Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
14.3.3
Increase in Decision-Making Complexity
Over the years, competition has grown from down the street, to across town, to
regional, to national, and now to global. As implications of a world market with
virtual Internet storefronts continue to emerge, decision-making factors grow expo-
nentially in volume, complexity, and contradiction. Organizations face conun-
drums, oxymorons, and paradoxes on a daily basis. Securing intellectual property
in the organization protects jobs and gross national product (GNP) in a cutthroat
world economy where any opportunity for competitive advantage is exploited. Cus-
tomer information, intellectual property, R&D data, finances, accounting transac-
tions, etc., are all online. An Internet connection implies a virtual doorway for the
world to walk through and look around the corporate information repositories.
As the Internet continues to provide ease of market entry for world competitors,
local economies will grow to depend on the success of these economic ventures.
Increased competitiveness will drive increasing sophistication of attack methods,
which will in turn drive the need for IA advances. Welcome to the new battle-
ground of cyberspace where virtual munitions have very real economic affects—IA
is here to stay.
14.3.4
Systems Dynamics
Consider the effects of the future on technology and information assurance ver-
sus effects of technology and information assurance on the future—what comes
first, the chicken or the egg? Enter systems thinking and the discipline of systems
dynamics and dynamic feedback loops, where causes produce effects that in turn
influence or become causes in complex arrays of recursive loops. Many factors go
into a systems dynamics model for predicting the future, including:
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Awareness factor—Any model may only reflect known constants and vari-
ables. Even allowing for a random, unexpected event includes bounds on
awareness with respect to the type of event, the time of occurrence, the dura-
tion, and impact.
Control factor—This is the organization's scope of control over inputs to
organizational operations; many inputs will happen and the organization has
no control.
Influence factor—Often a lack of control may not imply a lack of influence.
Probability looks at hard numbers from historical experience (empirical and
vicarious) or speculative future.
Response factor—In the absence of control or influence, prepare appropriate
contingent responses. An organization cannot stop a hurricane from hitting
its main operation facility, but it can control how it responds to a hurricane
hitting through continuity and contingency planning.
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