Corporate information security can be challenging due to the numerous avenues that an attacker can traverse. All companies need methods to secure the hardware, software, and communication channels of mobile systems, internal networks, email traffic, and so on. Before developing a method, managers should engage technical and nontechnical staff to answer the following question: “How do we store, process, and transmit data in a secure manner?” As we explore in this Executive Update, to answer this question effectively, you’ll need a teamwork process in place that engages many people who are not thought of as security experts. 

Rather than having a team of testers manually testing the code for defects, invest in writing good auto­mated tests that can validate that each feature works as expected. When this happens, testers won’t scramble to keep up with developers, and developers won’t be waiting on testers.

This Executive Update offers an overview of potential vulnerabilities in your apps and websites that handle location, along with some ideas of what you can do to fix, prevent, or otherwise manage these vulnerabilities.

Cloud is on everyone’s mind. If you are in the throes of cloud procurement — facing challenges around cost reduction, centralized billing, and agility — then buying indirect offers significant advantages. The objectives of unlocking lower pricing to reduce costs and negotiating suitable procurement terms to improve agility are best achieved by buying cloud indirectly. It is the role of cloud brokers, resellers, and distributors to help customers get the best deal. To negotiate preferred terms as an enterprise cloud buyer, consider buying through an IT distributor or reseller. As we explore in this Executive Update, it is time to start buying cloud as an organization, not as an individual. That means taking a long-term view of how you continually monitor, optimize, and manage the procurement of cloud infrastructure.

In Part II of this two-part Executive Update series, we examine the trends, developments, and considerations pertaining to the adoption of self-service business intelligence (BI) environments. 

Pair programming is not about taking turns at the computer. It’s about bringing two minds to bear on a single problem. If you hired a moving company and only one guy showed up, how would he manage to get that king-size mattress on the truck? We wouldn’t hesitate to call moving a king-size mattress a “two-person job.” There are intellectual problems that are just as unwieldy as trying to move a giant mattress alone — and, as we explore in this Executive Update, pair programming can help.

Here in Part III of this three-part Executive Update series, we investigate current techniques and best practices for managing IT project portfolios and strive to create a solid bridge between corporate strategy and IT investments. ITPM is one of the critical tools available to an EA practice to better ensure IT alignment with business strategy.

This Executive Update explores the mechanics behind various decision-making models and examines the boundaries and use cases for each. It discusses the qualitative value that experience or intuition can add to data-driven quantitative analysis, thereby providing the best approach to decision making. It is an attempt to ­understand the science of the art of decision making.

In this Executive Update, we explore methods for creating actionable intelligence from time series–based sensor data in order to solve specific business problems.

Most enterprise architects have heard of the Zachman Framework. Indeed, many know that John Zachman first developed his eponymous framework in the 1980s and are familiar with its iconic graphic. Still, it truly astonishes me that some architects know very little about Zachman, or his framework. Upon doing my research for this Executive Update, I was amazed to learn that there really isn’t a good summary of the contributions that Zachman’s work has made to enterprise architecture (EA).

So … here is my attempt to record the importance of the Zachman Framework.

In this Executive Update, we discuss why IT professionals must become more T-shaped, what it means to be more T-shaped, and how mid-career technology professionals need to continue to grow in their career in order to thrive in this rapidly changing world. We will also discuss how an executive understanding of this concept can be incorporated into business today to drive greater flexibility and value in the future.

The nature and complexities of crises in the financial market is gradually increasing, posing significant challenges, especially for large multinational banks, in managing risks and negotiating through a crisis successfully. Moreover, financial institutions must comply with strict regulations around risk management laid down by global financial regulators. Architects must harness various new technologies, such as big data, to help them build a next-generation architecture that complies with their enterprise’s business, IT, and external regulator needs. This Executive Update draws from my experience in developing, implementing, and governing the enterprise architecture for risk management for a large British multinational bank by leveraging big data technology.

During the first two quarters of 2016, Cutter Consortium conducted a survey that focused on the methods, tools, and techniques surrounding business adoption of disruptive technologies. We collected data across multiple industries and countries, but primarily from the US. There were just about as many business professionals as technology professionals who responded to the survey. The purpose of the survey was to understand how companies identify, pilot, and deploy specific emerging or disruptive technologies. 

