Enterprise Architecture Tool Selection Guide
Whether you’re reviewing tools for an RFP/RFQ or simply exploring enterprise architecture solutions, the guide below offers a focused overview of the key questions, features, and capabilities to consider. Select any feature to jump directly to that section:
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This marks the 9th consecutive year that Avolution has been positioned as a Leader in this evaluation.
Modeling & Roadmapping
Modeling current-and future-state architectures and a range of viewpoints is a core capability for architecture disciplines, including Enterprise Architecture, Solution Architecture and Data Architecture. ABACUS allows practitioners to build models and roadmaps appropriate to their industry, methods & stakeholders.
Do you provide a diagramming environment which is fully integrated with your data?
Document systems, processes, and dataflows. Create business, information, technology & solution architecture viewpoints. Import and integrate Visio, UML or BPMN diagrams. Draw with a native drag-and-drop canvas and stencil. Lightweight web-based diagramming for easy enterprise-wide use. Model current- and future-state architectures (multiple scenario states).
Can framework modifications be done in-house or will this incur additional costs?
ABACUS is an Open Group Certified TOGAF tool and Open Group Certified ArchiMate tool. Over 100 other frameworks and notations are also included eg. BPMN, BIAN, NIST, SABSA etc. Architects can also combine and configure frameworks in-house.
Are industry standard icons & shape libraries available eg. AWS, Azure, ArchiMate? Can you add your own custom icons?
ABACUS provides templates and stencils for technology architectures, business capability maps, business process, customer journeys, cloud architecture diagrams. Plus many additional frameworks and modeling techniques are included.
Are third party tools are required for modeling/diagrams? Can existing EA diagrams be imported easily?
Draw and collaborate on diagrams and flowcharts which describe business processes, dataflows, systems, infrastructure, etc. Changes to diagrams are inherited in your ABACUS data repository, so data is updated automatically. Updates to data also flow through to diagrams and dashboards.
Configuration
Architects need to be able to define, customize and manage architectures and metamodels to fit their business. The repository and connected artifacts need to be modified as the business moves forwards. Avoid being dependent on costly customizations, rigid frameworks or generic industry and domain artifacts which can’t be adjusted in-house by the architecture team.
Can the tool adapt to fit your data, structures, naming conventions and other aspects of your business?
Drag and drop functionality to modify existing frameworks or create hybrid frameworks. Over 100 different frameworks and notations are included with ABACUS. No coding or application modifications required to tailor frameworks to your enterprise.
Are metamodels limited and are these costs involved for reach instance of customization?
ABACUS users can customize metamodels quickly and easily. This allows architects to guide contributors with templates, data constraints (customizable), and predefined list values. Define and modify artifact types, attributes, standards and notations in-house.
Adapters & Integrations
Architects need to be able to define, customize and manage architectures and metamodels to fit their business. The repository and connected artifacts need to be modified as the business moves forwards. Avoid being dependent on costly customizations, rigid frameworks or generic industry and domain artifacts which can’t be adjusted in-house by the architecture team.
Does your tool require custom scripts developed by vendor per client at cost?
Migrate, synchronize and distribute data within ABACUS using in-built integrations. ABACUS users have easy access to our Knowledge Portal which provides a library of custom scripts providing further flexibility.
Are integrations restricted or limited. Eg: one-time vendor upload or limitations on file types?
Import/export with Word, Excel, and Visio. Store and share data and views via SharePoint, and Teams to collate and share information.
Check whether an API is available to avoid being restricted to limited third party sources and writeable end-points. Check whether integrations are managed manually or can be automated.
Send live data to and from data sources using ABACUS’ readable and writeable REST API. Automate data uploads to create a data feed from other sources on a regular basis.
Migrate, synchronize and distribute your data to create a single source of truth.
Popular data source integrations include:
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Excel
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Visio
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ServiceNow
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REST API
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Data Adapter
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Sharepoint
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CMDBs
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Jira
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PowerBI
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Confluence
Data Visualization & Reporting
Enterprise architecture is more than just creating models and portfolios. Providing insight which is interactive, highlights impacts and support multiple scenarios for both business and IT stakeholders is crucial to delivering value. ABACUS produces signature-ready proposals and self-service details and metrics for stakeholders.
Do dashboards refresh with data updates so all users are in sync?
Assemble dashboards for monitoring digital operations. Visualizations change automatically as data is updated via ABACUS, through syncs, API integrations, or browser contributors
Are dashboards configurable for roles, frameworks, stakeholders, etc? Can metrics be specific to departments or projects?
Deliver your chosen KPIs directly from the repository in real-time using dashboards showing calculations, query-results and interactive charts and diagrams. Tailor dashboards for roles, projects, departments etc.
