FAQ

1. Is this a standards group?
   
   No. The Business Ecology Initiative is not a standards group, but an advocacy group. However because it is managed by the largest IT industry standards group (OMG) it does have influence, in terms of helping to prompt and promote usage of open standards, that may be relevant to the work of Business Ecology. 
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2. Who are the members and supporters of the initiative?
   
   Business Ecology Initiative participants include users and vendors of business-technology products and services, universities, analyst groups, government agencies and non-profit companies interested in promoting the message and value of Business Ecology.   
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3. What is Business Ecology?

   Business Ecology is a business-technology imperative focused on streamlining business processes, removing waste from technology portfolios, and adjusting resource consumption, to optimize business operations and foster business innovation.

   Business Ecology is not a one-time fix, but rather a management philosophy concerned with business vitality over time, balancing current conditions, external change forces, optimization and innovation focus areas, resource allocations, and longer-term business motivations, capabilities and outcomes.

   An important enabler of Business Ecology is the use of technology beyond automation. Business Ecology practitioners employ technology to identify, measure, model and drive business change.
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4. What is meant by sustainability with Business Ecology?
   
   Sustainability is about physical waste (electricity, paper, water, space, etc.) and how this waste affects the business. In order to "sustain" a business, the company must look at minimizing this waste in an effort to optimize processes. 
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5. What is Actionable Architecture™?
   
   Actionable Architecture™ brings transparent business methodology to the definition and delivery of common IT infrastructure, platforms and services. Emphasized business attributes include quality, efficiency, compliance, agility, value, effectiveness, ease-of-use, sustainability and business goal traceability.
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6. How does Cloud fit into the overall approach?
   
   Cloud computing is one of several Business Ecology Enablers. Cloud computing plays a role in outsourcing business processing and optimizing IT service delivery. A natural extension of cloud computing would be that eventually there is no standalone IT department in the company, however there is still IT in the organization, embedded in organizational units, at the point of value generation. IT people become business optimization people (automating, streamlining and outsourcing).
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7. How does BEI relate to the OMG-managed programs BPM Consortium, SOA Consortium and GCIO?

   The Business Ecology Initiative provides education, advocacy and member programs to enable organizations to achieve Business Ecology success, employ Actionable Architecture™, and carve a path to business-IT integration.

   The CoPs are advocacy groups comprised of practitioners, service providers and technology vendors, dedicated to promoting the business value, and enabling the successful adoption, of specific, key business-technology strategies, by the Global 1000, major government agencies and midmarket businesses.

   The CoP topic areas – BPM/SOA, Cyber Security, Event Processing and Green CIO – are all enablers of Business Ecology. The CoPs operate in a business-driven context, highlight real-world stories, practices and lessons, embrace an ”influence the influencer” model and contribute to the Business Ecology Practice Collection.
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8. Why is OMG starting this group now?
   
   A downturn in the market means a need for innovative thinking. IT must recognize its current shift in the enterprise dynamic and look beyond “usual business”. The current climate provides a great opportunity for IT leadership to better integrate itself with the business and provide a broader and more crucial role. This new role will enable the sustainable, efficient, agile businesses of the 21st century. Enterprises need to manage and optimize their business processes (lean, efficient, sustainable, adaptable, etc) and have the architecture and structure in place to support this. The technology to do so is in place today, so the time is NOW. OMG has positioned itself as an instrument for widespread collaboration to support this trend.
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9. Why is IBM Sponsoring this new group?
   
   IBM sees value in supporting a cross-organizational non-vendor specific group that works to help clients be successful in today's new economy. The OMG Business Ecology Initiative is focused on bringing together business and IT to create business capability around Sustainable BPM and SOA. The idea that IT become a full partner with business is one that IBM has been espousing based on SOA for a number of years, including as a sponsor of the SOA Consortium.
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10. How can I join the BEI?
    
    Members and sponsors of an OMG-managed CoP (BPM/SOA, CyberSecurity, Event Processing and / or GCIO) are eligible for involvement in this exciting new initiative. To discuss membership and sponsorship opportunities for BEI and the Communities of Practice (CoP) please contact the OMG’s Vice President of Business Development, Ken Berk at ken.berk@omg.org or +1-781-444-0404 Ext.
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Last updated on July 23, 2010