|
Member Newsletter
April 2004
Welcome to a new edition of The Open Group Member Newsletter!
We hope it will be a valuable resource for our members, and
a tool as useful as The Open Group website.
Please let us know if there is anything you would like to
see in this newsletter, or on our website, by contacting us
at memnews@opengroup.org.
We look forward to hearing your feedback.
In This Issue:
CIO Corner with Terry Blevins
Enterprise Architecture: Return on Investment
What is a decision worth? Just think about it for a second.
Do you put a price on decisions? I believe you do, even if
it’s not the way you think. We judge decisions - the
decision to buy a used car vs. a new car is likely to be judged
as a “bad” decision if the used car breaks down
and costs a ton of money to fix. A decision to build a solution
based on an open component may be judged as “good”
if the component provides competitive advantage through flexibility
down the road. In both cases an element of the future is required
to judge a decision.
This concept is consistent with the view of Gartner Group’s
analyst Jorge Lopez that enterprise architecture should not
be evaluated based on Return on Investment, but rather based
on Return on Assets. In the article "Return on Enterprise
Architecture: Measure It in Asset Productivity Companies"
Mr. Lopez points out the need to look to the future when he
describes that the effects of enterprise architecture "may
not be readily apparent for perhaps another five years."
He further argues that ROI misses the point in assessing the
value of investments in enterprise architecture. Return on
Assets is a strategic alternative."
I agree with this viewpoint, and add that enterprise architecture
itself shouldn't have a measurable ROI, just like an enterprise
architecture doesn't deliver system performance or deliver
reliable data securely and on time. Enterprise architecture
is a means to an end and the end is about the assets within
the enterprise that deliver measurable value. What enterprise
architecture does is help you make decisions that are designed
to improve the productivity of your business through the effective
and efficient use of information technology. When you focus
on Return on Assets, it helps you focus on the right things
for your enterprise architecture effort.
We should not just think about servers, applications, and
networks as assets, we need to think about other areas to
fully realize business benefit. Return on information assets
is an area that deserves your attention; after all servers,
networks, and other IT components are merely there to process
information or pass information around. Information is the
real asset for which you should seek a return. This should
drive an enterprise architecture to guide decisions so that
information quality improves, information redundancy is optimized,
information repurposing is standardized, and information is
managed as a core asset of the enterprise.
Taking the above viewpoints also helps you choose the right
enterprise architecture tools. Selecting an enterprise architecture
tool that focuses on technology without the context of business
processes, business productivity, and business value is a
“bad” decision. An enterprise architecture tool
that doesn't explicitly address information as an asset should
also be suspect. The Open Group's TOGAF Architecture Development
Method is one such tool that helps you create enterprise architectures
that improve your Return on Assets.
OK - so if you want some numbers: One of our case studies
says it all: "the strategies embodied in the architecture
lead to enormous savings, not in measured terms of hundreds
or thousands, but rather millions of dollars." According
to a report from Corporate Executive Board Research, John
Hancock realized a US$6.25 million savings on redundancies
discovered through enterprise architecture. Dow realized US$300
million in new revenue as a result of implementing new projects
identified by the enterprise architecture work. And Key Corporation
realized 20% reduction in application maintenance resulting
in a 1st year savings of US$7 million.
Enterprise architecture will provide you and your organization
with a return, just make sure that your first decision is
to do it, and the next is to do it with the right tool. Email
t.blevins@opengroup.org
http://www.opengroup.org/cio
Top of Page
Allen Brown featured in Financial-i discussing Boundaryless Information Flow™
In its last issue, Financial-i, a quarterly financial services
publication, featured an article by The Open Group’s
President and CEO, Allen Brown, on eliminating boundaries
in the financial industry and moving the concept of Boundaryless
Information FlowTM into the mainstream of finance.
In the article, Brown stresses that “Barriers at the
business and technical levels must be broken down,”
and continues by describing the importance of utilizing open
architectures to create “truly seamless solutions”
throughout the financial industry.
Assessing the current state of technology in the industry,
specifically the impact of legacy systems and trying to integrate
information across organizations, Brown notes, “What
were once regarded as necessary boundaries between the different
stages in operational processes designed to achieve the benefits
of specialization, now represent silos delivering outmoded
solutions.“
In conclusion, Brown states, “But this should not be
a deterrent. No one solution is perfect and all encompassing.
