Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
7.3
iA
2
technology Driers
Business need drives technology and technology may introduce risk. Wireless tech-
nology is an example. Business need for a mobile or a nontethered workforce drove
the introduction of wireless communication. Wireless communication provides
business benefits as well as introducing new risks. Hence, the need for secure wire-
less networks provides motivation behind IA activities. The following are additional
examples of technology drivers:
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Voice and data convergence (V over X, where X
∈
[IP, ATM, FR])
Laptops
PDAs
Cell phones
Universal serial bus (USB) devices, e.g., memory sticks
Service-oriented architecture (SOA)
Laptops provide the ability to carry applications and data outside organi-
zational facilities. Good for productivity, but high exposure for theft of the
laptop and, worse, theft of the data. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) offer simi-
lar mobile productivity, but with risk exposure to organizational information
(reports, finances, customer data, employee personal data). A cell phone offers
a great opportunity to finalize terms of the deal while on the golf course or at
lunch, and anyone in range gets to hear the details as well. USB memory sticks
are great for sneaker-netting large amounts of data and documents from one
PC to the next. They are also small and can transport large amounts of orga-
nizational information out the door inadvertently or otherwise. The following
sections elaborate on wireless networks and voice and data convergence as two
examples of IA technical drivers.
The following sections present principles behind technology as a driver for IA.
Specific technology drivers are dynamic by nature and even fleeting; today's tech-
nology drivers are tomorrow's techno-reliquary dust collectors. Specific technolo-
gies become outdated quickly; principles, however, survive the test of time.
You can use the IA
2
Framework views to consider technology drivers. The
people view examines who will use the technology. The policy view determines
directives for when the organization will use the technology. The business process
view examines where the organization will use the technology, as well as captures
what business functions will use the technology. The systems and applications
view examines the technology itself and its overall fit in the technical environ-
ment. The information/data view examines what the technology will accept as
inputs, what it will to the inputs, and what outputs it will produce. The IA
2
LoS
captures business need for the technology and the alignment from business need
through to operations. The line of sight details captures alignment of the technol-
ogy with the mission.
