Principles in Enterprise Architecture (1)

Information Technologies are fundamentally empirical, and Information Technology **Management** is even more so. In our professions it is challenging to speak of Principles, because of the ever-present drift towards immediate and reactive solutions. How many times have we heard a comparison of Enterprise Architecture with the "nice to have" or some remote "aspiration"? Sadly this … Continue reading Principles in Enterprise Architecture (1)

Enterprise Architecture and Identity Management

In the context of a very productive discussion with NHS England colleagues, I keep looking for good references and ideas to support Enterprise Architecture governance. The basic framework is clear, considering we have great materials to guide us like the TOGAF standard; but as we progress in the conversation, it becomes increasingly clear that some … Continue reading Enterprise Architecture and Identity Management

-9- Persistence of Techno-Centrism

Fundamental Conceptions Of Information As Applied to Identity Logistics – Chapter 9. © Carlos Trigoso 2012-2013 The Fundamental Conceptions In several places in this book I described the Four Security Perspectives, a model which guides my work in Security and Identity management. The fact there are four aspects may not be surprising for IT specialists, … Continue reading -9- Persistence of Techno-Centrism

-6- The Cloud Transforms the Network

Fundamental Conceptions Of Information As Applied to Identity Logistics – Chapter 6. © Carlos Trigoso 2012-2013Identity in the CloudThe rise of Cloud Computing in the recent past is history repeating itself. This is often the case in the technology markets, where old concepts reappear wrapped in funny names and marketing campaigns. In the case of … Continue reading -6- The Cloud Transforms the Network

-5- Identity Services and Programme Delivery

Fundamental Conceptions Of Information As Applied to Identity Logistics – Chapter 5. © Carlos Trigoso 2012-2013Surveying the Landscape of FailureThis is perhaps the most difficult chapter of this book, not because of the theories involved, and also not because it reveals conceptual problems in the Security disciplines (which we have covered to some extent), but … Continue reading -5- Identity Services and Programme Delivery

-4- The Context: Identity becomes Data

Fundamental Conceptions Of Information As Applied to Identity Logistics – Chapter 4. © Carlos Trigoso 2012-2013Data-Centric SecuritySecurity architects and practitioners need to develop an integrated data model that will enable end-to-end user management and access control. I proposed this approach in 2006 and advocated a data model that could become the basis for the next … Continue reading -4- The Context: Identity becomes Data

-3- Security and Information: Access Management

Fundamental Conceptions Of Information As Applied to Identity Logistics – Chapter 3. © Carlos Trigoso 2012-2013Dependency of Information SecurityIn our study of Information Security and Identity Management the most important idea should be “information,” not “security.” Security is the predicate of information: we say that information is “secure,” not that we practice some security “for” … Continue reading -3- Security and Information: Access Management

-2- Freeing Security from “Risk Avoidance”

Fundamental Conceptions Of Information As Applied to Identity Logistics – Chapter 2. © Carlos Trigoso 2012-2013A Key IssueA key issue for all organisations is the result or “value” gained from their investments.i This is especially relevant considering the large proportion of capital investments that go each year to information technologies.ii In the 1980s researchers found … Continue reading -2- Freeing Security from “Risk Avoidance”

-1- Security as a Problem

Fundamental Conceptions Of Information As Applied to Identity Logistics – Chapter 1. © Carlos Trigoso 2012-2013Approach to Security ManagementThis book brings together many years of work in the IT and Security industry in public and private organisations. My experience and research have revealed several interlinked problems that result in low quality and performance levels in … Continue reading -1- Security as a Problem

-7- Quantitative Identity Management

Fundamental Conceptions Of Information As Applied to Identity Logistics – Chapter 7. © Carlos Trigoso 2012-2013Information value and flowAs Identity becomes data with the global changes in Information Technology and organisational transformation, so the emphasis moves from Identity as a security item, to performing Identity data exchanges. It is a commonly accepted notion that information … Continue reading -7- Quantitative Identity Management