We just need to set the right expectations…and work
together to identify and develop the right set of standards.”
To read the full article, please visit http://www.opengroup.org/downloads/Boundaryless_Organisation.pdf
Top of Page
The Open Group Announces WAP 2.0 Certification Program
The Open Group recently announced the development of a certification
program for clients and servers that meets the WAP 2.0 specifications
published by the Open Mobile Alliance™. Clients include
mobile telephone handsets, mobile data clients without voice
capability, and software products that provide WAP browsing
capabilities to mobile data clients such as wireless enabled
PDAs.
“WAP certification has gained wide acceptance in the
industry because it provides reliable assurance of interoperability
of WAP applications and devices and gives confidence to mobile
network operators,” said Allen Brown, President and
CEO of The Open Group.
The Open Group’s program has a flexible start and 90-day
duration to enable clients to conduct thorough testing without
significantly extending time-to-market, and help provide customers
with the necessary assurance of compliance.
To read more, please visit http://www.opengroup.org/comm/press/24mar04.htm
Top of Page
The Open Group Launches Linux® COE Platform Certification
Responding to the DISA decision to transition DII COE certification
to the industry, The Open Group launched the COE Linux Platform
certification program. Based on the DISA’s Cross Platform
Compliance criteria for Linux systems, the program offers
assurance that conforming systems provide services to COE
applications software through conforming APIs, and meet a
set of interoperability, data interchange and security requirements.
To read more, please visit: http://opengroup.org/comm/press/09apr04.htm
Top of Page
The Open Group Helps Define the Future of the Lottery Industry
The March issue of Lottery Insights, the monthly publication
of NASPL (North American Association of State and Provincial
Lotteries), prominently features the NASPL Standards Initiative
(NSI) and the progress made over the past 16 months. The Open
Group provides collaborative development infrastructure for
the initiative, manages the collaborative process, and facilitates
the creation of best practices, technical standards and associated
certification programs.
The NSI, facilitated by The Open Group, is currently working
on two Best Practice and two Technical Standards, and on other
Retail Council activities.
To read the full article, please visit http://www.opengroup.org/comm/press/articles/lottery-insights.pdf
Top of Page
InterComms features Allen Brown’s article on Open Source in the Enterprise
In its last issue, InterComms, a policy, strategy and reference
journal for the global communications industry, featured Allen
Brown's article on Open Source in the Enterprise. Allen puts
Open Source in the context of CIOs challenges and looks at
what Open Source is, a tool of Boundaryless Information FlowTM.
He emphasizes that in order to maximize the value of Open
Source, it needs to conform to standards.
To read the full article, please visit: http://www.intercomms.net/FEB04/content/theopengroup.php
Top of Page
Spotlight on Recent Publications: Identity Management White Paper
In March The Open Group published an Identity Management white
paper. The white paper explores key concepts of identity management,
including trust, authentication, provisioning, authorization,
and directories, places them within their business, personal
and technical perspectives, and proposes a set of steps to
be taken by The Open Group to serve as a change agent.
To download the document, please visit: http://www.opengroup.org/bookstore/w041.htm
Top of Page
The Open Group to Present at Digital Identity Management Summit 2004
The Digital Identity Management Summit 2004, July 12-15, 2004
at the Marriott Regent's Park in London is the first European
event to assemble all the parties responsible for managing
the privacy, integrity and security of personal and device-based
digital identity information. Enabling user-friendly and safe
identity-based access to multiple systems for consumers, corporations
and the public sector has never been more technologically
challenging or politically important.
The head of The Open Group’s Directory Interoperability
Forum, Dr. Christopher Harding, will present “Effective
Directory Architectures and Standards for Enterprise Identity
Management” as part of the Technology Platforms Standard
stream.
IIR's European IdM Summit will be the first event to bring
together all the involved parties that need to talk to each
other to respond to the challenges of Identity Management.
To register, please visit http://www.iir-conferences.com/idman
Top of Page
The Open Group to Present at Inbox 2004
Catch Mike Lambert and Dean Richardson from The Open Group's
Messaging Forum at the Inbox conference in San Jose, CA, June
2-4, 2004. The conference focuses on challenges and opportunities
of email.
