This extra section will focus on IT architecture (for example, see the picture below). Our aim is that you know what it means but see the challenges when discussing new applications and innovations.

IT architecture is the art and science of structuring and organizing information and systems.  We cannot ‘engineer’ the situation as it is simply too complex. There are many players having limited authority, different requirements, a variety of systems and so on. Instead of engineering, we have to ‘architect’. ‘Architecting’ focuses on ill-structured problems and on the need to create a shared view on what the future landscape should look like.

In the first web lecture, we will focus on the need for guidance of ICT developments by information architectures. In particular, we will focus on interoperability, referring to the ability of disparate and spaghetti-like systems (with all their own path dependencies) to work together.

In the second web lecture, you will learn some of the basic elements of information or information technology (IT) architectures that can help you to get a grip on and manage  IT developments.

Picture: IT spaghetti?