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links for 2009-07-03

  • One of the most challenging problems in managing large networks is the complexity of security administration. Role based access control (also called role based security), as formalized in 1992 by David Ferraiolo and Rick Kuhn (pdf), has become the predominant model for advanced access control because it reduces this cost. A variety of IT vendors, including IBM, Sybase, Secure Computing, and Siemens began developing products based on this model in 1994. In 2000, the Ferraiolo-Kuhn model was integrated with the framework of Sandhu et al. (pdf) to create a unified model for RBAC, published as the NIST RBAC model (Sandhu, Ferraiolo, and Kuhn, 2000 – pdf) and adopted as an ANSI/INCITS standard in 2004.

links for 2009-07-02

  • As alluring as the one-stop shopping strategy is, organizations must learn to just say "no". The reality is that no one has an entirely homogeneous environment. Oracle claims that Enterprise Manager supports end-to-end business process monitoring, but the concept breaks down if the process includes a .NET service or a third-party COTS application. A better solution is a management strategy that embraces diversity.

    Diversity in IT systems is a fact of life. The trend toward heterogeneity is only going to increase as organization

links for 2009-07-01

  • Anne-Thomas Manes extolls the virtues of WS-*;

    The single, most important feature that inspires my enthusiasm about WS-* is that it has universal support from all the major vendors.

    Ah, there we are; major vendors. What she’s basically saying here is that if you’re silly enough to have invited one of these vampires into your home, you’ll have the option of selecting other vampires to replace them at will, and that your vampire will be able to talk with your neighbors’ — when they’re not fighting weird, ritualistic vampire fights.

links for 2009-06-28

  • The purpose of this webinar is to demystify ESBs for HR IT stakeholders. Within large and medium-sized enterprises, it is common for HR systems to connect into the "enterprise service bus." However, HR IT typically is a relying party and doesn't always exercise control or influence over how ESB infrastructure is applied to HR integration scenarios. In many cases, there is no shortage of middleware or ESB infrastructure within the enterprise, but simply a lack of adequate attention given to the application of such technology to complex and rapidly evolving HR integration scenarios. While some HR integrations are quite pedestrian and well known, HR increasingly is a step ahead of other enterprise functions with regard to complex integration challenges such as interactions with enterprise portals and SaaS and "cloud-based" resources.

    The webinar will give HR system stakeholders a basic grounding in ESB concepts and an up-to-date look at the type of ESB offerings in the marketplace.

links for 2009-06-24

  • Government data is being put online to increase accountability, contribute valuable information about the world, and to enable government, the country, and the world to function more efficiently. All of these purposes are served by putting the information on the Web as Linked Data. Start with the "low-hanging fruit". Whatever else, the raw data should be made available as soon as possible. Preferably, it should be put up as Linked Data.
  • As the discussion of cloud computing continues, one thing that's sometimes being ignored is the continued importance of SOA. Cloud is the buzzword du jour, which means the gnat-like attention span of the industry has moved on. But without SOA, cloud computing doesn't make any sense; we're not moving to cloud computing so we can build silos in the sky. The goal is to combine the flexible middleware enabled by SOA with the flexible infrastructure enabled by cloud computing.

links for 2009-06-22

  • Over the next few years I am convinced that we will see standards developed that will shape the future of distribution for a wider array of travel products.

    Our role as travel technologists and industry insiders will be to encourage the development of these standards and to educate suppliers and vendors alike to embrace these standards.

    Unlike air, hotel, and car, we have the opportunity to shape the systems that develop around the standards rather than trying to build standards around systems that already exist. What a great opportunity this will be to shape the largest untapped segment of the travel marketplace.

SOA for HR IT

A primer-level presentation about Service Oriented Architecture for HR IT stakeholders.

links for 2009-06-20

  • Forget what you thought you knew about REST. In this talk, Ben Ramsey reintroduces REST, placing it under a microscope, uncovering each constraint that forms REST's crucial principles. Ramsey explains how REST is a style for network-based software applications, emphasizing scalability and efficiency through separation of concerns and taking advantage of the Web as a platform for rich Internet applications.
  • One alternative for commercial ESB could be a reliable, open source ESB. In the market, there are several open source products available that compete not only within the open source community but also with commercial ones. Mule ESB is one of the most prominent ESB products in the open source category and also claims to be the most used in the open source ESB product category.

