Introduction: Third Workshop on Trends in Enterprise Architecture Research (TEAR 2008)

Abstract

The field of enterprise architecture attracted the attention of the research community for the first time when Zachman introduced the Framework for Information Systems Architecture in 1987. However, it was not until 1996 that enterprise architecture emerged as an active field of business activity and research.Enterprise architecture (EA) is important because organizations need to adapt with increasing speeed to changing customer requirements and business goals. This need influences the entire chain of activities of an enterprise, from business processes to IT support. To keep the enterprise architecture coherent and aligned with business goals, the relations between the different architectures must be clearly defined and consistent.