Architecture Review Board (ARB)

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The Architecture Review Board (ARB) is a team of experienced IT professionals from Department of Technology and Information (DTI). They evaluate detailed designs, which are needed prior to building a new, or modifying existing, IT solution based on an approved DTI Business Case. They evaluate modifications to previously approved designs via a process called System Design Reviews. Finally, they evaluate conceptual designs as part of the State’s Approval to Sign a Contract process.

In short, most any change to the State network, interface(s), whitelisting IP addresses, firewall rules, etc. will require the creation and/or update to the ARB approved network diagrams.

If you have questions regarding the ARB, please contact your DTI Customer Engagement Specialist, agency/school district Information Security Officer (ISO)* and/or agency/school district Information Resource Manager (IRM).

When do I submit requests to the ARB?

Approval to Sign a Contract
When you need approval to sign a contract and/or a cloud T&Cs review to develop/implement an IT solution with an approved Business Case, you will need to submit Approval to Sign a Contract request in ServiceNow.
Detailed Design Review
A Detailed Design Review by the ARB is needed prior to building a new IT solution based on an approved Business Case. The project will need to submit a Detailed Design Review request for the ARB to review and approve the software and network/system design prior to the solution being built.
System Design Review
When ARB approval is needed for modifications to a previously approved design, a System Design Review request needs to be submitted in ServiceNow.

When is a waiver needed?

A waiver is needed whenever a statewide IT standard or Policy is violated.

When can I expect a response from the ARB?

The ARB meets every Tuesday to review requests that were submitted the prior week. Thus, it might take 3-7 business days, before you have a response. Some requests might require additional dialog before a decision can be made.

The DTI Business Case and DTI ARB processes are separate from — and in addition to — the timelines for DTI firewall submission, review, approval, and implementation.

As such, it is advised to work your agency/school district IT and/or DTI Customer Engagement Specialist at least 60-90 days in advance of when needed; as DTI and agencies/school district IT teams have competing priorities/demands.

ARB Templates

The State’s Architecture Review Board (ARB) developed the template linked below as a way of consistently collecting information about the solutions that the State is planning to deploy or use. This ARB template is often associated with the State’s business case review process that evaluates all IT projects in the State. Thus, State of Delaware organizations may require vendors to provide information in the ARB template format in RFPs or contractual processes. Below is a short description of the ARB template and a link to the template pdf.

Network Template – This template specifies the type of network information that the State is expecting to evaluate. The ARB Network Stencil has been created to assist in documenting the required details of objects on the ARB Network Template.

* Viewable on the State network only.