At the simplest level, IT professionals use the phrase "enterprise architecture" to describe the overall blueprint for a large organization's IT systems. For example, they might say, "Our company's enterprise architecture is multicloud (or hybrid cloud, private cloud or public cloud)."

Some organizations have a slightly more formal approach to the concept. For them, enterprise architecture refers to an actual set of diagrams or charts that shows how the different pieces of an organization's IT systems work together. Commonly, it might show how information flows between a data center and whatever cloud company provides a remote platform.

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But many organizations have a much deeper understanding of enterprise architecture. For them, enterprise architecture encompasses not only IT but also business process. Historically, this was the meaning of the phrase when it first came into use in the 1980s. Early enterprise architecture frameworks tracked data, functions, networks, people, time and motivation in regards to both business processes and technology.

And for some organizations, enterprise architecture is not just a description of the current state of things, but a process for improving the way the company works. For them, enterprise architecture is about moving from a current state to a future, more desirable state.