# What Is an Enterprise Architecture Operating Model? (With Real World Examples)

## Метаданные

- **Канал:** Go Cloud Architects
- **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SFQyUd0CKo
- **Дата:** 06.05.2026
- **Длительность:** 12:43
- **Просмотры:** 276
- **Источник:** https://ekstraktznaniy.ru/video/50009

## Описание

What is an enterprise architecture operating model, and how do you choose the right one for your business? In this video, Enterprise Architect Mike Gibbs (25+ years’ experience) breaks down exactly how operating models connect business strategy with technology and operations so your organization can actually deliver value.

You’ll learn what an enterprise architecture operating model is, why it matters, and how it acts as a blueprint for your business, data, application, and technology architectures. 

We walk through the four types of enterprise architecture operating models with real world examples and clear decision guidelines:
• Diversification operating model – for conglomerates and holding companies with independent business units
• Replication operating model – for franchises and chains that need standardized business processes
• Coordination operating model – for financial services and similar organizations that share systems and data
• Unification operating model – for airline

## Транскрипт

### Introduction []

If you're looking to learn about enterprise architecture operating models, this video is for you. — Hi, I'm Mike Gibbs. I'm an enterprise architect with a little over 25 years experience. And in today's video, we're going to discuss enterprise architecture operating models. Specifically, we will discuss what is an enterprise architecture operating model. We will talk about why enterprise architectural operating models actually matter. And then we'll actually get into the four enterprise architecture models, at least at a high level. And we'll talk about the types of companies that will benefit from each type of operating model. And then I'll even teach you, at least at the basic level, how to choose the right operating model for your enterprise. So, to begin, what is an

### What is An Enterprise Architecture Operating Model [0:57]

enterprise architecture operating model? Well, realistically speaking, it's a blueprint for the organization's business and technology architectures and how they work together to help an organization deliver value. Effectively, they're aligning the organization's strategy with the organization's operations or how they run. And there's going to be several things that are going to go into the enterprise architecture operating model, which we'll talk about now. Typically, the way the organization is structured, the key processes that exist at the various components of the business, the applications, the data, and the technology architectures. So, let me walk through what they are as beginning. So, the organizational structure is, realistically speaking, the roles that people have, maybe in a hospital that's nurse, doctor, pharmacist, what have you. The teams that actually exist in that organization, and the org chart or the organizational hierarchy. We're typically very concerned about the way the organization does things. So, the key business processes, the flow of activities to sell a product or step one, or step two, or step three that the people typically follow. So, that's going to be very critical. Same thing with customer support, what have you. Now, we always need to look at the organization's data architecture, specifically how the data is going to be uh collected, how the data will be stored, who needs to access what kind of data and where, as well as other things. And we're going to be looking at the application architecture to see what kind of applications do we use to support the business. And then we'll obviously look at the technology architecture. That's the infrastructure. That could be your servers, storage, that could be your routers and switches, or it could be your cloud provider and virtual infrastructure. But that's realistically the what we're talking about from an operating model. And of course, there's going to be some governance that goes along with it. Rules, policies, decision making. So, why are we doing this? What's the point of the enterprise architecture operating model? Well, the key here is to lie align the organization strategy, what they want to do, with the execution, or how they actually do it. And if we've got the correct enterprise architecture operating model, realistically speaking, it's going to bridge the gap between what the business wants to do and how they actually get there. And what And the business architecture and the technology architectures and application architectures that are going to support that business's needs. So, it gives us strategic clarity. In the process of that business really determining what kind of operating model they need, it forces senior management and all the senior executives to really make sure their vision is clear for what they want to do, and then how they want to actually achieve these things. operate that business to create any kind of real business value. So, that creates a strategic focus that every employee, realistically speaking, knows how to follow and do in their job. So, it's proactive. It's making sure that the IT this way is going to support the needs for the business and the way the strategy is. And it enables us as organizations to focus our our investments on the types of technology and systems that are going to actually help that business achieve its goal as opposed to cool technologies that look fun. So, realistically speaking, there are four enterprise architecture operating models and I'll describe what they are and I'll give you an example company to be and then after this we'll talk about how to choose the right enterprise architecture operating model. So, the first enterprise architecture operating

### Diversification Model [4:26]

model I'm going to discuss is something called diversification. And what we're dealing with here is we're dealing with very uh open processes as well as systems that aren't really tightly coupled with each other or talking to each other with any degree degree. And what kind of company would need a company where they have lots of technology and lots of businesses, but they don't really need to share a lot of data. So, realistically speaking, when we're talking about something like this, we're typically talking about a holding company or a conglomerate where different business units serve completely different business functions. So, I always think of like a General Electric where the people in GE Aerospace really didn't need to know much about what the people were doing in GE Healthcare, who also didn't know need to know what GE Railways types of things were doing. So, that type of operating model works perfect for a holding company or a huge conglomerate that has multiple different kinds of businesses. So, in this case, the operations of all these organizations don't need to be the same and there would be no benefit for them to be the same.

