Altus

Altus has used IBM Rational System Architect for many years delivering a host of business and technology models for its clients. But what do you do with these models once you’ve built them? Too often System Architect ends up as little more than a static repository for architectural models. To be really useful, these models need to be embedded within the Business Change or Enterprise Architecture function, and connected to projects and programmes. They need to be able to capture and analyse As-Is and To-Be architectures allowing the organisation to quickly and cheaply explore change opportunities and to determine the impact of making that change. However, to embed the models within these functions, they need to demonstrate their value quickly and intuitively to business users as well as architects! System Architect does have some in-built capability to help but you need to be an advanced user and work pretty hard to get there.

Altus has now taken much of the hard work and pain away – we have spent recent years pulling together our knowledge of Financial Services and System Architect to deliver ‘PEAK for System Architect’. Working closely with IBM to ensure best practice, we have neatly integrated ‘PEAK for System Architect’ into the tool’s existing framework. Offering a packaged layer of visual analytics on top of IBM Rational System Architect you can finally realise the benefits that were written into the business case for buying the tool in the first place.

Whether you are an accomplished user or are just starting from scratch, Altus PEAK for System Architect will allow you to maximise your investment in the tool. Off-the-shelf content coupled with pre-built easy to use analytical overlays allow PEAK for System Architect to demonstrate the value of the tool quickly and easily.

You can get a clear view of your organisation and the relationships between capability (what the business does), process (how the business does it), organisation, applications, technology and data (and many other entities). PEAK for System Architect will enable you to quickly answer questions such as:

 

• Where am I spending money in the business?

 

 The circles in this overlay show the magnitude of spend in the different areas of the business.

 

• In which areas of the business can I save money? 

 

The red areas here are showing system duplication across some areas of the business and hence rationalisation is an option. The diagram on the right is comparing systems side by side to see where overlap is occurring.

 

• How well equipped am I for upcoming regulation?

 

Here we can see an overall picture of a piece of new regulation (top left, provided by one of Altus’ regulatory updates). Alongside these we can see the scope of the current programmes addressing the changes. In this case it is easy to see gaps in the aggregate scope of the 3 phases of the programme.

 

• Are my projects aligned to the business strategy?

 

Here we are highlighting current project spend against the overall business strategy. This is a heat map where the red areas show high impact areas for the business strategy and the bubbles show the magnitude of current project spend.

 
 

In order to do this analysis you need to do some hard work up front by capturing the right data. Our plug-in also contains a customised spreadsheet that allows you to capture this data outside the tool and upload via a one-click interface.

 

 

Once uploaded into System Architect, you can then use our menu of analytics and overlays via the Heat Map Manager to answer questions about your business. There are a number of different styles to show your information:

 

• Heap Mapping of binary relationships e.g. impact of upcoming regulatory change
• Attribute values via Bubble diagrams e.g. head count across processes
• Relationship Markers that overlay all of the related dimensions e.g. systems that provide a capability
• Value Markers that allow you to show and compare multiple related values e.g. summarised assessment values of a particular definition
• Comparison diagrams that allow you to compare definitions side by side e.g. programme phases vs overall business strategy
• Filter diagrams that allow you to dynamically see the impact of adding and removing related objects e.g. systems and capabilities.

 

 

The appearance (size, position, colour, shape) of the overlays and analytics are fully configurable too, via the Diagram Properties within the System Architect dialogue boxes.

 

  

As business and system architecture consultants operating exclusively in the Financial Services sector and with a long history of working with System Architect, Altus is perfectly positioned to help. So, if you have recently purchased SA, or you have the tool and don't feel that you are getting the benefits you expected, Altus PEAK for System Architect is the perfect plug-in. What’s more, Altus’ offering has also gained certification for IBM’s Ready for Rational programme.

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PEAK for System Architect packages:

Industry Frameworks

If you’re looking to get up and running quickly, Altus can provide you with off-the-shelf Financial Services models. Content ranges from LP&I, GI, Investment Ops and Banking models. Models can be used as dashboards for analytics.

Analytics
With a number of analytics built around Altus’ meta-model, you can choose as little or as many as you like. They range from simple RAG mapping to more powerful Relationship Markers, Value Markers, TCO indicators and Filter diagrams.

Regulatory updates
As industry specialists, Altus tracks major upcoming Financial Services regulation. Our regulatory updates will allow you to quickly assess the impact on your business against the data already captured within System Architect.

 

 Consultancy Services
Altus has consultants who are skilled in running assignments to capture business or technical information and carry out the analysis in System Architect. Examples include TCO Analysis, Application Assessments, Regulatory Readiness, System Rationalisation, Capability Maturity Assessments, plus many more.

 

Please see the IBM Global Solutions Directory website for more information.