Enterprise Architecture is often described as the discipline of understanding an organisation from the inside out: its business capabilities, processes, applications, data, technology, governance, and operating models. We create architecture principles, reference architectures, roadmaps, standards, and technology strategies. We map the enterprise in increasingly sophisticated ways.

Enterprise Architecture has traditionally been associated with the internal structure of an organization. We map applications, rationalize technology portfolios, define data models, establish standards, and design target architectures. These activities are necessary. But they can also create a dangerous illusion: that if we understand the inside of the enterprise well enough, we understand the enterprise itself.

In asset management, we often talk about the “plumbing” of finance. As an Enterprise Architect, my role is to design, connect, and fortify that plumbing. For decades, investment firms have invested heavily in systems of record for transactions, portfolio accounting, market data, performance, and financial risk. Yet the transition toward a net-zero economy is exposing a new architectural challenge: climate data does not naturally fit into the traditional investment technology landscape.