Association of Open Group Enterprise Architects and Global Enterprise Architecture Organization Announce Merger

Union of AOGEA and GEAO Creates Largest Professional Body for Enterprise Architects in the World

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ — The Association of Open Group Enterprise Architects (AOGEA) today announced a merger with the Global Enterprise Architecture Organization (GEAO) to form the largest professional body for Enterprise Architects in the world. At the time of this announcement, the combined organization serves more than 9,000 members in 72 different countries. The AOGEA and GEAO, which will retain their respective names for the indefinite future, will be administered by The Open Group. The merged organization will focus on advancing the Enterprise Architecture profession by helping to develop and enforce standards of excellence and ethics for all members.

“We warmly welcome members of the Global Enterprise Architecture Organization,” said Allen Brown, president and CEO for The Open Group. “The GEAO’s proven track record in furthering business skills for its members and AOGEA’s emphasis on professional standards and technical excellence will provide expanded value for our joint members, as well as their employers and clients.”

“I am incredibly excited about this merger and the additional value it will bring to members of both organizations. Information technology is very pervasive and penetrates into many business disciplines, such as corporate finance, HR, financial accounting, business strategy, economics, sales and marketing,” said Ben Ponne, president of the GEAO. “AOGEA’s professional members who need to be ‘in charge’ will need to develop an integrative view of the business and strong social capital to lead other people. GEAO’s executive members, on the other hand, will benefit from an increased understanding of information technology and how this can help them to add value to their business.”

The merger brings together the complementary strengths of the two organizations, providing members with increased job opportunities through affiliation with The Open Group’s leading certification programs, TOGAF and ITAC (IT Architect Certification), ongoing advocacy and education services, and peer networking opportunities at local chapter meetings and international events. In addition, the combined organization will deliver expanded value to current AOGEA and GEAO members by providing them with access to an increased range of programs and services. For example, AOGEA members will benefit from the GEAO’s programs and content focused on business skills, whereas GEAO members will benefit from the AOGEA’s distinct focus on professional standards and technical excellence.

About GEAO

The Global Enterprise Architecture Organization (GEAO) focuses on executive level enterprise architects who are in management and leadership roles. The added value to organizations comes through an integrated view of the business and strong social capital. The enterprise architect as an individual performer needs pure cognitive ability in addition to being a reputable resource of facts, information and experience. Managers and leaders on the other hand need to be integrative and strategic thinkers with strong coordination and interpersonal skills. GEAO focuses on the latter and offers a range of services that develops a strong integrative view of the business that supports enterprise architects who want to grow into a leadership or management role.

About AOGEA

The Association of Open Group Enterprise Architects (AOGEA) offers several benefits to its members, including enhanced career opportunities through promoting the value of the profession to employers, extensive knowledge sharing and networking within a peer community. AOGEA also offers professional development via participation in globally recognized certification programs; local chapters; special interest groups; workgroups; bulletin boards; and general networking opportunities. The Association’s website can be found at http://www.aogea.org.

About The Open Group

The Open Group is a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, which drives the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow(TM) that will enable access to integrated information within and between enterprises based on open standards and global interoperability. The Open Group works with customers, suppliers, consortia and other standard bodies. Its role is to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, establish policies and share best practices; to facilitate interoperability, develop consensus, and evolve and integrate specifications and open source technologies; to offer a comprehensive set of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and to operate the industry’s premier certification service. Further information on The Open Group can be found at http://www.opengroup.org.

SOURCE The Open Group