A good mental model of your ideal organization is that of a well-designed system: one that is efficient, responsive, and serves its purpose well. An organization is a system comprising staff and technology. Good systems design is about balance. This Executive Update, Part II of a two-part series on Agile management, discusses balance in relation to collaboration and empowerment.

EA, as a formalized practice, is less than 20 years old. As with any profession or practice, there are many definitions, perspectives, and schools of thought surrounding EA. Here in Part II of this three-part series, we address a shared goal among enterprise architects to evolve the practice from a fragmented, often poorly understood field to a “real profession,” on par with well-established professions such as accounting and engineering.

This Executive Update provides a high-level description of EA, what it can do for an organization, and how EA can (and should) play a critical role in alignment efforts. We present insight into what enterprise architects do, what kinds of skills they need, and what results and benefits an organization should expect from their EA efforts.

Predefined source or reference frameworks such as TOGAF, Zachman Framework, IFW, or DoDAF are all very different. We need a simple way to first identify the factors that we need from each framework, and then combine them to create several relevant checklists or frameworks. This tool is the EA metaframework. This Executive Update provides an explanation of the different types of architecture frameworks, describes the role of the metaframework, and shows how architects can use it to create multiple integrated practical frameworks.

This Executive Update explores the impact of the IoT on traditional business and technology architectures and the role of EA as an effective methodology for developing and implementing IoT strategies. We examine business architecture and how it integrates IoT-driven processes with traditional processes. 

In this Executive Update, Part I of a two-part series, we examine cloud-based data warehousing and platform as a service (PaaS) offerings designed to support data management for analytical applications. Part II will cover the trends, developments, and considerations pertaining to the adoption of self-service business intelligence (BI) environments.

In this Executive Update, I recommend some books that I have found most inspiring in my life as an enterprise architect. It is a very personal list. It comprises the books that have had the most profound influence on my enterprise architecture (EA) ideas and practice. 

Part I in this two-part Executive Update series covered the use of cognitive systems in banking and finance in three application domains: (1) research and discovery; (2) business intelligence (BI), advisory, and decision support; and (3) risk assessment, compliance, and fraud prevention. This Update expands on the topic and examines the use of cognitive technologies in banking and finance for enhancing customer service and customer experience management.

This Executive Update, Part I in a series of three, explores (and debunks) the traditional notions of business/IT alignment and offers a more pragmatic approach to keeping IT in sync with business objectives through business capabilities. It also considers the critical role that enterprise architecture (EA) can play in this process.

This Executive Update focuses on how the Internet of Things and blockchains are at the front of a broad shift toward decentralization that involves moving computing power and information ownership to the edge, while bringing more control to consumers and end devices. As such, the onus for leading this shift lies on the user communities and influential consumers (e.g., large businesses, federal governments, city councils) rather than the ven­dors themselves. Realizing this technology shift is going to be as challenging as the opportunity it presents. The economic potential can be tapped gainfully only if the barriers are addressed holistically by all relevant stakeholders. The tipping point for mass adoption will be reached when the availability of common standards and ubiquitous communication infrastructure enables a compelling value proposition for consumers and viable business models for technology providers.

Agile has been “officially” around for more than 15 years; at its start, the purpose was to overhaul software delivery practices. Today, Agile is being executed in a completely different world — a world filled with disruption, where more organizations are greatly affected by external factors that they can’t control. As we explore in this Executive Update, rethinking Agile transformation starts with building a community that mimics how social systems work. You will need experience (and expertise) with Agile, but you don’t necessarily need a VP of Agile for that. You need to create an army of Agile champions who will spread the change virally.

Business architecture is proving itself to be a critical discipline for bridging the gap between strategy and execution. Whether encouraged by the increasing speed that the discipline is growing globally or their own firsthand experiences with its value, organizations are continuing to invest in establishing internal business architecture practices. However, many do not realize the full potential of what business architecture can achieve for an organization when fully matured. In fact, many do not have a clear vision of what “fully mature” even means. This Executive Update will paint a picture of what a mature business architecture practice looks like, summarize the achieved value as a result, and provide a practical perspective on how to get there.

It’s time to regain control of your organization’s cloud buying strategy. The coming of age of on-demand cloud computing has led to a surge in the adoption of infrastructure as a service (IaaS) because both the benefits and economics of cloud computing are so compelling. However, the haphazard way we buy cloud resources creates a new issue around trying to manage cost without compromising on newfound business agility.