TOGAF or The Open Group Architecture Framework is one framework within enterprise architecture providing a perspective to design, plan, implement, and govern the IT architecture of any business. TOGAF was developed in 1995, where around 60 percent of the Global 50 companies along with 60 percent of the Fortune 500 firms used this framework. TOGAF cannot be used commercially but, could be used for internal training purposes.
This is a high-level architecture framework, modeled having four levels:
- Business
- Application
- Data
- Technology
The model design relies very highly on modularizing, standardizing, the already existing proven products and technologies. The TOGAF benchmark is the open Enterprise Architecture benchmark that the world’s leading organizations use in order to better their enterprising standards. There are more than 75,000 certifications under the TOGAF Certification program that helps enterprise trainers and architects worldwide showcase their knowledge.
Why study TOGAF?
There are many paybacks for studying TOGAF and getting TOGAF training and certification. Each profile and credential receive a unique URL that could be added to a resume, website, or on social media profile. This makes it easy for every certificate earner to communicate the new accomplishment with his peers, colleagues in the professional fora, and to the prospective employers while looking for a new opportunity. TOGAF is without doubts a badge one can proudly showcase to organizations and get a decent raise in his existing pay package. The certification definitely gives him a leeway from other candidates while applying for the next move in the career.
For organizations, the Open Badges help in eliminating the trouble of guesswork during the process of recruitment. The badges better and help ease in verifying the credentials of the potential candidates as this provides detailed information about any certification. TOGAF also enables the employers and recruiters with a much clearer context and idea about the certification the individual has and makes it a highly thorough decision-making process.
Work of TOGAF certification professionals
The work of any TOGAF certified and trained professional is to simplify the complex technical attributes. Technical leads and developers take this certification in TOGAF to help accomplish the Enterprise Architecture become architects and then senior architects in companies. Enterprise Architects (EA) helps towards developing the long-term IT strategy of any organization to help support the complete business infrastructure.
They actually construct IT applications’ roadmap and technology to guide and take responsibility for the organization’s function- the basic benchmark for which is set according to TOGAF standards. It’s the responsibility of the EAs to make sure that all the technological flow aspects get defined and also to ensure IT-enabled domains are running seamlessly from beginning to end.
TOGAF certified people align an organization’s goals and ideas along with different IT requirements. It’s the large organizations who seek to hire TOGAF certified individuals as theirs is primarily a strategic management portfolio. Moreover, people looking to work on IoT projects can find TOGAF to be highly useful.
Why look for TOGAF certification and training?
There are many reasons why an IT guy should look to get this certification. Some of them are:
- Enterprise Architect is the catchphrase in the job market– The IT Infrastructure today is making IT architecture and technology a highly integrated feature for organizational success. Hence, all large enterprises are using TOGAF in planning how their organization’s short-term and long-term enterprise architecture should be managed.
- TOGAF is IT lingo compliant– Professionals with TOGAF certification training share the common language and skills that are used in IT-based companies. Hence, an employee with this certification can understand the business needs for IT enterprises better.
- TOGAF certification comes in stages– There are two stages of EA examination- Foundation and Certified. Hence, an employee will have to learn about basic levels of IT roadmaps first and then climb up the next critical level and decipher them.
- TOGAF comes as a pocket-friendly certification– The cost to get TOGAF certified starts from $320 for the Foundation examination. However, if one takes both Foundation and Certification together, he needs to pay $495. Moreover, these tests will pay in large dividends in an EAs career and hence, is a very good investment to leverage.
- Good pay package- A TOGAF certified professional starts with a salary of $80,000 or more.
Any large enterprise looks to hire professionals with certifications because of one simple reason- Standardization. Any big industry essentially runs on certain benchmarks and to be able to meet that benchmark, certain industry-recognized certifications are predesigned with the concepts and skills that businesses seek. TOGAF is one such industry-recognized course that is well-versed with the concepts that enterprise architecture asks. Hence, by getting the certification, one is actually preparing the self for the best practices in the industry and hence, will have a better position in the industry, as he has done his homework well.