Improving IT Productivity with a Semantic Layer - semanticweb.com

By Angela Guess on March 26, 2012 6:00 PM

Janice Lawrence of Semantic Arts has published an interesting read on semantic technology and enterprise architecture, specifically how a semantic layer improves IT productivity. Lawrence writes, “Short term IT decision making results in underutilized IT infrastructures. Technology adoption is strikingly consistent – each new wave of technology is first implemented in a distributed form and then consolidated resulting in poor utilization of computing resources, rising costs, and increased complexity.”

“Furthermore,” she continues, “as IT has become more end-user focused technology budgets have been decentralized. Business units tend to purchase computer technology that optimizes the applications they need to run their businesses. The result of pragmatic, parochial behavior is too many underutilized computers distributed across the enterprise, spiraling maintenance costs and non-integrated systems.”

Lawrence goes on, “Imposing a semantic layer into the IT infrastructure helps to mitigate the productivity issues of large, complex legacy systems.  Because a semantic model can provide a unified user access to multiple legacy systems it can dramatically improve the productivity and efficiency of an enterprise computing infrastructure. The process of building a semantic model encourages cross functional cooperation and results in a more simple and standard approach to accessing, analyzing and using the data. This simplifying effect makes it more productive.  Furthermore it eliminates the need for expensive systems integration projects.”

Read more here.