the purpose of conforming to the requirements of Clinger-Cohen Act, a complete ITA is the documentation of the relationships among business and management processes and information technology that ensure:

• alignment of the requirements for information systems with the processes that support the agency's missions;
• adequate interoperability, redundancy, and security of information systems; and,
• the application and maintenance of a collection of standards (including technical standards) by which the agency evaluates and acquires new systems.

A variety of nomenclatures are available to address these elements. Agencies may address the elements of an ITA in different ways and at various levels of granularity as appropriate, combining or reorganizing the parts to create a model that suits the agency's organizational needs. Various aspects of the ITA can be developed at the agency or sub-agency level. However, self-contained sub-agency level architectures should be integrated and consistent with an agency-wide ITA.

 

Source www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/m97-16.html