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Member Newsletter
March 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:
CEO Corner with Allen Brown
Just before sitting down to write, I took a minute to look
at the progress of registrations for the Brussels conference.
What was I expecting to see? Well to be honest I was hoping
that we were at least on track with the rate of registrations
for our conferences in the US. Recent experience, not only
for us but also for other groups, has been that Europe is
a more difficult venue to attract attendees. Instead, what
I saw was that registrations are significantly ahead of where
previous conferences have been, some weeks before the event.
This is great.
So the next question is, what is it that has caused this to
happen?
Well the first thing is that we are running our second Architecture
Practitioners Conference (the first in Europe) in parallel
with the member meeting and that has generated a huge amount
of interest. As I said a few months ago, we have worked for
8 years to achieve ‘overnight success’. Enterprise
Architecture is a hot topic and The Open Group Architecture
Forum's Architecture Development Method (TOGAF ADM) is exactly
what is needed to guide people through every stage of the
process.
Secondly, there is significant interest in the theme of the
plenary, "Managing the Flow". This is especially
true of the issues around security: ensuring that the information
is secure at all times as it flows through the systems.
Thirdly, we are seeing interest in the concept of an Information-Centric
Forum. It seems that, especially from a customer perspective,
people are getting used to seeing new standards pop out with
great regularity but are struggling to see how they all fit
together. While consortia and standards groups are publishing
the latest standard for a piece of the technology puzzle,
customers are having to deal with increasing demands for integrating
information, automating business processes, enabling end-to-end
processes, accommodating on-the-fly configuration and enabling
teamwork out to the edge of the extended enterprise. And all
of this in a secure, reliable and timely manner.
It will be interesting to see how the consensus of opinion
falls as to the priorities. Some argue that we need to focus
on managing the flow from the start. Others argue that we
have to start with a focus on event based architectures because
of the legacy issues. It would be interesting to hear your
point of view.
The great thing about working with The Open Group is that
we have both the customer and the supplier perspective on
these issues and we are able to take very much a holistic
view. Also we have built a position of trust with many other
consortia and standards bodies: we are not trying to compete
with them but to work with them for mutual benefit.
It certainly was a good start to the day to see that the Brussels
conference is attracting even more interest than its predecessors.
During the course of the day, I heard that Dave Kearns - respected
and widely-read editor of the Network World Newsletter - gave
great coverage in this week's edition to the Identity Management
white paper that we published earlier this month. Congratulations
for a great job go to Skip Slone (Lockheed Martin), Ed Harrington
(EPH Associates), Bob Blakley (IBM Tivoli Software), Peter
Harris and Nick Mansfield (Shell International), Roger Mizumori
(Waterforest Consulting), Gavenraj Sodhi (Computer Associates),
Eliot Solomon (Eliot M. Solomon Consulting). The best part
is that some members are already using this white paper as
a reference document in their strategies for identity management
related requirements.
And since all good things come in threes, my day was complete
when I heard that Tanager Inc. from Cimmarron, Colorado has
joined the Architecture Forum today, welcome.
Top of Page
CIO Corner with Terry Blevins
I have been in this industry for 24 years, 21 of those years
with NCR. Though I’m now with a smaller organization,
I share some of the same decisions that large organizations
face when it comes to things like deciding to use Open Source.
I believe that the CIO community has a great stake in Open
Source, just as it has in off-shore development, outsourcing,
etc.
Open Source has great potential. We are confronted every day
with the option of considering new Open Source technologies,
but we need to progress with our eyes wide open. In this column
I hope to provide some pointers that you may find useful,
and help you understand how your strategy can incorporate
Open Source.
Open Source is not just Linux, it is about a lot of other
software spanning the entire spectrum of architecture. Open
Source is really about two things: software that adheres to
certain rules for distribution, and a development model. In
The Open Group we think of the development model as a “boundaryless”
development model, where you could have programmers from many
organizations working to develop a common code base. This
model brings a freedom to users as they can become part of
the development model, thereby breaking the dependency they
might have on a single software supplier.
The Open Source Initiative has the official description of
Open Source software. The essence is manifested in the license
agreements. The key attributes being that the code is readable,
redistributable, modifiable, and freely usable.
Some enthusiasts say that Open Source is a movement that cannot
be stopped. But it can be slowed if issues aren’t addressed.
It hasn’t been stopped because it has run under the
radar for many years, but attention is now focused on Open
Source. It will be scrutinized from various points of view
including legal, technical, business, and social-ethical.
