Most enterprise architecture EA literature roots EA in business goals and strategies, and the rise of business architecture initiatives promises to finally close the gap in strategic business input for architecture planning. But the increasing focus on business architecture does not mean that EA is becoming more of a business function than an IT function. Rather, business architecture initiatives will enable enterprise architects to make EA a critical IT function that positions the CIO to become an important business partner to business executives. This session discusses how business architecture can improve IT’s value at any level of IT maturity and explores several case studies to show how business architecture helps to elevate EA to the most effective tool in the CIO’s toolbox.