Enterprise Technology Architecture (ETA)

Enterprise technology architecture (ETA) in IT refers to a set of standards or guidelines for an IT infrastructure. It is a broad-based term that covers efforts and technologies aimed at designing an architecture for the IT setups that a business uses.

IT experts define enterprise technology architecture as resources including reasonable standards and architectural philosophies for infrastructure. Some reference the work of John Zachman and the renowned "Zachman Framework," which is basically a matrix of conceptual ideas around technology building, including elements like scope, business model, system model and technology model.

Firms use enterprise technology architecture to direct the design and installation of the IT structures they use for core business processes, as well as analytics, business intelligence gathering, communications, customer relationships and much more. Enterprise technology architecture is a major part of the IT philosophy for executives like CIOs and CTOs as they plan the course of technology acquisition and use for a company.