What are the perceived advantages and disadvantages of data-centric architecture with respect to application-centric architecture in relation to IT performance?

Abstract

IT performance is one of the major research topics in information system studies. Over a recent period, enterprise architecture has been gaining traction as a discipline for strategy execution through differently architected IT systems. Even though enterprise architecture has been researched quite profoundly, the various IT architectural patterns have not, and the intricate effect they have on corporate performance or organizational efficiency. This study looks at two IT architectural patterns and estimates their relative perceived effects on IT performance, using a multiple case-study method. The study looks at four different cases and interviews five companies that have invested heavily in their architectural initiatives, to gain more in-depth insight into the current literature. The architectural patterns under investigation are the application-centric architecture, an approach that most companies today adhere to, and the data-centric architecture, which is a quite recent term, even though it is based on well known, much researched, technical foundations. The main conclusions are that different architectural patterns support companies on different maturity stages, and more research is needed to shed some light on the complex causal interactions between architecture and maturity.