Challenges in Integrating Product-IT into Enterprise Architecture – a case study

Abstract

Digital Innovation (DI), Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-physical Systems (CPS) offer new opportunities for enterprises but also cause new challenges for Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM). Based on an industrial case from power garden products illustrating potentials and challenges of DI and IoT, this paper investigates the integration of product-IT into enterprise architecture (EA). Product-IT includes the embedded IT-systems in physical products and services / components for operations, maintenance or evaluation purposes. The paper investigates problems in product-IT and enterprise-IT integration and challenges for the field of EAM. The case study shows that industry implemented pragmatic solutions for dealing with P-IT integration into EA, but there is a clearly expressed demand for improvements and a need for refined EAM standards in this context.