WALTHAM, Mass., April 20, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company achieved accreditation from The Open Group for its Raytheon Certified Architect Program (RCAP), an enterprisewide initiative designed to foster specialized expertise required to support customer mission success.

Raytheon is the fourth company in the world and first in its industry to receive this recognition from The Open Group, a vendor- and technology-neutral consortium focused on open standards and global interoperability within and between enterprises.

The Open Group's IT Architect Certification (ITAC) accreditation program assesses third-party IT and enterprise architect practices. It benchmarks internal processes, procedures, training, and certification criteria against rigorous industry standards, further validating the qualities and skills of the architecture professionals in that organization.

The Raytheon Certified Architect Program -- and now The Open Group accreditation -- further positions Raytheon's commitment to Mission System Integration. It formally recognizes the program and its ability to develop architects who can design, integrate and evolve the architectures of highly complex systems, systems of systems, and enterprises to achieve customers' mission and operational objectives through deployment of Raytheon's standards-based architecture process. The Raytheon Enterprise Architecture Process has also been acknowledged by The Open Group as a "Recognized Method" by meeting or exceeding all of its documented criteria for a comprehensive architecture methodology.

"Creating integrated systems that can share data seamlessly and quickly is a linchpin for government, military and commercial customers around the world," said William H. Swanson, Raytheon's Chairman and CEO. "Raytheon's business strategy requires this capability, and RCAP's accreditation shows the company's commitment to be a leader in providing this capability to our customers."

The Raytheon Certified Architect Program was launched in 2004 and includes requirements for architecture standards-based training, external architect certifications, leadership and communication skills, architecture practitioner experience, system life-cycle experience, mentoring, and contributions to the architecture discipline. In December 2008, Raytheon reached a milestone by surpassing its goal of 100 certified architects across the company.

With industry demand for qualified enterprise architects, there is a growing need to identify and develop experienced and qualified individuals to meet the baseline skills and experience that The Open Group has identified in its accreditation process.

"The Open Group congratulates Raytheon on this significant achievement," said Allen Brown, The Open Group's president and CEO. "By standardizing on The Open Group's globally recognized process for assuring the skills and experience of its enterprise architects, Raytheon is demonstrating commitment to its customers' success."

About The Open Group Accreditation Program

Establishing an experience and skill baseline and setting certification criteria for enterprise architects, The Open Group's enterprise architect accreditation program brings a number of benefits to customers, companies, government agencies, academic institutions, as well as individuals.

Organizations gain an industrywide benchmark for selecting qualified individuals to lead their critical programs and are able to verify their proven qualifications in The Open Group Directory of ITAC certified individuals. Companies with internal enterprise architect certification programs gain credibility and increased stature for their programs. Certified professionals get portable credentials and are able to choose the best of the available positions. Academic institutions are able to use the skills criteria for fine-tuning their curriculum focused on enterprise architecture. And finally, a recognized certification standard helps ensure further industry development and elevates the practice of enterprise architecture and the professionals who perform it.

Complete information about the program, including how to become an accredited partner, how to get certified, and the Directory of Certified Architects, can be found at http://www.opengroup.org/itac.

About The Open Group

The Open Group is a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, which drives the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow™ that will enable access to integrated information within and between enterprises based on open standards and global interoperability. The Open Group works with customers, suppliers, consortia and other standard bodies. Its role is to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, establish policies and share best practices; to facilitate interoperability, develop consensus, and evolve and integrate specifications and open source technologies; to offer a comprehensive set of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and to operate the industry's premier certification service. Further information on The Open Group can be found at http://www.opengroup.org.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

    Contact:
    Rashi Ratan
    703.284.4328

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/

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