Essential

Essential is an enterprise architecture management tool that maps an organisation's people, processes, IT and information. Its views support decisions based on facts, with the aim of reducing cost and risk, improving efficiency and delivering strategy. It is built by architects for architects and comes in both commercial and open source versions.

What Essential offers

• Data capture — simple collection of architecture information.
• Views — over 150 ready-made views, or create custom ones, on a configurable ontology.
• Application portfolio management — analysis of the application estate.
• Collaboration — involves staff across the organisation, not only architects.
• Open source edition — alongside the commercial product.

Who it works with

Global corporates, governments, education, charities and small and medium businesses.

Key facts

• Analyst recognition: listed as a Visionary on the Gartner Magic Quadrant
• Time to value: typically 4 to 12 weeks, according to its site