Notes on data, AI, IT
and security
No marketing fog. The way I think about real problems with founders and managers.
Planning for 2013: cloud, data, and security can no longer be discussed separately
Any digital project today is simultaneously about architecture, data, and security. Why keeping those conversations apart costs more.
Near real-time: when a business actually needs streaming, and when 15 minutes is fine
Not every online analytics setup makes economic sense. A look at when streaming data is justified and when it is an expensive illusion of speed.
Amazon Redshift and the new economics of data warehousing
Cloud MPP storage changes not just the stack but the psychology of a pilot. Why the right question is no longer 'can we afford this' but 'where do we start'.
Flame and trust in updates: when the delivery channel becomes part of the attack
The Flame malware used forged Microsoft certificates to spread via Windows Update. Code signing and trusted software supply chains are now a management topic.
Apple Maps failed because of data quality, not because of maps
The Apple Maps launch is the best public lesson available on data sources, quality contracts, and the cost of ignoring user feedback loops.
SSO and identity federation: consolidate your accounts, do not multiply them
The more systems a company runs, the more expensive the chaos in user accounts becomes. How centralising authentication reduces both operational costs and attack surface.
Privacy by design for normal people: design for minimisation, not for excuses
Collecting data you do not need creates both a security risk and operational complexity. Why data minimisation is an engineering decision, not a legal one.
If the computer vision breakthrough holds, factories will see their own processes for the first time
A forward-looking take on how affordable cameras and machine vision will change quality inspection, warehousing, and operator interfaces on the factory floor.
After AlexNet: computer vision stops being an academic subject
How the ImageNet 2012 results change the conversation about computer vision in industrial quality control and safety.
A service catalog instead of 'just email IT': how internal IT maturity grows
Treating infrastructure and support as managed internal products is not about bureaucracy - it is about predictability.
Vendor lock-in: think about the exit before you enter the cloud
The benefit of PaaS has to be calculated alongside the cost of leaving - otherwise it is not a strategic decision, it is an expensive accident.
OT and IT convergence: what the industrial CIO needs to prepare for
Sensors, MES, ERP, and remote support are merging into a single risk perimeter - and most industrial IT directors are not ready for that yet.