Application Processing

Applications are the automated solutions to business processes.
Information sources of paper using file cabinets for storage,  are best served as computer data stores (databases, files) and digital displays ranging from Monitors to smart phones. Although paper and physical folders are still used, they are copies of the stored data and not the source.

Enterprise applications require more than a display and database. Complex business practices require a multitude of processing in interactive, transactional and batch modes. 
The architectures of information models, processing flows, user and external business interactions need flexibility for a cohesive and maintainable infrastructure. Equally, these architectures require a solid foundation for intensive usage and associated security within their own domains. The soundness of any system is founded in it's least sound component.  

  Information Modeling

Data is a valued asset of a company. It is not owned by any group or individual but shared by those deemed to satisfy a business need. Security requires that different user roles have different access rights to the data, on a "need to know/process" basis.
Data on it's own is just storage. It becomes useful  when it is  Information, which is composed of data being presented and manipulated as business functions.
Information that is well defined, utilized and stored in an efficient and secured manor, serves to define how a business functions and its bottom line.

Data Modeling

Defines the relationships among the many data items by grouping them as common attributes. These groups of attributes can be related to other groups by common keyed attributes. These models would then be implemented in an efficient physical model for speed in access and storage. All of this needs to be performed with the security of data as a  central focus.

Class Modeling

The means of defining the business processing requirements of its modeled data. The implemented Class model, in effect,  becomes the programming (code) of the system. The use of a Class architecture for an applications processing results in minimized development (time to market), maintenance (change of market)  and processing exceptions(delays to market).

Interface Modeling

Shared resources among diverse systems is the domain of Interface modeling. The need for a common description of the resource is essential for a workable model. XML is the industry standard language for interfaced data. XSD is the means to modeling these XML interfaces, providing the rules and validation to ensuring a workable architecture.

Information is the result of the implemented Classes interacting with the implemented (physical) data model.  All roads to a company's information needs to be through it's Classes, not its physical data model, thus insulating an application from changes to the data model (or system that houses that data model)

  Web

Presentation

The web was born with the advent of HTML. Previously, information exchange over telephone lines existed as text based messages, similar in nature to the IM messages of today.

HTML is a tag based language which allows for a developed presentation of information, images, audio and other objects. Data can also be entered, allowing for user interactions with application databases and for social network applications to function.  XML is a superset of HTML, which is a specific implementation of it.

Services

Web Services, which are transactional in behavior, allow for the exchange of data in a real time manor over a web based infrastructure, allowing for connection via a URL. 

This exchange can occur across the enterprise and as a business to business (B2B) exchange. However, efficiency comes into play and not all data should be exchanged via web services. Batch (FTP) or Message Que exchanges have their place for large scale data exchanges and exchanges not requiring real time information. It should be noted that Message Que hubs (MQ) can behave as the transport layer for web services.

Web 2.0

Social Network sites have changed the web landscape. From being content and data driven, the new web is user and community driven . Web 2.0 sites are architect to provide an infrastructure that allows for the creation of information by users about themselves and their interests, shared by the community.
Advanced sites allow users to become part of, or even create their own communities of  like minded interests, causes and goals. 
Collaborative sites, such as Wiki , allow for any user to create or modify existing content for a specific subject matter.  

Business Web 2.0

Most Business web sites are nothing more than "store front signs" with pretty images, videos and graphics. They inform of services or products provided and might even display prices, but they live on a self imposed island, offering nothing more than just a "this is what we sell and here is the price". 
Websites need to be a reflection of their  business. They need to demonstrate subject matter expertise of what they are offering, and allow a user experience of being part of the community the business lives in. This community is made up of not only other users, but employees of the business, suppliers and providers to that business. 

   

  Architecture

The defined foundation of any structure or system, where all else is built upon. This can range from the home you live in,  to the behavior of an applications system and the structure of it's data stores.

One only needs to know how important a foundation is to one's home, to understand the importance of it in a computing system.

To architect is to design first and build later, with the best architectures often built by those having been the best builders.