10.2 Technical Reference Model (TRM) & Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model (III-RM)
Key Takeaways
- In the TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition the TRM and III-RM are published as TOGAF Series Guides in the TOGAF Library, not as Fundamental Content; they were Part VI of TOGAF 9.2.
- Neither reference model appears in the OGEA-101 Foundation exam plan, whose six areas are Concepts, Introduction to the ADM, ADM Techniques, Applying the ADM, Architecture Governance, and Architecture Content.
- The TRM is a Foundation Architecture model structured as Application Software, Application Platform Interface, Application Platform, Communications Infrastructure Interface, and Communications Infrastructure.
- The TRM Application Platform taxonomy defines twelve service categories, plus a separate taxonomy of service qualities covering availability, assurance, usability, and adaptability.
- The III-RM is a Common Systems Architecture model designed to support Boundaryless Information Flow by combining business applications, infrastructure applications, and integration infrastructure.
10.2 Technical Reference Model (TRM) & Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model (III-RM)
Reference models play a fundamental role within the Enterprise Continuum. By providing pre-built, standardized architectural taxonomies and structures, reference models prevent enterprise architects from re-inventing basic technical patterns. Two reference models are long associated with TOGAF:
- The Technical Reference Model (TRM): A Foundation Architecture model that defines a generic platform and infrastructure service taxonomy.
- The Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model (III-RM): A Common Systems Architecture model focused on integration infrastructure and Boundaryless Information Flow.
Where these sit in the 10th Edition — read this before you revise. In TOGAF 9.2 the TRM and III-RM were normative content, published as Part VI ("TOGAF Reference Models") of the standard. The 10th Edition moved them out of the Fundamental Content: they are now published as TOGAF Series Guides in the TOGAF Library, examples of reference-library material rather than core framework components. Two practical consequences follow:
- They are not on the OGEA-101 Foundation syllabus. The Part 1 exam plan covers Concepts, Introduction to the ADM, ADM Techniques, Applying the ADM, Architecture Governance, and Architecture Content — there is no reference-models area, unlike the TOGAF 9 Level 1 syllabus which had a dedicated TOGAF Reference Models learning unit. If you are sitting OGEA-101, treat this section as useful background, not examinable material.
- They remain genuinely useful. The TRM is still the taxonomy most Phase D technology-standards catalogs are built from, and the standard's Enterprise Metamodel still cites "the TOGAF TRM" as an example taxonomy for categorizing Technology Services. Read this section for the practice, and for context if you hold or encounter a TOGAF 9 qualification.
The Technical Reference Model (TRM)
The Technical Reference Model (TRM) is a baseline model for Application Platform Services and infrastructure. Located at the Foundation Architecture level of the Enterprise Continuum, the TRM provides a vendor-neutral taxonomy and architectural framework that helps enterprise architects structure their Technology Architecture (Phase D) and evaluate technical platform choices.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| TECHNICAL REFERENCE MODEL (TRM) |
| |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | APPLICATION SOFTWARE | |
| | Business Applications | Infrastructure Applications | |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
| APPLICATION PLATFORM INTERFACE (API) |
| v |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | APPLICATION PLATFORM | |
| | Software Eng. | Data Mgmt | Graphics | User Interface | OS | Security | Network | |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
| COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE INTERFACE |
| v |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE | |
| | Hardware, Local & Wide Area Networks, Transmission Media, Switching Equipment | |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Core Structural Components of the TRM
The TRM is organized into five structural elements:
- Application Software: High-level applications that perform useful work for the user or enterprise. Divided into:
- Business Applications: Tailored applications that support specific operational processes (e.g., payroll, billing, inventory management).
- Infrastructure Applications: Generic utility applications that provide enterprise-wide services (e.g., email clients, web browsers, document management systems).
- Application Platform Interface (API): The defined interface layer between Application Software and the Application Platform. It ensures application portability and interoperability by abstracting lower-level operating system and hardware specifics.
- Application Platform: The set of technology services that support application execution, data storage, user interaction, security, and networking.
- Communications Infrastructure Interface: The standardized interface between the Application Platform and physical network/hardware elements.
- Communications Infrastructure: The underlying hardware, network cabling, routers, switches, optical networks, and transmission protocols that connect computing nodes.