    Mule is open source, well documented, tried and tested. It is vendor neutral and can be plugged into any number of vendor implementations. It comes with built-in support for lots of protocols such as HTTP, JMS, SOAP, SMTP and many more. With the robust architecture that Mule has, it supports seamless integration of applications of different natures.

  • There comes a point in most programmers careers where they make a startling realization. Computer programming has nothing to do with mathematics, and everything to do, ultimately, with language. It’s a sobering thought.

    What is the definition of things, or of thing? What is data and metadata, and meta-metadata, and is there a point where the abstraction ever ends? What are functions, not in the mathematical sense, but in the philosophical one? Can one ever describe a thing completely, or failing that, can one describe it adequately? How will we know when we’ve reached good enough? What exactly is the meaning of meaning?

    The Semantic Technology Conference has become the place for these dialogs, and there is no doubt in my mind that connections made in the hallways and dinner tables this week will be the catalyst for a profound surge in both new Semantic web companies and the rise of several existing ones that have toiled in the wilderness for years.

  • Within large and medium-sized enterprises, it is common for HR systems to connect into the "enterprise service bus." However, HR IT typically is a relying party and doesn't always exercise control or influence over how ESB infrastructure is applied to HR integration scenarios. In many cases, there is no shortage of middleware or ESB infrastructure within the enterprise, but simply a lack of adequate attention given to the application of such technology to complex and rapidly evolving HR integration scenarios. While some HR integrations are quite pedestrian and well known (HR systems ultimately tie into any enterprise application needing to know who is a current employee), HR increasingly is a step ahead of other enterprise functions with regard to complex integration challenges such as interactions with enterprise portals and SaaS and "cloud-based" resources.

links for 2009-06-19

Enterprise Service Buses: Demystifying ESBs for HR System Stakeholders

Join us for a Webinar on July 15
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
http://www.hrinterop.org/webinar/

The term “Enterprise Service Bus” continues to create confusion. This is in part because the term is used in a few different ways. “ESB” sometimes is used in describing an architectural approach towards enterprise integration relying on intermediary software to perform message brokering, routing, transformation and similar functions. At the same time, “ESB” also is applied to the broad and evolving category of middleware used in implementing ESB architectures. Adding to the confusion, the ESB category of middleware is so diverse that it defies “apples-to-apples” comparisons of ESB capabilities and features.

The purpose of this webinar is to demystify ESBs for HR IT stakeholders. Within large and medium-sized enterprises, it is common for HR systems to connect into the “enterprise service bus.” However, HR IT typically is a relying party and doesn’t always exercise control or influence over how ESB infrastructure is applied to HR integration scenarios. In many cases, there is no shortage of middleware or ESB infrastructure within the enterprise, but simply a lack of adequate attention given to the application of such technology to complex and rapidly evolving HR integration scenarios. While some HR integrations are quite pedestrian and well known (HR systems ultimately tie into any enterprise application needing to know who is a current employee), HR increasingly is a step ahead of other enterprise functions with regard to complex integration challenges such as interactions with enterprise portals and SaaS and “cloud-based” resources.

The webinar will give HR system stakeholders a basic grounding in ESB concepts and an up-to-date look at the type of ESB offerings in the marketplace. Attendees will gain knowledge of ESB concepts they can apply in discussions with corporate IT and in developing archtitectures supporting HR integration needs going forward.

About the Presenter

Larry Fulton is an experienced IT architect, a Former Forrester senior analyst, and leading expert in service-oriented architecture (SOA). Larry was the principal author of Forrester Wave(tm): Enterprise Service Buses, Q1 2009.

Larry spent 14 years at United Parcel Service, most recently as a principal enterprise architect, where he was involved in a broad range of application design, architecture, and infrastructure efforts. He piloted and chaired the company’s internal “Architecture Summit” forum and was instrumental in the development of its enterprise architecture program. Larry was a key evangelist and designer in the creation of much of the middleware and related infrastructure supporting the company’s package handling, tracking, and delivery.

Earlier in his career, Larry developed custom laboratory robotic systems and factory-floor monitoring applications at Hudson Controls Group, and was a systems integrator at Identification and Security Systems.

Larry has a B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in computer and systems engineering.

Register today!