-10 – The Cloud Transition

Fundamental Conceptions Of Information As Applied to Identity Logistics – Chapter 10. © Carlos Trigoso 2012-201310.The Cloud TransitionSecurity Arguments are PhilosophicalHow moral is a technical dilemma? How technical can a moral argument be? Philosophical questions are rare in Security-focused debates unless people are trying to make a “political” point, i.e. a critical point about technical … Continue reading -10 – The Cloud Transition

The “Primary” Identity Management Taxonomy

Here is another small but hopefully relevant contribution to the Information Security and Identity Management professions. This time I present a root taxonomy, a set of definitions supporting our thinking. Here I suggest that, instead of using arbitrary "classifications" based on technologies. brands and marketing, we rely on clear categories arising from what we actually … Continue reading The “Primary” Identity Management Taxonomy

Reading “Identity and Capitalism” by Marie Moran (2) (v.02)

This is the second and final part of my comments after reading Marie Moran’s book “Identity and Capitalism” (2015). (v.2 small typos corrected) Before continuing it is necessary to emphasise that, precisely because the notion of Identity is contingent and historical, and because it has specific new content since the second half of the past … Continue reading Reading “Identity and Capitalism” by Marie Moran (2) (v.02)

Reading “Identity and Capitalism” by Marie Moran (1)

This book by Marie Moran (SAGE Publications, 2015), is a notable contribution to the study of "identity" under capitalism, but also a great foundation to consider how the economic, social and political contexts have been determining the business and technical aspects of "Identity Management." Marie Moran, a lecturer at the UCD School of Social Justice, … Continue reading Reading “Identity and Capitalism” by Marie Moran (1)

Kaleidoscope

He was still trying to understand his personal history, in particular the absurdities of his travels. Things like these happened to him without respite, underscoring the fragility of the world around his own brittle persona. One day he made a presentation at the Infrastructural Change Board of a now dead Banking Conglomerate. About the middle … Continue reading Kaleidoscope

Action and Prediction

Many managerial debates lose themselves into a vicious circle. People try to "predict" or "estimate" possible futures, while at the same time very little effort is put on determining the future. This is undoubtedly wrong. Independently of predicting or not predicting the "future" --for example the consequences of a particular public policy--what really matter is … Continue reading Action and Prediction

“Formulary for a New Urbanism” (Chtcheglov, 1953)

There are forms of imagining the future which have not been fully explored. This is one of them : " This new vision of time and space, which will be the theoreticalbasis of future constructions, is still imprecise and will remain so untilexperimentation with patterns of behavior has taken place in citiesspecifically established for this … Continue reading “Formulary for a New Urbanism” (Chtcheglov, 1953)

Time and Space – What the Historical Method is about

"The nature of things is nothing but their coming into being at certain times and in certain fashions. Whenever the time and fashion is thus and so, such and not otherwise are the things that come into being. The inseparable properties of things must be due to the mode or fashion in which they are … Continue reading Time and Space – What the Historical Method is about

Capitalism and Socialism are not ‘Systems’

  One of the problems we have in public discourse, but also in scientific, technological and academic debate, is a pervasive misuse of the word 'System'. This post presents a perspective where both Capitalism and its presumed opposite, Socialism, are not seem as 'systems' but as *results*, as *residues* of contingent historical processes. This shift … Continue reading Capitalism and Socialism are not ‘Systems’

‘Technology’ as Limit of Human Action

When thinking about technology it is inevitable to consider the “paths not taken,” the forms and technical arts which never were adopted or were abandoned and forgotten.  From the vantage point of our societies marked by drivers of 'efficiency’ and ‘value' it is also possible to consider technologies, and their success or demise, as being … Continue reading ‘Technology’ as Limit of Human Action

Storia delle Idee

Public discussion of human migration and the 'nation state' show a dogmatic belief in unilinear 'progress' (the idea of Progress) on every side of the debate. An argument can be made to address all positions which implicitly or explicitly adopt the ideologies of 'historical progress'. Belief in 'progress' implies an idea of historical continuity, of … Continue reading Storia delle Idee

Ideologies of Loss

This reflection has several steps, so the reasoning may be difficult to follow. There is no strict order though, but a confluence of facets or aspects of reality which ultimately configure the thesis presented. At each step, as happens with any discursive comprehension, a part of reality may make sense without reference to the rest … Continue reading Ideologies of Loss

