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The above characteristics can result in the definition of the architecture [14]:

A pragmatic, coherent structuring of a collection of components that through these factors supports
the vision of the full ''user'' in an elegant way.

An alternative would be [15]:

A definition of the structure, relationships, views, assumptions and rationale of a system.

5.2 ICT Architecture

The above analysis for the definition concerns a system (collection of components) and each of the
individual components can represent corresponding architectural practices. For instance, an
information system consists of components, which play individual roles within the system (i.e.,
authentication, data repositories, etc.) and they all interact to establish the entire system's role. As
such, the term architecture offers the following features:

 It is used to define a single "system".
 It describes the functional aspects of the system.
 It concentrates on describing the structure of the system.

 It describes both the intra‐system and inter‐system relationships.

 It defines guidelines, policies, and principles that govern the system's design, development, and
evolution over time.
Each system's component has to be defined with the same or alternative architectural practices
(hardware, software, data flow, business flow, management, etc.), which can represent alternative
architectural perspectives, which at high level synthesize the enterprise ICT architecture [14]:

 The information architecture deals with the structure and use of information within the
organization, and the alignment of information with the organization's strategic, tactical, and
operational needs.

 The business systems architecture structures the informational needs into a delineation of
necessary business systems to meet those needs.
 The technical architecture defines the technical environment and infrastructure in which all
information systems exist.

 The software or application architecture defines the structure of individual systems based on
defined technology.

All the above information underlines that an architecture defines a framework within which a
system can be accurately specified and built at a specific time frame. It functionally defines what the
elements of the system do and how the data and information is exchanged between them. An
architecture is functionally oriented and not technology specific, which allows the architecture to
remain effective over time. It defines "what" must be done, not "how" it will be implemented.

ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications 345