Press Release: IT Architect Bookshelf

At Amazon we're known for our peculiar ways. Actually, they're not that peculiar; they just work really well, so we codify them and use them across the organization. One of these techniques is to work backwards from the customer and to write press releases for our products before we ever start development. Although some people initially find it awkward to sing the praises of a product they haven't even built, the "future perfect" tense of looking back from the future actually becomes a fun and productive exercise (it also reminds me of the Future Perfect book we read back in grad school).

Today I use this technique to describe my aspirations for my upcoming book projects for IT architects. It definitely helped me sharpen my plans and may also trigger valuable feedback.

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The IT Architect Bookshelf

Today's IT environment is complex and it's not getting any simpler. IT leaders need to deliver innovation, reduce cost, assure reliable operations, and keep up with new technologies. There is ample advice on what IT leaders and architects should be doing: they need to transform, align business and IT strategies, become more agile, move to the cloud, harvest the value of data, and become customer centric. Sadly, much less help is available for how to actually implement all these in a context of legacy systems, existing organizational structures, and regulatory constraints. Most available books either cover topics at a very high level or are product-specific, leaving enterprises to fill the giant gap in between for themselves.

The IT Architect Bookshelf, authored by veteran enterprise architect Gregor Hohpe and published by IT Magic Press, fills this gap. A collection of five titles addresses the breadth and depth of the current IT transformation, ranging from cloud computing, to platforms, data, and APIs.

Busting Buzzwords

Building on the success of The Software Architect Elevator, each title translates a popular buzzword into an approachable explanation, associated mental models, and the key decisions that define an enterprise's strategy. Harvested from over a decade of doing "architecture in the large", the content is vendor-neutral and goes deep without getting lost in technology.

"Laying out a strategy requires educating stakeholders, driving organizational change, and considering trade-offs. This collection of books is not only invaluable for my own work but its accessible writing style also gets stakeholders on the same page."

--Chief Architect

Broad and Deep Coverage

The collection covers the anchor points of a modern IT strategy:

• Cloud Strategy: Virtually every enterprise is in or on the way to the cloud but only few have a clear strategy guided by meaningful decisions. This book helps them build such a strategy.
• Platform Strategy: Platforms have fueled some of the most successful business models of the last decade. They can also be critical drivers for innovation and reuse inside organizations. However, building one is much more difficult than it seems.
• API Strategy: Programming interfaces reduce friction and fuel open ecosystems, critical amplifiers in the digital world. Sadly, a lot of API initiatives consume a lot of resources but deliver little value.
• Data Strategy: Data is the currency of the digital world, yet enterprises turn only a small fraction of their data into value.
• IT Strategy: A sound strategy depends on the synthesis of all pillars and precise but approachable communication.

These books are the ideal companion for enterprise architects, IT decision makers, CIOs, and team leads. Get your set today! Available in ebook and print formats.