Leading global standards for Enterprise Architecture and certification for enterprise IT and Business Architecture

List of Forum Members

The vision of The Open Group^® is “Boundaryless Information Flow™ achieved through global interoperability in a secure, reliable and timely manner”. The Open Group Architecture Forum mission supports this by:

• Validating, publishing, fostering, and maintaining best practices for Enterprise Architecture
• Developing, organizing, researching, and publishing thought leaders in Enterprise Architecture
• Providing broad and deep leadership to the Enterprise Architect community
• Initiating and managing programs and projects to support these activities

The work of the Architecture Forum is diverse and includes a wide range of architecture-related topics such as:

EA Domain Level activities

• Agile Enterprise Architecture
• Ecosystems Architecture
• Enterprise Architecture and Sustainability
• Enterprise Architecture and Innovation Strategy
• Business Architecture – Open Business Architecture Standard and supporting content
• Information Technology Architecture - Master Data Management and Business Intelligence and Analytics
• Application Architecture – Application Value Streams and supporting content
• Enterprise Architecture and the Digital Enterprise (in collaboration with the Digital Practitioners Work Group)
• Data Integration Architecture – Data Integration landscape and best practice. Click here to find out more about The Open Group Data Integration Work Group
• Zero Trust Security Architecture (in collaboration with The Open Group Security Forum)
• Microservice Architectures

Industry Verticals

• Commercial Aviation Reference Architecture^TM
• Government Reference Architecture
• Open Healthcare Enterprise Reference Architecture^TM (developed and maintained by the Healthcare Forum)

All of its work is core to The Architect's Toolkit - a portfolio of the most pertinent standards, reference architectures, frameworks, tools and bodies of knowledge used by Enterprise Architects in their work lives.

The TOGAF® Standard

The TOGAF® Standard is the de facto global standard for Enterprise Architecture. The Open Group Architecture Forum develops and maintains the TOGAF Standard and regularly publishes updates to the Standard and supporting materials. The standard includes the TOGAF Fundamental Content and the TOGAF Series Guides. For more details, please visit the TOGAF Standard homepage.

There are several activities and workgroups that develop and improve the TOGAF Standard in line with the changing needs of industry and Enterprise Architects. These provide new materials and maintain the ecosystem of existing documentation. Specific areas of focus currently include;

• Evolving the TOGAF Standard
• Ecosystems Architecture
• Agile Enterprise Architecture using the TOGAF Standard
• The TOGAF Standard & the Digital Enterprise
• Enterprise Information Architecture
• Using the TOGAF Standard to enable Enterprise Innovation
• Business Architecture
• Data Integration Architecture
• SOA and Microservices Architecture
• Enterprise Security Architecture

Agile Enterprise Architecture

The Open Group Architecture Forum includes an active working group for Agile Enterprise Architecture, meeting weekly. The group has produced a range of materials showing how to apply the TOGAF® Standard in an agile setting. These include:

Agile Architecture in the Digital Age - White paper
World-Class EA: The Agile Enterprise - White paper
Using Agile Practices in Enterprise Architecture - White paper
Agile Architecture Modeling Using the ArchiMate® Language - Guide
Agile Practices in Enterprise Architecture - Webinar
Agile & Enterprise Architecture: Opposites Attract! - Webinar
Become more Agile with Lean and Enterprise Architecture - Webinar
Agile at Scale: Architecture in the Age of Complexity - Webinar
Architecture in Agile Environments – Challenges and Solutions to Maximize Value - Webinar

Additionally, The Open Group has a working group that is specifically developing the Open Agile ArchitectureTM Standard.

The Open Group has begun the process of developing open standards for AI professional practice. Its AI initiatives have been already backed by prominent organizations, and The Open Group is looking for more organizations to get involved as AI continues to shape the future of enterprise technology.

The Open Group EAGLE AI Assistant™ 

Powered by advanced artificial intelligence, The Open Group EAGLE AI Assistant delivers instant, authoritative guidance across The Open Group Standards, helping architects work faster, think deeper, and apply standards with confidence. By combining intelligent context awareness with conversational insight, The Open Group EAGLE AI Assistant redefines how architecture knowledge is accessed, understood, and applied in real-world practice.

Learn more about The Open Group EAGLE AI Assistant™ here.

Get Involved and Gain Influence in Defining Open Standards and Certifications

Being a member of The Open Group gives organizations early access to the latest information and developments regarding open standards and best practices, and enables them to participate in The Open Group’s highly influential Forums and Work Groups. We provide a collaborative, vendor-neutral environment where member representatives can:

• Network with a world-class community of peers, experts and industry leaders
• Have early access to information on industry developments
• Gain insight for future decisions from both major customers and suppliers of IT
• Influence outcomes that benefit their organizations
• Grow professionally, and enhance their credibility in the industry
• Receive education in best practices

Membership FAQs

The Open Group events are for business and technology professionals interested in achieving business objectives through technology standards. The Open Group organizes conferences, member meetings, industry verticals, webinars, and podcasts on a wide variety of topics.

The Architecture Forum hosts a quarterly members governance session where updates regarding workgroup activities, publications, and certifications are presented. The Forum also host a monthly session that is open for all members to discuss any topics related to the Forum.

Check our events calendar for upcoming events.

Below is an example of publications related to Enterprise Architecture. Full versions and more can be found in the Open Group Library.