In the context of Enterprise Architecture (EA), an application is a logical construct that serves as a crucial link between business strategy and IT infrastructure. Its fundamental purpose is to automate processes and deliver functionality that supports business capabilities (D). To perform its function, any application is inherently dependent on and relies on IT components (B) such as servers, databases, and operating systems for execution and data storage. These two characteristics define the application's role and dependencies within the layered EA framework.

A. Clear technical ownership: This is an essential governance attribute for managing an application effectively, but it is not an intrinsic characteristic of the application itself. An application can exist without clear ownership.

C. Provides hosting information: Hosting information is metadata describing an application's deployment instance (e.g., on-premise, cloud). It is an attribute about the application, not a fundamental characteristic of what it is.

1. SAP LeanIX Documentation: The LeanIX data model explicitly defines these relationships. The Application Fact Sheet is designed to be linked to Business Capabilities (via a "supports" relation) and to IT Components (via a "requires" relation)

illustrating these core characteristics.

Source: SAP LeanIX User Documentation

"Fact Sheet types"

Section on Application Fact Sheet relations.

2. The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) Standard

Version 10: The TOGAF standard

a foundational EA methodology

defines the Application Architecture domain as the bridge between Business and Technology Architectures. It describes applications as supporting business processes and being deployed on technology infrastructure.

Source: The TOGAF Standard

10th Edition

Part II: TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM)

Chapter 9: Phase C: Application Architecture. This chapter details how applications are defined to support business activity.

3. University Courseware - MIT Sloan School of Management: In established EA literature taught at institutions like MIT

applications are consistently positioned in a middle layer that serves the business layer and is supported by the technology layer.

Source: Weill

P.

& Ross

J. W. (2009). Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution. Harvard Business Review Press. Chapter 2

"The Foundation for Execution

" describes the core diagrams of EA

which visually represent applications supporting business processes and running on technology infrastructure.