La “izquierda” ya no sabe qué es un Estado

No pensaba escribir más sobre España porque lo esencial ya está dicho, y no por mí; pero acabo de encontrar una entrevista a Pablo Iglesias --el líder de la "neo-izquierda"- que ayuda a aclarar todavía más lo que está pasando. Y es que a todos los aspectos de la confusión ideológica que ahora reina en … Continue reading La “izquierda” ya no sabe qué es un Estado

The Modern State as Concrete Universal

Public debate becomes impossible in the Twilight of the State. Diverse political and ideological currents – critical of the failings of modern State--, directly demand the erasure of the separation of powers, the political utilization of justice and the privilege of politics over law. The functional separation of economy, religion, law, and politics not only … Continue reading The Modern State as Concrete Universal

The Techno-Centric "blind spot" and the Next Level of Intermediation

Too frequently  technology assumes either Identity is not a problem or Identity data issues won't be ever addressed by organisations. The #identity technology market is small, innovation is very limited too, and speaking of data control few companies really "get it." Very few vendors understand the difference between managing and auditing Identity data and controlling … Continue reading The Techno-Centric "blind spot" and the Next Level of Intermediation

Segmentation of the Risk Space and Adaptive Security

Identity Data concerns also change in the context of the new, evolving network models. When organisations move beyond the traditional "perimeter", and when authentication and authorisation mechanisms need to enable users moving in a fluid way reaching the resources they want, a new security "zoning" model is necessary. The common "enterprise" model with a single … Continue reading Segmentation of the Risk Space and Adaptive Security

Expanding the Frame of Risk and Trust Management

Many Identity Management efforts --including large programmes-- are severely limited by the way organisations perceive their requirements. Demand for change and technology upgrades drive the IAM projects while Security and Business benefits are left in the background or even ignored. It is evident that IAM is still seen primarily as a "technology" to improve user … Continue reading Expanding the Frame of Risk and Trust Management

Microeconomics of I&AM: Identity Management in three slides

If I were asked to summarise my views on Identity and Access Management --what it is and what it will be-- I would first point to the complexity involved in delivering I&AM programmes. This complexity is rooted in the normal (conventional) operations of business management of the IT support functions. Given that IT is largely … Continue reading Microeconomics of I&AM: Identity Management in three slides

Disappearance of Social Stabilising Factors

In Charles Muses' work “Destiny and Control in Human Systems” (pages 86-87) we can find a fine and concise diagnosis of current human societies. This text appears to be interpolated in the book, and somewhat separated from the argument, but it nevertheless is coherent with Muses' theory or the nature of evil. The author does … Continue reading Disappearance of Social Stabilising Factors

The Fundamental Stance

There is  a Fundamental Stance such that every person may guide her or his life and decision making in a coherent and complete way, a good way attuned to the Good. In the past, this function was aligned with religious doctrines and practices (in the sense of institutionalised Religion) in the West, later replaced by progressive-scientific … Continue reading The Fundamental Stance

Derek Cabrera’s principles and axioms of conceptual systems

Source: Derek Cabrera, "Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, Perspectives: The Simple Rules of Complex Conceptual Systems: A Universal Descriptive Grammar of Cognition" - Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Meeting of the ISSS - 2008, Madison, Wisconsin, International Society for the Systems Sciences (D) Making Distinctions – which consist of an identity and an other (S) Organizing Systems … Continue reading Derek Cabrera’s principles and axioms of conceptual systems

"A Quaternion of metaphors for the hermeneutics of life," by Richard Jung

The following 'seven theses' can be found in Richard Jung's "A quaternion of metaphors for the hermeneutics of life,” a paper presented at the International Conference of the Society for General Systems Research, Los Angeles, California, 1985.  "They are the metaphors ORGANISM, MACHINE, MIND, and TEMPLATE. I am calling them a QUATERNION, employing the term … Continue reading "A Quaternion of metaphors for the hermeneutics of life," by Richard Jung

