Most corporate systems are distributed systems, meaning they are made up of a number of different components that are not necessarily located in the same place. If you have a home computer system with a shared printer and Wi-Fi, you have a simple distributed system. If you have multiple computers physically connected together, you have a more complicated distributed system. Some companies and government agencies have hundreds, if not thousands of computers linked together which are massive distributed systems. The technology employee's use to access these computers is also part of the distributed system.

The establishment of technology standards for an organization is called the Enterprise Technical Architecture. This is a portion of the Enterprise Architecture. An Enterprise Architecture is a definition and standard for all aspects of an organization. Both private industry and government agencies have developed Enterprise Architectures which define the data, processes, organization, technology, product lifecycles and strategies of the organization. For an organization to be effective it must develop standards, particularly in technology so communication among departments is seamless, consistent, and efficient. By standardizing all aspects of the organization through the development of an Enterprise Architecture, organizations find it much easier to provide systems that meet the business needs effectively.

• Compare and contrast the meaning of enterprise architecture versus distributed system.
• Provide at least 1 example each of enterprise architecture and a distributed system.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of distributed systems in a business environment