When people start to look at and listen to the Open Source
debates it is easy to develop a perception that the community
is driven by many different battles between engineers and
everyone else. If it is or becomes reality it will ultimately
result in isolation that will do more harm than good. Then
Open Source will not be a tool in tomorrow’s toolbox.
However, other voices that represent the opposite point of
view present a rather different perception, one of cooperation,
one of added value. This more positive view demonstrates that
the community wishes to cooperate rather than battle. If this
perception becomes reality then Open Source can contribute
to our businesses tomorrow. I believe this is the more likely
outcome.
From a technical perspective - Standardization and application
interoperability.
We have all experienced the benefits of standards, RJ11, RJ45,
TCP/IP, http, UNIX®, SQL. Standards are important, but
we must consider how standards and Open Source play together.
Standards impact us all when we decide on using a software
package. We must understand that just because we have selected
Open Source it doesn’t necessarily mean we have chosen
a standard.
Business issues - Uncertainty of business
model.
I’m sure I don’t have to remind anyone we must
not be distracted by the statement that Open Source is free.
Even if all source code was free there are costs elsewhere,
which leads to the uncertainty of the business model for Open
Source. There is a positive business case for using Open Source
in specific places. And we know that business models are being
developed and adopted. But nothing is free! Exploiting Open
Source will cost people, time and money. As in any other business
decision, total cost of ownership (TCO) and measures such
as return on investment should be the guide.
Business issues - Requirements management.
Requirements for interoperation at the application level is
still an issue. There is more work to be done to ensure that
requirements for information exchange and document format
standards get addressed. Requirements management in the Open
Source development model must evolve to ensure that real customer
issues are addressed.
Legal issues - WYDSIWGY (What You Don’t
See Is What Gets You).
Now what about “What You Don’t See Is What Gets
You?” This issue is about understanding the fine print.
There are now over 50 approved Open Source licenses, and the
number is rising. All licenses do one thing: they guarantee
anyone, anywhere, for any purpose whatsoever, the right to
use the software, copy it, modify it, and distribute those
modifications free, or for a fee and the right to have the
source code that makes those things possible. However each
has its own emphasis, each says something about IPR and you
need to understand it. Those who intend to distribute software
have to exercise due diligence regarding the terms of the
license.
Social-ethical issues - Accountability
for failures, supportability and manageability.
Some distributors are taking up the other issues of accountability
for failures, supportability and manageability, so there is
hope in those arenas. There is likely to be more positive
change in these areas as distributors evolve and mature.
First, develop your policy and business case. To determine
how Open Source should be used and where Open Source would
be most useful to your organization you have to do some homework.
Don’t just assume that anything “Open Source”
would be useful. Assess the size of the development community
as you would assess the capabilities of a vendor company,
examine the market for multiple providers, compare the long-term
costs, and from this develop and execute a strategy that supports
a sound business case.
Your next tool is active involvement, and it is essential
to making Open Source what you need it to become. Your involvement
comes in many ways, starting with how you express your requirements.
Your desire for Open Source to support open standards. Your
involvement with other buyers in coming together and creating
a concerted voice on what is needed. Internally, developing
and executing your Open Source strategy is essential. Finally,
you need to assess how you will ensure that the Open Source
products are what they say they are and conform to open standards;
the best way is to demand certified product.
Defend yourself proactively. It is best to work out business
goals before choosing an Open Source license so that it’s
clear to what extent the company is obligated to share. It
might take some time, but if you are seriously considering
Open Source, make sure to seek legal counsel.
In conclusion:
Open Source does not make software free. We know that license
fees are a small part of software TCO.
Open Source does not obviate the need for open standards.
We need to get involved to ensure that Open Source is responsibly
addressing real needs. We still need an open environment and
an open consensus process for standards setting.
Open Source can make business sense for you, not necessarily
everywhere, but definitely in specific places.
http://www.opengroup.org/cio
Top of Page
Dawn
Meyerriecks Interview: Standards and Certification Are Critical
Dawn Meyerriecks, Principal Director for GIG Enterprise Services,
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), US Department of
Defense, recently spoke with The Open Group about the challenges
of the transition of defense systems to COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf
systems). Meyerriecks addressed DISA’s needs, emphasized
the need for standards, certification of conformance and validation
of business processes, and discussed a list of DISA’s
challenges to the industry.
When asked about how government can play in the fast-changing
commercial world, Meyerriecks replied “We want to have
standards applied to all important interfaces…we won’t
care as much who supplies the software, as long as they are
using the standards interfaces that we have defined.”
