A large manufacturing enterprise has grown through several acquisitions, and each business unit selected its own middleware, database platforms, and integration tools. Executives now report that inter-unit data exchange requires costly custom connectors, upgrades are unpredictable, and integrating a newly acquired firm takes over a year. The CIO asks the risk practitioner what enterprise architecture (EA) practice would most directly reduce these recurring integration risks and costs going forward. Which recommendation should the risk practitioner make?