Anti-philosophical metaphysics

If you stand in any gathering in the public or private, business or institutional world, and try to make a philosophical point, you will be in a minority. Most of the time a "minority of one" as the saying goes.  Managers and  bureaucrats surrounding you will either excuse themselves or simply ignore your point saying … Continue reading Anti-philosophical metaphysics

Remember Baudrillard

In what sense is the individual unique? Within the sphere of understanding or "reasonableness," in Western formulations the individual is not only unique but sacred. The individual is therefore “recognised” as unique, and worshiped for his or her uniqueness as an absolute value. The issue is, nevertheless –as anybody experienced in corporate life (public or … Continue reading Remember Baudrillard

Art and the artistic in a time of war

“Lo más terrible se aprende enseguida, Y lo hermoso nos cuesta la vida.” Sergio Rodríguez It is difficult to write about art at this time. It may also be strange for the reader who can see that I have never written about art before. Nevertheless, however extemporaneous it may seem, this is precisely the moment … Continue reading Art and the artistic in a time of war

On Fiske’s Elementary Forms of Sociality (2)

The reader may know the work of Charles B. Handy, a British organisation theorist who summarised his knowledge in the books "Understanding Organisations" and "The Gods of Management." Handy's theories were frequently quoted in academic and business management publications, as they gave a compact way of describing the various possible "styles" of organisational management. The … Continue reading On Fiske’s Elementary Forms of Sociality (2)

Un Largo Adiós

"Un Largo Adiós" (The Long Goodbye) es el título de una novela  de Raymond Chandler de 1953,  convertida en película por Robert Altman en 1973. La encarnación del detective Philip Marlowe por Elliot Gould fue muy buena. Hoy Un Largo Adiós es solamente un título excelente, que podría ser otro, para un adiós no muy … Continue reading Un Largo Adiós

On Fiske’s Elementary Forms of Sociality (1)

In “The Self-Organizing Social Mind,” (MIT, 2010) John Bolender presents an interesting but slanted account of Alan P.Fiske’s Relational Model of sociality, as well as a theory of how these models might be explained. The essence of Bolender’s explanation is the notion of “symmetry breaking” as applied to forms of sociality. But, going away from … Continue reading On Fiske’s Elementary Forms of Sociality (1)

A.R. Jiménez on the Quadrature

In “La Libertad en la Filosofía de la Cuadratura de Heidegger,” Alejandro Rojas Jiménez continues his analysis of the Quadrature as follows: “Empezaré por exponer el sentido simbólico de los Mortales como los que son capaces de la muerte como muerte. El sentido fundamental de esta definición es que sólo él vive ante la presencia … Continue reading A.R. Jiménez on the Quadrature

The Quadrature : Le Quadriparti – La Cuadratura

The Quadrature has been formulated and discovered or re-discovered many times in history. A book might be written to explain how and when the Quadrature is forgotten or recedes into the background. Perhaps the least understood formulation is that of Martin Heidegger. As M. Robitaille notes, following the studies by Jean-Francois Mattéi, Heideger´s “quadrature” (Geviert … Continue reading The Quadrature : Le Quadriparti – La Cuadratura

Wittgenstein: “Thought is Surrounded by a Halo”

The Quadrature is the “halo” described here by Ludwig Wittgenstein: “Thought is surrounded by a halo. Its essence, logic, presents an order, in fact the a priori order of the world: that is, the order of possibilities. which must be common to both world and thought. But this order, it seems, must be utterly simple. … Continue reading Wittgenstein: “Thought is Surrounded by a Halo”

Richard Jung: “Surfaces Of Systems”

The work of R. Jung, especially the paper quoted below, shows the key turn we should take to re-define systems theory. This would be positive for Science in general, and certainly for all specialties dealing with social and technical systems. The conventional view criticised by Jung –one centred around mechanical metaphors—must be overcome. The key … Continue reading Richard Jung: “Surfaces Of Systems”

The Fourfold Thoughts Of Being

If we don’t think and speak Being, then we think and speak in oppositions and remain in oppositions. Our action then is self-defeating, banal and incomplete. Now, human thinking and speech necessarily blossoms and opens up as a series of differentiations, each one presenting us with a fragment of of the world. The basic differentiations … Continue reading The Fourfold Thoughts Of Being