Shared Experiences of Getting Started with Enterprise Architecture in Higher Ed

After a career in the private sector as a software developer and software development manager, I joined the National e-Science Centre at the University of Edinburgh in 2002, first as research manager and then as director of operations. During my time there, I worked on grid computing and service-oriented architecture, and these efforts saw my first steps into the world of applications and data architecture. In 2008, I joined the University’s Information Services Group as Head of Development Services, during which time we began to introduce some architectural ideas. In 2016, I was given the opportunity to move into Enterprise Architecture, setting up the University’s EA capability from scratch and broadening my remit to include EA as a whole.

After spending almost a decade in technology consulting, continually bridging the gap between technology and business, I became a solution architect, application architect and eventually enterprise architect for organisations like ACCA, Heineken and Edrington Distillers, where I led their global architecture team. I took the leap to Higher Education at University of Glasgow in June 2022, tasked with establishing an Enterprise Architecture function. It’s a very different world to luxury spirits, but everywhere is unique, and I believe Enterprise Architecture can be incredibly powerful and effective in an HE context.

Working in University College Dublin ... since 1999 New to Enterprise Architecture / a couple of years’ experience now / started from a blank canvas / team of 1 Previous experience has been in system and storage administration (10+ years), data centre management (10+ years), and managing a wide array of projects on the side.