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Enterprise architecture (EA) is the recognised place where the engineering practice of systems architecture meets real-world enterprise needs. The enterprise computer-based systems employed by organisations today can be extremely complex. These systems are essential for undertaking business and general operations in the modern environment, and yet the ability of organisations to control their evolution is questionable. The emerging practice of enterprise architecture seeks to control that complexity through the use of a holistic and top-down perspective. However, the methodologies and toolsets already in use are very much bottom-up by nature. An architecture-based approach is herein proposed; one that has at its base a complete and formal architectural description (or model). This allows enterprise architects, strategists, and designers to confidently model, predict, and control the emergent properties of their respective systems from an architectural point of view. The authors conclude that by using an approach founded upon an architectural model to analyse software and enterprise systems, architects can guide the design and evolution of architectures based on quantifiable nonfunctional requirements. Furthermore, hierarchical 3D visualisation provides a meaningful and intuitive means for conceiving and communicating complex architectures.