The Commonwealth is committed to the guiding principle
of viewing technology investments from an enterprise perspective.
The Enterprise Architecture is the overall plan and a living process
for designing and implementing information technology solutions to
serve business functions. The goal of the statewide Enterprise Architecture
is to enhance coordination, reduce diversity, promote data sharing
and gain efficiency in the development of business solutions.
An information technology architecture and related
set of standards are vital to ensure the compatibility of the current
IT projects and other future IT initiatives. The Enterprise Architecture
defines the roles, policies, standards, technologies and decision-making
criteria for the acquisition and deployment of information technology.
In the Commonwealth, the architectural process includes governance,
business processes and a technology blueprint. The Enterprise Architecture
contains domains for data and applications along with the technical
environment including hardware, software, and networks. The Enterprise
Standards are important for defining the rules by which technology
is managed.
Enterprise Policies articulate the rules and
regulations of state government regarding information technology.
These policies determine the type of activities that are approved
for both agencies and employees. The Enterprise Architecture framework
is constructed of several interrelated components, including policies
that support the business process and functions.
e-Government is the interactive delivery of
services and information via the Internet, touch-tone phone or kiosks
to citizens businesses, and state employees through self-service
systems. The enterprise e-Government initiative represents a continuing
effort to focus on expanding online transaction options and the
integration of online services through a state government portal.