Use the following code for a $100 discount on conference registration:
IBOGM04
To register, please visit: http://www.inboxevent.com
Top of Page
Conference Preview: Boundaryless Information Flow™: Managing The Flow
The Open Group’s “Boundaryless Information Flow™:
Managing the Flow” conference is taking place at the
Brussels Hilton Hotel, April 19-23. Enabling secure, reliable,
and timely access to the right information, unlocking the
information, and overcoming the boundaries within and between
organizations has become the overriding requirement for customers
of IT products and services. The Open Group’s vision
of Boundaryless Information Flow is a vendor and technology-neutral
way of describing what today's business IT environment needs
in order to deliver.
As organizations everywhere strive to do more with less, it
is important to be aware of best practices, what others are
doing, their experiences so far, and what is coming in the
near future. This conference will help you gain valuable information
from customers, vendors, and analysts to help you better manage
the flow in your organization.
What will delegates learn?
- What enterprises are doing to get information to flow
systematically where it is needed
- What security issues arise when boundaries become permeable
- What organizations are doing to tackle these security
issues
- What suppliers are providing to help achieve Boundaryless
Information Flow
- How standards and standard methodologies support this
transition
For more information, please visit http://www.opengroup.org/brussels2004
and also http://www.opengroup.org/conference-live
Top of Page
Governing Board Elections – Reminder
Just a reminder that The Open Group’s Governing Board
has the following positions up for nomination and election:
- 3 seats for the Customer Council
- 1 seat for the Supplier Council
Nominations close on April 30th, so please make sure to
nominate your candidate in time.
For more information on nominations or the entire structure
of The Open Group’s Governing Board, please see the
Customer Council brochure, brochure is available from the
Customer Council Web page at http://www.opengroup.org/customer_council/fl_governance2.pdf
Top of Page
Certification News
SIF Certification News
The Open Group is pleased to announce that the following product
has been registered as conforming to the SIF-enabled Application
Product Standard 1.1:
Cybersoft Technologies - Cybersoft Primero 1.x with Cybersoft
Primero SIF Agent 1.1
To view all current SIF certifications and Conformance Statements,
please see the SIFCertification Register at: http://www.opengroup.org/sif/cert/register.html
For more information on the SIF compliance program, please
refer to: http://www.opengroup.org/sif/cert
LSB Certification News
First LSB Internationalized Runtime Environment Registration
We are pleased to announce that Red Hat, Inc has registered
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 on IA32 as conforming to the LSB
Internationalized Runtime Environment Version 1.3 product
standard.
To see the Conformance Statement please refer to the latest
official list of LSB registered products at http://www.opengroup.org/lsb/cert/register.html
and click on the CSQ icon for the product.
For more information on the Free Standards Group Certification
program, please refer to http://www.freestandards.org/certification/
Top of Page
Industry Events Calendar
Events of The Open Group:
Boundaryless Information Flow: Managing
the Flow
April 19-23, 2004
Brussels, Belgium
http://www.opengroup.org/brussels2004
Boundaryless Information Flow: Enterprise Information Management
July 19-23, 2004
Boston, USA
http://www.opengroup.org/boston2004
Boundaryless Information Flow: Securing
the Extended Enterprise
October 18-21, 2004
New Orleans, USA
http://www.opengroup.org/events
Boundaryless Information Flow: Identity,
Access and Trust
January 24-28, 2005
San Francisco, USA
http://www.opengroup.org/events
Other Industry Events
Enterprise Messaging Decisions
May 4-6, 2004
Chicago, USA
http://enterprisemessagingdecisions.techtarget.com/
5th National Information Security Conference
(NISC5)
May 19-21, 2004
St Andrews, Scotland
http://www.nisc.org.uk/
Global EAI Summit
Enterprise Application Integration
May 24-28, 2004
Banff (Alberta), Canada
http://www.globaleaisummit.com
Inbox conference
June 2-4, 2004
San Jose, CA
http://www.inboxevent.com
- Code for a $100 discount on conference registration: IBOGM04.
Digital Identity Management Summit
2004
July 12-15, 2004
Marriott Regent's Park, London, UK
http://www.iir-conferences.com/idman
Final Thoughts…
Please let us know if there are other subjects you would like
to see covered in this newsletter, if you have any comments
on any story or article in the newsletter, or to send letters
to the editor for possible publication in the future. You
can contacts us at memnews@opengroup.org.
We look forward to hearing from you, and will see you next
month.
|
|
|