Can data and diagrams be filtered, edited and updated during a meeting, or are they static visualizations?
Customize dashboards to report on projects. Tailor headlines/titles and select roadmaps & timelines, charts, KPI indicators, diagrams, capability maps etc. Use visual filtering for quick impact analysis.
Are comparison reports are comprehensive?
Design reports comparing projects and future-state architecture options including costs, benefits, risks and more. Automate publication and distribution as needed.
Digital Business Collaboration
Enterprise architecture is more than just creating models and portfolios. Providing insight which is interactive, highlights impacts and support multiple scenarios for both business and IT stakeholders is crucial to delivering value. ABACUS produces signature-ready proposals and self-service details and metrics for stakeholders.
Explore more Data Collaboration options
Are data entry options limited to specific field inputs or feedback loops? How is data entry managed and administered?
Data owners and contributors can update and edit catalogs/lists in-browser via secure browser-editable digital portfolios. Any data and diagram changes update the central repository in real-time.
How is data updated and how is clean data entry achieved? Does the EA team need to process data updates themselves from review notes?
Users can edit data catalogs and diagrams online in web-based ABACUS dashboards, with changes visible in real-time. Permissions and change logs provide governance.
Do you have, or need to plan for, teams of architects who need to collaborate with stakeholders across many departments and global regions?
Securely scale so hundreds of users can collaborate from different locations & time-zones
Are audit trails available and what is required for configuration and maintenance?
Full log of all repository changes with roll-back, diff and sync to ensure data consistency.
Are role-based access for different user groups available for data quality governance? Can in-house administrators adjust permissions easily.?
Segment data for different users/consumers of that data. Validate/ensure data quality with fine-grained CRUD permissions, including role definition, authorization and user provisioning
Is authentication complex and limit adoption?
Streamlined access with Single Sign-On and Open ID for digital portfolio users and AD integration for desktop users
Analysis & Algorithms
Understanding current business landscapes using data and metrics, and generating reliable future state scenarios is core to business success. ABACUS supports this with powerful analytics and scenario analysis features. Architects and strategy managers can undertake gap analysis, trace impacts and relationships, test future state architecture designs, and guide businesses forward.
Learn more about out Algorithms and Analysis
Is what-if analysis is available, and whether it is limited to specific datasets?
Predict the impact of change incl. technical, financial, business, operational, regulatory and compliance, based on integrated enterprise data.
Are the differences between baseline and target architectures easy to identify and compare?
Identify the steps needed to move between the current-and future-state architecture options with diagram, table-based, visualization and architecture comparisons
How does your tool define relationships and allow traceability enabling impact, dependency, and what-if analysis?
Discover detailed relationships between customer interactions and operations, applications, data and resources using connections visualized in matrices, diagrams, catalogs, charts and Graph View.
Do you require whole-of-architecture analytics, in-depth modeling, and scenario analysis?
Use algorithms to predict the outcomes of scenarios, strategies and future state architectures
Are analytics integrated or is a tool reliant on third party tools or manual calculations?
Calculate Costs, TCO, ROI, Risk and Security Scores, Complexity, Reliability, Cloud Readiness, Resource Utilization, Response Times, Performance, Maturity, Availability, ESG metrics etc. with algorithms out-of-the-box.
Do you provide strong analytics functionality?
Design calculations which roll up data across your architecture layers (eg cost of a specific Business Capability or Process). Calculate metrics specific to your business, technology structures and industry without writing a single line of code
Deployment
Every organization is different and every user has different access requirements. ABACUS can be deployed on-premise, via secure hosted cloud or both, giving users access from their preferred OS and browser anywhere in the world.
Do you provide on-premise or cloud deployments or options for hybrid solutions?
On-premise, cloud and hybrid deployment options available. Dedicated or Multi-tenant deployment for cloud and hybrid setups. Full cloud deployment available with zero client install and configuration.
Do you use consumption-based pricing, where charges increase with the number of applications or elements?
No, Avolution prides ourselves on predictable contracts based on user numbers, with bundles designed to suit a range of team sizes.
Customer Success & Support
ABACUS is a fully supported platform built to deliver value for enterprise architects and organizations. With programs designed to get teams up to speed quickly using their own business data, extensive training options for various users, and resources covering technical and scenario-driven aspects, teams can achieve quick time-to-value.
Explore more Customer Success and Support options
Is support available locally for all time-zones?
24/7 email support; weekday phone support and online or in-person training is available across the globe.
Do you provide tailored training using company data can accelerate enterprise architecture programs?
Dedicated Customer Success Programs and Solution Accelerators are tailored to your business outcomes, providing value and success.
