PROCEDURE 1410.18

Issued: October 5, 2001
Effective Date: August 16, 2000

SUBJECT:

 Enterprise Level e-Commerce Architecture

APPLICATION:

 All Executive agencies and other non-executive-branch entities participating in e-commerce initiatives.

PURPOSE:

 To provide a standard means for graphical presentation and representation of the enterprise level e-commerce architecture with descriptions of functional category tiers and interactive relationships.

CONTACT AGENCY:

 Department of Management and Budget (DMB) - Office of Information Technology Solutions (OITS), Standards Division.

TELEPHONE:

 517/373-7326

FAX:

 517/335-2355

SUMMARY:

 This procedure establishes a consistent model for the enterprise e-commerce architecture to aid in the planning, managing, and implementation effort of information technology initiatives at the enterprise level.

APPLICABLE FORMS:

None.
PROCEDURE:

General Information:

The objectives of this standard are to:

  • Facilitate consistent communication of information technology information.
  • Provide a method for common description of heterogeneous systems.
  • Serve as a consistent way to chart interoperability.
  • Provide standard definitions to tiers or layers inherent in the architecture.
  • Describe inter-task or interaction dependencies in a consistent manner.
  • Provide a method for describing workflow through the information technology architecture for e-business.
  • Assist in associating useful management metrics with devices, clusters, applications, or data paths.
  • Provide the ability to view and analyze data across multiple dimensions of the systems architecture while maintaining diagrammatic setting.
  • Provide a mechanism for improved collaboration.

 

Benefits expected:

  • Improved communication within the State of Michigan information technology community.
  • Ability to rapidly assess the impact of recommended or required changes to architecture.
  • Increase the visibility and clarity of the architecture.
  • Facilitate substantive documentation of the architecture in a repeatable way.
  • Provide the ability for a large audience to understand the architecture through graphic presentation.

Applicability:

Conditions of Application:
This standard is applicable to the implementation of Web hosted applications and services for e-commerce initiatives of State of Michigan executive branch agencies in the Web-enabled space. Including the Internet (any URL or IP address advertised to the public), and the extra-net (any State of Michigan to business partner Internet tunneled or direct connection or connection via a value-added network.).

This standard does not currently cover the internal network operating systems (NOS) environment or Intranet applications used solely for inter or intra-agency applications.

Implementation considerations: Agencies and vendors selected to provide information technology goods and services to agencies or at the enterprise level should become familiar with this model and use its features in their ITBs, RFQs, and in documentation of existing and communication of proposed changes or improvements of the overall information technology architecture.

Procedures:

  1. This architecture:
    1. Establishes a tiered categorization of common functionality or patterns within the state’s enterprise information technology infrastructure.
    2. Tier Definitions:
      1. Tier 0 - Audit, Development, Management, and Transport
      2. Tier 1 - Web Portal
      3. Tier 2 - Integration Engine Layer
        Business and Application Logic including Transaction Management
      4. Tier 3 - Referenced Services
        Technical Service used by other layers for a narrowly focused action or functionality.
      5. Tier 4 - Data Storage and Retrieval
        Client server and mainframe platforms that perform data storage and access function.
    3. Tier features or patterns:
      1. Tier 0 - Transparent to end-user. Transports and controls data
      2. Tier 1 - Hosts end-user view of gateways to service offerings
      3. Tier 2 - Application, Business and Transaction Logic applying business rules to request for information
      4. Tier 3 - Hosts common procedures or processes referenced by other tiers.
      5. Tier 4 - Databases that may include business or access logic components.
    4. Tier Functionality:

      Tier 0 - Transparent to end user, transports, and controls data associated with:

      1. Domain Name Services
      2. Border Gateway Traffic Managing
      3. Dynamic Load Balancing
      4. Internet Cache
      5. Reverse Proxy
      6. Firewall Rules
      7. Simple Network Management Protocol Managing and Monitoring
      8. Audit
      9. Development
      10. Network Transport
      11. Routing
      12. Intrusion Detection
      13. Remote Access Services
      14. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Routing Service
      15. Development and Content Auditing

      Tier 1 - Hosts end-user view of service offerings:

      1. HTTP Service
      2. FTP Service
      3. SSL Service
      4. HTML Repository
      5. Streaming Video/Audio Repository

      Tier 2 – Integration Engine, Business and Transaction Logic required for:

      1. Business Application Logic
      2. Business Process Logic
      3. Transaction Processing Tracking and Management
      4. Nested XML Documents, JAVA Scripts

      Tier 3 - Referenced Services to a common procedure or process including:

      1. Directory Services
      2. Credit card approval, financial institution processing gateway
      3. Security Services
      4. Gateways
      5. Tier 4 - Data Storage and Retrieval to include:
      6. Client Server Databases
      7. Main Frame Databases
      8. System Resident Modules or Programs that facilitate data access

      Tier Connectors – Used to chart and define connections or data paths for:

      1. protocol
      2. messaging
      3. data access points
      4. switches
      5. hubs or bridges
      6. connections
  2. Basic architecture drawing titled: State of Michigan e-Business Architecture Distributed System View (Page 1)
  3. Drawing Legend (Page 2).

Maintenance:
The OITS Standards Division and the Enterprise Standards Review Team (ESRT) will review this standard on a continuing basis and make recommendations to the Chief Information Officer.

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Distribution Date: 10-5-01
Procedure 1410.18