### Replication Model [5:35]

Now, the next type of operating model we have is something called replication where we have a very standard way of where we do things everywhere in the business. We come up with a critical key way to do things, the best and then we typically standardize that and everybody follows that rule based upon their role. And in this case with replication, we don't need a lot of integration to the system. So, I want you to think about what that realistic means. Everybody everywhere has to do their job the same way, but the systems don't need to share information between them. So, if you think about a franchise or a chain business where consistency among product it needs to be there. If you think about a McDonald's, for the most part, the food is the same at any McDonald's restaurant you go to anywhere in the world. Unless they change things for cultural reasons. And that's because they use the same equipment, they follow the same business processes, they use the same food, they use the same everything. So, for the most part, that's typically what we're actually working with when we're dealing with a replication type business. A franchise, for example, a typical perfect example of something where you would use that business model.

### Coordination Model [6:44]

Now, the next model is something called coordination. And here we have very integrated systems, so we're sharing data across the organization, but we're not making everybody do their job the same way. We've got low standardization of processes. So, what does that really mean? It means we've got a business unit and they all do things their own way, but they're sharing information. So, I want you to think of where this would typically work. Think about a financial services firm, maybe an insurance company. Now, that insurance company provides life insurance, maybe they provide mutual fund investments, maybe they provide health insurance, maybe they provide auto insurance, maybe they do so many other things. Retirement income plans and annuity plans. So, that organization wants to share information because if Cindy the cat is their customer, maybe they can sell Cindy the cat both life insurance and health insurance and car insurance and maybe even investments. So, they want to share the technology, but the person that's going to sell insurance to in an industrial world is going to do it differently than the person that's selling car insurance to one person. So, that's where we would typically use this coordination type model. And that's because everyone can benefit from shared information and shared technology, but everybody still needs to do their job their own way.

### Unification Model [8:02]

Now, we get into companies that have the where that we choose the operating model unification. Unification is everybody for the most part has a standard way to do their job no matter where they work anywhere in the world. And all their systems look identical no matter where you go anywhere in the world. And where would you need an environment where someone in Philadelphia does the same thing as someone in Athens, Greece, as someone in Manchester, UK, as someone in Lagos, Nigeria, and Cape Town, South Africa, and Sydney, Australia all at the same time. So, this specifically is dealing with a very specialized businesses where that actually needs to be. So, think about an airline. Where you can check in at the Atlanta Airport, the Newark Airport, the Philadelphia Airport, the Athens Airport, London Heathrow Airport, and it feels the same. Because those Delta people or whatever other airline you chose with the data probably using the same systems with the same processes unless there's an exception based upon a country rule or regulation. So, from ticketing to bagging, all that stuff is going to stay the same with an airline, and that's why they would benefit from the unification enterprise architecture operating model. So

### Wrapping It Up [9:21]

how do you choose the right enterprise architecture operating model? Well, I'm going to oversimplify this right now. Obviously, all this takes, you know, understanding the leadership, you know, really communicating with the stakeholders, understanding the business, but here's some guidelines. If the business units serve the same customers and they have the same products or different products, it's going to put us into one of two positions. So, if a business unit is going to serve the same customer and the organization needs shared systems, choose unification. And that's like that airline where everyone does the same job everywhere. Now, if people need access to shared systems, but they don't need the same processes everywhere, generally speaking, choose a coordination, just like a large diversified financial services firm would. Now, if the business units run the same business model, but operate differently, think replication, just like a fast food environment would typically do. And if all the business units have completely different business models and different customers, choose diversification, just like a global conglomerate or a holding company would typically do when they have multiple independent businesses. So, in today's video, we covered a couple of things. We covered what are enterprise architecture operating models, why organizations need the four enterprise architecture operating models, and even how to choose the correct enterprise architecture operating model. Now, if you'd like to become an enterprise architect, or a security architect, or a cloud architect, or an AI architect, we run two completely free architecture webinars. Sign up for any of the webinars and uh we can we'll come in and talk about the role of your choice uh based upon the webinar that you attend. For example, let's say it's an enterprise architecture webinar, we'll talk about what we do as enterprise architects, the skills you need as enterprise architects, and all the other steps you need to take to get that first enterprise architect job. And we'll do that for cloud architect, security architect. We do them for all the architect positions. So, please come to one of the webinars and we'll talk about what we do and ask me questions. It's going to be free and live on Zoom. So, there'll be about an hour and a half of an opportunity for you to ask questions and I'll do anything I can on these free architecture webinars to help build your career. And you can find the red our any of our architecture webinars, how to register for in the link of uh this to description of this video. There'll be a link for it. If you've enjoyed this video, please give it a like. Subscribe to our channel and hit the bell of new videos to see new videos and be notified of them that are going to help you build an enterprise architecture career or a security architecture career and any other architecture career you choose. This is Mike Gibbs signing off for now and I hope to see you in a free architecture webinar or another video. Take care.