The industry and market in general has been evolving towards more efficient and effective computing strategies and architectures, and successful businesses have been maturing towards them in practice. This evolutionary journey has been part of a long-term desire to maximize investments in computing, so that IT actively supports business growth and agility.

For those organizations and businesses that have either begun to benefit from a strategic computing plan and implementation model, or started on the path towards them, strong architectural management is the unifying enabler – that and a steadfast commitment and vision from a management team that’s committed to the long haul.

This paper looks at the business drive towards smarter IT and computing implementation and execution plans. It explains why the role of good architectural management, governance, and planning for Smarter IT is crucial to putting in place infrastructure, application services, and models to maximize the opportunities for future growth.