Modalities of Identity and ‘Personas’ (2)

The issues described in my previous article call for a comprehensive solution combining Enterprise and Solution Architecture, but also organisational changes at the level of IT and Architecture Governance. Any experienced professional I am sure will agree that the problems faced by Identity Management are not due to the lack of technical expertise, but to … Continue reading Modalities of Identity and ‘Personas’ (2)

Modalities of Identity and ‘Personas’ (1)

Introduction: A catalogue of User Journeys “putting the person first” in Identity Management strategy and solutions- Updates on the NHS England Technology Forum and Lab Over a year has passed since my last article here, a delay due to wide-ranging organisational changes and relative uncertainty in the NHS and its context. As a consequence of … Continue reading Modalities of Identity and ‘Personas’ (1)

‘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

The Traveler and the Gardener

A story told by Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi, 369 BC-286 BC): A traveler sees a gardener irrigating a plot of vegetables using a bucket; the traveler advises the gardener to use a machine that will do this work for him. The gardener says: "I have heard from my teacher that those who have cunning implements are cunning in their dealings, and … Continue reading The Traveler and the Gardener

Mirage of “Technology”

There is no Security consulting intervention that does not require organisational transformation. It is not only unsatisfactory, but definitely damaging to think otherwise. Security problems appear precisely then when the technology pretends to "automate" processes and safeguards that never existed or are weak in the organisation. Nevertheless the mirage of technology is still presented as … Continue reading Mirage of “Technology”

Managing, calculating and missing the point

  In Heidegger’s Postscript to “What is Metaphysics?” (1943) we find a foundational critique of calculative politics (and by extension any praxeology--including business management). The highlights are mine – CT: “All calculation lets what is countable be resolved into something counted that can then be used for subsequent counting. Calculation refuses to let anything appear … Continue reading Managing, calculating and missing the point

Missing Third Parties in IT Operations

I believe that a discussion of “third party risk” is useful in the context of privacy and security in electronic commerce and social media. To fully understand the debate, it is good to look into the current ideas about “third party risk” in so far as these appear in the Security practice. IT manuals usually … Continue reading Missing Third Parties in IT Operations