Application Platform Service Categories
The core of the TRM is the Application Platform, whose detailed taxonomy defines twelve service categories. Counting them wrongly is the classic TRM mistake — the four most frequently dropped are marked below:
| # | Service Category | Representative Services |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data Interchange Services † | Document/graphics exchange formats, specialized data interchange between applications and the external environment. |
| 2 | Data Management Services | Database management systems (DBMS), data dictionary services, object stores, query and report generation. |
| 3 | Graphics and Imaging Services | Graphical object management, drawing services, imaging functions. |
| 4 | International Operation Services † | Character sets and data representation, cultural conventions, local language support. |
| 5 | Location and Directory Services † | Directory services, special-purpose naming, service location, registration, filtering. |
| 6 | Network Services | High-level network protocols, client/server communication, distributed data and file services. |
| 7 | Operating System Services | Kernel operations, command interpreter and utilities, batch processing, file and directory synchronization. |
| 8 | Software Engineering Services | Languages, compilers, runtime environments, CASE tools, libraries. |
| 9 | Transaction Processing Services † | Transaction managers, two-phase commit, transaction monitoring. |
| 10 | User Interface Services | Graphical client/server, display objects, window management, print, computer-based training. |
| 11 | Security Services | Identification and authentication, access control, non-repudiation, encryption, audit trail. |
| 12 | System and Network Management Services | Configuration, performance, availability, fault, security, print, backup and restore, licence management. |
† Data Interchange, International Operation, Location and Directory, and Transaction Processing are the categories most often omitted from summaries of the TRM. If your notes list only eight categories, they are incomplete.
Alongside the service categories, the TRM defines a taxonomy of service qualities — Availability (manageability, serviceability, performance, reliability, recoverability, locatability), Assurance (security, integrity, credibility), Usability, and Adaptability — that apply across every component rather than to a single service.
The Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model (III-RM)
While the TRM focuses on fundamental platform infrastructure, the Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model (III-RM) addresses a higher-level business challenge: enabling Boundaryless Information Flow.
What is Boundaryless Information Flow?
Definition: Boundaryless Information Flow is a human-centric concept coined by The Open Group. It refers to an enterprise state where information can flow seamlessly, securely, and transparently to the right people, at the right time, in the right context, across organizational boundaries and disparate systems.
In many enterprises, information is trapped within departmental "silos" (e.g., Finance, Sales, Supply Chain) running on incompatible legacy platforms. The III-RM provides a Common Systems Architecture model to break down these silos through an integrated application and information fabric.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| III-RM: BOUNDARYLESS INFORMATION FLOW |
| |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | BUSINESS APPLICATIONS | |
| | (CRM, Supply Chain Management, ERP, Financial Analytics) | |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| ^ |
| | Interoperates Via |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | INFRASTRUCTURE APPLICATIONS | |
| | Enterprise Portals | Content Management | Business Intelligence / Analytics | |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| ^ |
| | Powered By |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | INTEGRATION INFRASTRUCTURE | |
| | Integration Mgmt | Communication Infra | Data Interchange | Data Mgmt | Brokerage | |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| ^ |
| | Supported By |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
| | BASE APPLICATION PLATFORM & COMMUNICATIONS | |
| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Core Components of the III-RM
The III-RM expands upon the upper layers of the TRM, emphasizing three main structural areas:
- Business Applications: Operational line-of-business applications (e.g., ERP, CRM) that produce and consume business data across the enterprise.
- Infrastructure Applications: Shared enterprise-wide utility applications that enable information access, synthesis, and management. Core categories include:
- Enterprise Portals: Unified user interfaces presenting personal and role-based views of enterprise information.
- Content Management: Digital asset repositories, document stores, and workflow systems.
- Business Intelligence & Analytics: Reporting engines, data warehouses, and decision-support systems.
- Integration Infrastructure: The technical backbone that enables heterogeneous applications to communicate and share data smoothly. Key integration components include:
- Integration Management: Workflow orchestration, business process management (BPM), and process routing engines.
- Communication Infrastructure: Reliable messaging platforms, pub/sub queues, and service buses.
- Data Interchange Services: Data transformation, XML/JSON schema translation, and protocol bridging.
- Data Management Services: Distributed data access, enterprise search, and master data management (MDM).
- Brokerage Services: Service registry, API gateways, and dynamic service discovery.
TRM vs. III-RM Comparison
Understanding when and why to apply each reference model is essential for architectural practice and exam success:
| Architectural Attribute | Technical Reference Model (TRM) | Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model (III-RM) |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Continuum Level | Foundation Architecture | Common Systems Architecture |
| Primary Architectural Objective | Infrastructure baseline, platform service taxonomy, application portability | Boundaryless Information Flow, application integration, enterprise data accessibility |
| Focus Layer | Application Platform services & Communications Infrastructure | Integration Infrastructure & Infrastructure Applications |
| Key Concern Addressed | Portability, vendor independence, technical service standardization | Enterprise silos, data fragmentation, cross-functional collaboration |
| Typical ADM Usage | Phase D (Technology Architecture) | Phase C (Information Systems Architecture - Application & Data) |
What is the primary role of Application Platform Interfaces (APIs) in the TOGAF Technical Reference Model (TRM)?
Which concept does the Integrated Information Infrastructure Reference Model (III-RM) specifically target?
At which level of the Enterprise Continuum are the TRM and III-RM located?
A candidate revising for the OGEA-101 TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Foundation exam has budgeted a full study session for the TRM and III-RM. What is the correct advice?