Introducing the ArcGIS Well-Architected Framework

Successfully designing, implementing, and operating enterprise systems in today’s Information Technology (IT) landscape often requires extensive knowledge and expertise in both technology and in the business objectives the systems are intended to support. The ArcGIS Well-Architected Framework and Architecture Center website strives to empower you as IT professionals, architects, support team members, and GIS professionals with foundational information about ArcGIS, and guide your organizations in making knowledgeable decisions when implementing systems with ArcGIS.   

You can visit this website now at: https://architecture.arcgis.com. 

The ArcGIS Well-Architected Framework and Architecture Center brings together years of collective experiences, recommendations, and best practices for building enterprise systems from across Esri and its community of distributors, partners, and users. You will find the website contains four main sections:

1. The Overview section will provide you with information on ArcGIS – how it’s designed, its functional capabilities, how its products support different deployment and operational models, and how it participates in your IT landscape.
2. The System Patterns section shares eight system patterns – common and composable examples of how you can build systems with ArcGIS. The key capabilities of each pattern are discussed in detail, along with different deployment options, considerations for deployment, and potential integrations with other system patterns.
3. The Architecture Practices section will introduce you to concepts and best practices centered on six key architectural pillars (Automation, Integration, Observability, Performance & Scalability, Reliability, and Security) that you will find relevant in any ArcGIS system.
4. The Library contains a searchable repository of documents, presentations, videos, samples, and other assets that can assist you in designing and implementing well-architected systems with ArcGIS.

The content in this site allows you to explore specific topics of interest or simply peruse an entire design pattern or technical pillar. As you get more familiar with the content, you can keep reading (diving in at different levels of detail or depth), or get hands-on experience by designing or prototyping your own systems based on one of the ArcGIS system patterns.

Are you ready to get started? Head over to the ArcGIS Architecture Center to see all of the new resources available to design, deploy, and operate your own ArcGIS enterprise system! Please visit this page in the future to keep track of key additions, updates, and changes.

Happy architecting!

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About the authors

Philip Heede

Philip is a group product manager with Esri and manages the ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise PM teams. He enjoys living in sunny Southern California and traveling around the world for both business and pleasure.

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Witt Mathot

Witt Mathot is a principal architect with Esri Professional Services, working closely with business and IT stakeholders to design, build, and sustain GIS systems. He lives in San Diego, California and enjoys cooking, traveling, and writing the occasional Python script.

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Sam Libby

Sam Libby is a principal architect with the Esri Professional Services team, supporting solution and system architecture strategy across industries and customer types. He has a particular passion for the nonprofit and humanitarian sectors, and works in Esri's Louisville, Colorado office.

Dave Wrazien

Dave, an Architecture Practice Manager at Esri, is an enterprise architect that has worked in all aspects of geospatial software development, implementation, and management. He lives in the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania and enjoys cooking, outdoor activities, and motorsports.

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Sara Sanchez

Sara is a lead product engineer on the ArcGIS Enterprise team. She enjoys spending time at the lake, non-fiction, and cooking.

Julia Smyth

Julia is a Product Marketing Manager on the Operational Intelligence team at Esri, primarily working with ArcGIS Mission and ArcGIS AllSource.

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