Page 1 | 6 Towards a Virtual Enterprise Architecture (VEA) for the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) Sirag-Eldin Elnour NUZUM Al-Madinah International University, Shah Alam, Malaysia cto@mediu.edu.my Mohd Fadzil Hassan Computer Information Science Department, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Perak, Malaysia mfadzil_hassan@petronas.com.my Jafreezal Bin Jaafar Computer Information Science Department, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Perak, Malaysia jafreez@petronas.com.my Abstract— Major Engineering Biasness Management (EBM) initiatives that start with an inaccurate understanding of the business are commonly running behind schedule or getting over budget. VEA leads stakeholders within HEIs to save tedious weeks of prior analysis and results in a least confusion by developing and driving an integrated knowledgebase repository to bring disparate strategic planning functions together under a common framework and methodology. This industrial based research begins with executive objectives, identifies important terminologies, and shows how Virtual Enterprise Architecture (VEA) turns HEI’s strategy into solutions and delivers quantifiable bottom-line results. Keywords- enterprise architecture, virtual enterprise, virtual university ecosystem I. INTRODUCTION Recent surveys have found that CxO level stakeholders require cost, quality and change concerns to be addressed by models of VEA so that a better insight would result in both governance and management for factors that, individually or collectively would influence a Virtual HEI. (1), (9)-(15). Different classifications for an Enterprise Architecture Configuration has been identified as: Off-Line, On-Line, Integrated or Agile Enterprise. Moving up the semantic ladder; further terminologies like: Informated, Communicated, Mobile and Electronic Enterprise were also devised in the ongoing efforts to identify a business framework for the Governance and Management of an EŶterprises hardǁare IŶfrastruĐture, softǁare Solutions and/or Business Processes. Nevertheless, the concept of a Virtual Enterprise was recently promoted as the top of the breed for such an E-Enterprise. Along the way, transforming an enterprise in a real life constraint from a one class to a higher configuration such as the total virtuality is not a simple process because there are many factors to be considered in such an industrial based project. This is also the reason that many large enterprises are so reluctant to adapt those new paradigms, as they consume lot of resources for planning, analysis, and implementation. To enhance operations, value management and alignment within an agile virtual HEI, this study aims to enable a more proactive and transformative pedagogy via the design and evolution of an Enterprise Architecture (EA). This research and its related industrial work are intended for, a real implementation to be delivered within a consortium of allied universities to achieve a positive outcome in three different tiers: Management, Change and Improvement.