Enterprise principles are applicable to all areas of the NIH Enterprise Architecture.
Principal Principle
The NIH Enterprise Architecture applies to all aspects of NIH information technology (IT).
Rationale - In the NIH federated environment, a framework for information technology promotes better results.
Implications - This applies to all NIH systems and includes systems, data and infrastructure. EA must be followed by all NIH organizations to strengthen the ability of the NIH IT to provide a consistent and measurable level of quality to customers. An exception process will be in place to accommodate new technology and specific needs. Standards must be flexible enough to be responsive to address business needs.
Business Priority
Information systems exist to support the needs of the business. Therefore, the NIH Enterprise Architecture must support the enterprise vision, business strategies and plans.
Rationale - The architecture has the most value when closely aligned with the NIH strategic plans and other corporate-level direction, concepts, and objectives.
Implications - Technology choices must be linked to business needs. Some technologies will not be appropriate at the NIH. The NIH Strategic Plan, goals and objectives will be utilized in developing key components of the architecture business vision and architecture components. The architecture must be generated with a specific purpose and for a specific audience to ensure it meets the expectations and needs of its intended stakeholders. The NIH must not implement technology simply because it is available.
Business Authority
The NIH Enterprise Architecture will embody the business authority to create, read and modify data.
Rationale - Those with the most knowledge of the data have the best chance of and most interest in getting it right. Integrity is improved and maintenance is simplified.
Implications - The authoritative source of information and data must be identified. The authoritative source must provide corporate access to appropriate data. Data may need to be restructured for easy access and management. Data integrity and security must be maintained to ensure reliability of information upon which business decisions are made.
Optimum Enterprise Benefit
Architectural decisions will maximize the overall benefit to the NIH by balancing the following criteria: accessibility, consistency, cost, diversity of business needs, flexibility, functionality, manageability, precision, risk, scalability, security, supportability and value.
Rationale - Architectures are to provide long term benefits to the enterprise. Therefore decisions must balance multiple criteria based on the business need.
Implications - The business owner must prioritize criteria based on funding, governance and knowledge, skills and abilities of NIH staff. Criteria may receive different emphases in different situations.
Reusability of Components
The NIH Enterprise Architecture will be built on loosely-coupled, reusable modular components that implement services.
Rationale - Reusable components provide opportunities to reduce IT development costs and development time. Reusable components leverage investments in existing IT systems. Modular components improve the ability of systems to adapt to changing requirements because the changes will be isolated to affected modules.
Implication - The architecture will establish standards and guidelines for developing system components.
Components
The NIH Enterprise Architecture supports leading edge technologies to meet mission-differentiating needs and requires mature, proven interoperable technologies in support of service environments. Technical diversity that does not tie to business needs is discouraged.
Rationale - Cost and risk are limited unless justified by potential scientific gains. The NIH does not need to distinguish itself by providing cutting-edge service support technology but desires to distinguish itself by improving support of biomedical science. Service support must be reliable and easy to use.
Implication - Introduction of new technologies will be explicitly evaluated as an exception to standards.
Investment Leverage
All systems will leverage existing/ future enterprise software, management systems, infrastructure and standards.
Rationale - As a practical matter, the NIH has invested heavily in a number of technologies, infrastructures and standards. Therefore, any system that is expected to be widely used will need to leverage as much return on investment as possible.
Implication - Considering how to leverage or reuse investments is applicable to all technology domains and a requirement for all of NIH’s investments.
Partnership
Every NIH IT investment will have both a Business Owner and an IT Steward. The Business Owner is responsible for the business domain the investment enables. The IT Steward is responsible for the management and technical infrastructure of the investment and is an NIH FTE in an IT leadership position.
Rationale - Business and IT each provides different and required contributions to the acquisition and management of IT investments. Business brings an understanding of the business processes supported and the desired outcome. IT brings an understanding of the technical options to implement the process support and ensure coherence with other elements. This principle ensures a partnership between the business and IT is established for every NIH IT investment.
Implication - Business Owners and IT Stewards must work in partnership to successfully achieve the objectives of the investment.
Open System Standards
Open system standards should be used for communications both within the enterprise, their suppliers and clients. Standard network interfaces and protocols will be defined, maintained and implemented.
Rationale - Open systems will be used where feasible, single-interoperable, and cost effective - rather than proprietary solutions.
Implication - Open systems standards are applicable to all technology domains. They are a requirement for all of NIH’s investments.