When pressed for what commercial vendors can do better, she
stated that “We have a list of areas where we would
like to see standards convergence in products…Sometimes
the process is not always efficient but it is effective. It
takes a while, where there has to be a buy-in, but we’ll
all win if we can end up collectively with better solutions.”
To see the entire list Dawn Meyerriecks provided and to read
the rest of the interview, please visit http://www.opengroup.org/comm/interviews/meyerriecks.htm
Top of Page
Conference Preview: Enterprise Architecture: Making IT Pay
This 2-day conference and series of workshops co-located with
The Open Group’s “Boundaryless Information Flow:
Managing The Flow” conference in Brussels from 19-23
April, is aimed specifically at Enterprise Architecture Practitioners
and those directly involved in the management and oversight
of Enterprise Architecture.
Today’s CEOs know that the effective management and
exploitation of Information Technology is the key to business
success. An Enterprise Architecture provides the strategic
context for the evolution of Information Technology within
the enterprise, in response to the constantly changing needs
of the business environment.
An effective Enterprise Architecture also enables managed
innovation within the enterprise, by enabling the right balance
to be achieved between IT efficiency and business innovation.
This event focuses on the use of enterprise architecture for
the effective creation of real business value. The overall
Conference structure will cover the following key topic areas
in the Enterprise Architecture space:
- Making the business case for Enterprise Architecture
- How to use Enterprise Architecture for effective IT outsourcing
- Value-based best practices at each stage of the EA process
- Understanding the core capabilities on which to focus
when introducing Enterprise Architecture
- How to set up an internal Enterprise Architecture practice
- Effective Architecture governance strategies
- Understanding how to integrate key technologies into Enterprise
Architecture
- Enterprise Architecture Frameworks in practice - understanding
what different frameworks have to offer, and how to use
the best of each
- Tools for Enterprise Architecture -- the capabilities
of existing tools for enterprise architecture, and innovative
approaches to tool interoperability
- Enterprise Architecture in specific vertical sectors:
Government, Commercial and Finance
Throughout the event there will be exhibitions from leading
architecture tools vendors, providing opportunities for hands-on,
1-on-1 discussions and demonstrations
To register for the Architecture Practitioners Conference, please
visit http://www.opengroup.org/events/q204/registration.htm
Top of Page
Conference Governing Board Elections – Update & Reminder
The election of the new Chair of the Governing Board, Alan
Doniger of POSC, and the Vice Chairs last month is not the
end of the process. The Open Group’s Governing Board
also has the following positions up for nomination and election:
- 3 seats for the Customer Council, with nominations already
in for Alan Doniger of POSC, Elaine Babcock of DISA, and
Bill Estrem of The University of St. Thomas.
- 1 seat for the Supplier Council, with nominations for
Steve Blackman of Wind River Systems, and Chris Greenslade
of Architecting-the-Enterprise Ltd.
Nominations close on April 30th, so please make sure to
nominate your candidate in time.
For more information on the election process or the structure
of The Open Group’s Governing Board, please see the Customer
Council brochure which is available from the Customer Council
Web page at http://www.opengroup.org/customer_council/fl_governance2.pdf
Top of Page
Recent Product Updates / Releases / New Collateral
**The Open Group released new test suite updates for UNIX
03 Certification
VSX4.6.2, VSX+NFS4.6.2, VSX5.2.5 for UNIX 03 Certification.
VSX4.6.2LT, VSX+NFS4.6.2LT, VSX5.2.5LT for UNIX 98 Certification.
These are the first set of test suites produced for this quarter’s
update to the Westwood test suite family. Additional test
suites will follow during the next few months.
An update to the VSX-PCTS2003-1.1, the test suite for the
core POSIX.1,2003 System Interfaces has also been made available.
This is one of the test suites used in the
POSIX Certified by IEEE and The Open Group program.
**A new Identity Management white paper has been published
by The Open Group’s Identity Management Work Area, a
joint effort of DIF, Messaging Forum, Mobile
Management Forum, and Security Forum. Among the concepts explored
are trust, authentication, provisioning, authorization, and
directories.
For more information, please refer to: http://www.opengroup.org/bookstore/w041.htm
Top of Page
Certification News
LSB Certification
News
The Open Group is pleased to announce that the following product
has been registered as conforming to the LSB Runtime Environment
for IA64 version 1.3 product standard
ThizLinux Laboratory Ltd. - ThizServer for IA64 7.0
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
The Open Group’s
Events
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/events
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
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.
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