International Association of Software Architects Announces SunTrust Bank as Founding Corporate Partner for Training Program

The International Association of Software Architects (IASA) http://www.iasahome.org , a 6,000-member association focused on defining and supporting the professional duties of IT architects, today announced that SunTrust Bank has become the first Founding Corporate Partner of IASA’s training program.

As one of the first early adopters, SunTrust Bank will have full access for up to 50 concurrent users to the recently-introduced curriculum. Designed for practicing Infrastructure, Software and Business architects, the program ( http://www.IASAhome.org/web/training ) is modeled after the increasingly popular concept of an online university. The first iteration of an eventual 88 programs will be launched later in the first quarter of 2008.

The curriculum was developed by IASA’s Architecture Training Committee, and is based on learnings from stable professions such as medicine and law. The committee comprises IASA experts across a broad range of skills, and is guided by IASA founder and President Paul Preiss. As a Founding Sponsor, SunTrust will also have a seat on the committee, providing input into the creation and implementation of further courses beyond the 88 that will be introduced this year.

“We rely heavily on our IT team and recognize that architects play a key role in our IT strategy and growth,” said Norm Small, Professional Development Manager at SunTrust Bank. “In providing a source of objective training and career development through their well-structured curriculum, IASA has created an opportunity for organizations like ours to further invest in the development of our IT people. We are enthusiastic about this partnership and look forward to the benefits it will deliver for our staff and for SunTrust Bank.”

IASA founder and President Paul Preiss said, “Corporate sponsorships from leading organizations like SunTrust are symbiotic. Besides their own immediate benefit, their experience and insight will bring much value and credibility to the curriculum itself, as they help define and refine further courses. The SunTrust sponsorship is a vote of confidence, and we appreciate their involvement in this important aspect to career development of architects throughout industry.”

As the largest non-profit organization in the world that is dedicated to IT architects, IASA’s training program is designed for junior-level through advanced architects interested in advancing their own skills and learning new techniques, and is expected to appeal to training departments of large organizations that have been under-served.

The course work is technique- and skill-based, which means it will deliver practical value immediately to professional and aspiring architects. It is founded on the concept that if architects are specialized in areas of software, infrastructure and business architecture, then they must share a common skill set as well.

The courses range from $450-$550, with a full annual license for all courses around $15,000. Additional options are available for large enterprises that often need to train significant numbers of people. Further, IASA will provide accreditation for third-party training providers.

The program itself will be rolled out over the course of 2008 in iterations of 20-25 courses per quarter. Preiss said he expects the courses to be roughly 10-12 hours of seat time, and they will include multiple interactive components to help students visualize and practice the concepts. Students passing courses will be granted continuing education credits.

IASA is a vendor agnostic, non-profit association focused on defining and supporting the professional duties of IT architects.

About SunTrust

SunTrust Banks, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the nation’s largest banking organizations, serving a broad range of consumer, commercial, corporate and institutional clients. As of March 31, 2008, SunTrust had total assets of $179.0 billion and total deposits of $116.2 billion. The company operates an extensive branch and ATM network throughout the high-growth Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states and a full array of technology-based, 24-hour delivery channels. The company also serves customers in selected markets nationally. Its primary businesses include deposit, credit, trust and investment services. Through various subsidiaries the company provides mortgage banking, insurance, brokerage, investment management, equipment leasing and capital markets services. SunTrust’s Internet address is suntrust.com.

About IASA

The International Association of Software Architects is the premier association focused on the IT architecture profession through the advancement of best practices and education. Established in 2002, IASA delivers programs and services to IT architects of all levels around the world. A non-profit business association, IASA is dedicated to the advancement and sharing of issues related to software, infrastructure, and business architecture in the enterprise, product, education and government sectors.

The association is committed to improving the quality of the IT architecture industry by developing and delivering standards, education programs and developing accreditation programs and services that optimize the development of the architecture profession. IASA membership consists of approximately 6,000 members located in more than 40 countries.