Historically, Federal agencies have managed IT investments autonomously. Until the new millennium, there has been little incentive for agencies to partner to effectively reuse IT investments, share IT knowledge, and explore joint solutions. AStarting in the second half of thew 1990 a collective, government-wide effort, supported by the Federal CIO Council, utilizing the [[Federal Enterprise Architecture]] (FEA), has been undertaken in an effort to yield significant improvements in the management and reuse of IT investments, while improving services to citizens, and facilitating business relationships internally and externally. The FEA is a business-based framework that provides the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Federal agencies a way to monitor, analyze, and control Federal IT investments.<ref>FDIC (2003). ''[http://www.iriboffice.ir/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=up56ppcNQ4M%3D&tabid=246&mid=634 Information Technology Strategic Plan 2004–2007]''</ref>
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) first realized the value of EAEnterprise Architecture in 1997, when two business executives had to reconcile data that had come from different systems for a high-profile report to the banking industry. The FDIC's first EA blueprint was published in December 2002.<ref>Gregg Kreizman, Cathleen E. Blanton (2005) "[http://www.aea-dc.org/resources/2006-7-12-Gail-Verley-FDIC-EA-Business-Alignment-Gartner.pdf The FDIC Is Aligning IT to Business Through Enterprise Architecture]" Gartner, Inc.</ref>
In 2004 the FDIC received a 2004 Enterprise Architecture Excellence Award from the [[John Zachman|Zachman Institute for Framework Advancement]] (ZIFA) for its initiative to manage corporate data collaboratively. [[John Zachman]], an expert on enterprise architecture, founded ZIFA, a network of information professionals supporting enterprise architecture's role in helping organizations operate from a corporate perspective.<ref>[http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2004/pr13104.html FDIC Receives Technology Award]</ref>
