3DVE

3DVE or 3D-VE (originally 3D Visible Enterprise, but now called the Unisys 3D Blueprinting Approach) was created by Unisys to provide visibility within existing enterprise organizations into how proposed changes will affect their business operations. This is done by constructing one or more models (often called "blueprints" within 3D-VE) to represent various aspects of the organization, which will allow users to perform "what-if" type analysis to determine dependencies and side effects of various changes. These models are built using a collection of design and analysis tools, such as Rational Software, Proforma, and Cost Xpert, along with software internally developed by Unisys to interface these COTS software packages and provide additional modeling capabilities.

Within 3D-VE, an organization is partitioned into a series of layers:

* Layer 1: Executive Vision
* Layer 2: Business Process
* Layer 3: Software Applications
* Layer 4: Infrastructure

By modeling any one of these layers, the various components of that layer can be represented, along with relationships between other components. By modeling adjacent layers, the user is then able to determine the relationships between components of different layers. Once the relationships between components has been identified, the user is able to determine what components might be affected when any components are changed, namely those components that interface with the changed component(s).

3D-VE has been used to determine possible consequences of outsourcing portions of the organization, or replacing proprietary software components with open source components.

In July 2007, Unisys received a court ruling requiring that it discontinue the use of the name 3D Visible Enterprise. In response, Unisys now refers to this methodology as the "Unisys 3D Blueprinting Approach".

ee also

*Unisys
*Software Design Patterns
*Unified Modeling Language (UML)
*Rational Software
*Proforma
*Business model

External links

* [http://www.unisys.com/services/3d__blueprinting.htm Unisys 3D Blueprinting]
* [http://www.unisys.com/communications/solutions/3dve.htm Unisys' 3D-VE]
* [http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/asp/2006/0925out1.html?page=1 NetworkWorld article on Unisys and 3D-VE]
* [http://www.banktech.com/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=198700451 Bank Systems & Technology article on SOA and 3D-VE]