Enterprise Information Technology Body of Knowledge (EITBOK)
EITBOK is a collection of high-level knowledge areas required for successful IT operations.

IEEE Computer Society’s Guide to the Enterprise Information Technology Body of Knowledge (EITBOK) is a compendium of high-level descriptions of knowledge areas (KAs) that are generally required for the successful operation of information technology (IT) services provided to the enterprise served. Enterprise IT is an overarching term that describes the work needed in IT products and services. These work activities and their outcomes overlap and interact with each other—no IT KA stands alone.

Enterprise IT is vital to all enterprises, and it is especially critical as enterprises become larger. IT is an evolving, increasingly complex, maturing discipline. The enterprise IT profession exists within a broader social context, and a broader landscape of technology adoption and use, community, and collaboration. The breadth and depth of enterprise IT services and supporting technology have evolved quickly over the last forty-plus years and continue to evolve ever more quickly.

Some fundamental principles underlie most aspects of what the enterprise IT organization does. In order to understand and effectively use and manage the technology as it evolves, IT professionals need to understand those underlying principles, not just know how to install and operate various tools. Such principles are more important to the IT manager than the specifics of the latest fad in scripting languages or the newest high-performance server.

To mature this profession, the EITBOK provides direction to commonly accepted

  • Activities and best practices
  • Requisite knowledge
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • Terminology.

Consistency in these areas will help IT professionals perform more effectively and reliably. Organization leaders, in particular, need to understand and assign value to IT activities, in order to fully support, fund, and staff IT functions. Moreover, standardization will also facilitate better communication between teammates, managers, and executives, and ubiquitous use will elevate IT into a fully recognized profession around the world.


Table of Contents

  • Credits/Acknowledgements
  • Foreword (VP, PAB)
  • Preface
  • What is the EITBOK?
  • History
  • Purpose
  • Goals
  • Audience
  • Potential Uses
  • Knowledge Areas
  • Context Diagrams
  • Structure

Introduction to Enterprise IT

Part 1: The Enterprise Perspective

Chapter 1: Enterprise Architecture

Chapter 2: Strategy and Governance

Chapter 3: Change Initiatives

Chapter 4: Interoperability

Chapter 5: Security

Chapter 6: Quality

Chapter 7: Disaster Preparedness

Part 2: The Life Cycle Perspective

Chapter 8: Requirements

Chapter 9: Acquisition

Chapter 10: Construction

Chapter 11: Transition

Chapter 12: Sustainment

Chapter 13: Operations and Support

Chapter 14: Retirement


Appendix A: Related and Informing Disciplines

Appendix B: Glossary

Appendix C: Structuring the Enterprise IT Organization

Appendix D: Roles Matrix

Appendix E: Standards

Appendix F: Consolidated Reference List


Index (key terms only)

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