"Unified Threat Management is a growing, competitive field, with more than a dozen vendors. The idea is to consolidate" ... "Think carefully about what functions and modules you want to consolidate, and how you will go about managing the appliances before you invest heavily in any solution" -- Universal Control, June 2007 issue of the Information Security Magazine

Would it be more socially responsible for industry to more carefully think of how complexity can be reduced for the consumer concurrent with providing the consumer with top value grade only products? Is competition the answer? I say yes and no respectively, as I see opportunity (mu) where mergers create such things as a more integrated global community of professionals (albeit containing the versatilist and specialist). In fact in general I believe it is time for more unification from many perspectives, although perhaps not to the point of having a universal control that controls your universe, e.g. Click ; ) but to a degree beyond that which exists today to further ensure costs are not only controlled for the consumer and industry but more so are replaced with greater levels of value-inherent, intrinsic and pervasive.

6 June 2007 

To explore inherent quality via a 123 slide detailed show email info@inherentquality.com. Included are several slides which give examples of why this is important. Some are scary, some are from positive perspectives. On the positive side, pros and everyday individuals are being empowered by software, technology and information. Easy to use tools are enabling them to create a voice. Through the net they are creating businesses, providing insight and inspiration, and helping to improve the value and quality of life. There are revolutions going on now from various perspectives; that quality in the present is more inherent and will continue in the future to become more so, is one. Many valuable events are taking place and valuable guides are being created (e.g. email Susan Fogarty, Editorial Director of TechTarget's Networking Media group, to let her know what you want to know as she and her staff are currently putting together a brand-new, in-depth network management guide). Great innovation is being brought forth. Quality, value, excellence and simplicity are progressively evolving upwards and inwards. This is already taking us to new levels that are out of this world. To share awareness of progress that is helping to evolve quality to be more inherent or occur more inherently email info@inherentquality.com. A few samples from the 123 slide detailed show are provided here for general awareness. Several of the slides actually fade in and out various images and text. Moving through all the slides can be done quickly. Really thinking about and acting upon all the slides will require additional time particularly as inherent quality is a passion for progressively identifying and achieving to be discovered higher and higher levels of innate quality, value, excellence and simplicity.

click the above image to request the 123 slide pps; when you review it, do so with an open mind

4 June 2007

InherentQuality.Com launched 22 May 2006. In the first 11 months hits exceeded 200,000. The site is presently funded by Ron Richard who is an acknowledged pre-release reviewer of ITILv3. Ron has also written a weblog series on CobiT (4.1 reflects some thoughts he has shared). InherentQuality.Com is representative of a portion of the volume of research, thoughts and writing behind the upcoming 100 page book, Inherent Quality Simplicity. In story fashion it will promote to pros and general public the existence of a positive quality movement and the need for continual progress with respect to evolving quality upward and inward. Site improvements are currently being considered. Hits for May 2007 exceeded 25,000. To date visitors have come from locations around the globe including: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Other (e.g. old style Arpanet), Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, US Commercial, US Educational, US Government, US Military, Viet Nam. Site inquiries can be directed to info@inherentquality.com.

31 May 2007

Today I revisited The Elegant Universe; I suggest others do the same (e.g. watch the entire mini-series while thinking from software, technology and information perspectives). In 2007 quality is more inherent and occurs more inherently than ever before. At the same time there still exists a tremendous opportunity for increased value, excellence and simplicity through the unification of bodies of knowledge, frameworks, associations, products, methods and so on. The consortium that spearheads further unification will make a tremendous positive contribution that will be of benefit to all. I will reiterate this within Inherent Quality Simplicity when it is completed prior to 2008. I will also include this prediction: the energy and progress produced by the talented individuals and teams who take quality upward and inward will result in valuable global change, improvement and unification by 2020 enabling us to see more value, with fewer pieces and with complexity and simplicity rolled more so inherently into one. Therefore I believe that unification globally, from many perspectives, will elevate quality towards its highest inherent form. In other words I believe this String Theory quote (presented about 5 minutes into Hour 1 Chapter 1 of the mini-series) can be applied to how the sciences associated with software, technology and information will ultimately progress, “so this idea that we should be aiming to unify our understanding is inherent essentially to the whole way in which this kind of science progresses” – Michael B. Green/University of Cambridge

30 May 2007 

It was great talking to you folks during INFORMATICS 2007. As a follow-up I pass along a tip. Thanks btw to Kerry Augustine for the tip he gave me on 26 May; “think of three points you want attendees at your session to have as a take away”. I applied his tip near the start of my session. The three points I told attendees I wanted them to walk away with were: 1) think of 2007 as the wow (e.g. a starting realization of the abundance of change that is helping to make quality more inherent or occur more inherently… and a starting realization that many issues remain along with an increasing number of opportunities); 2) think of 2008 as the whoa (e.g. time when thousands or more (pros and general public) need to slow-down to attend Summit IT 2008 in Ottawa during the CIPS 50th Anniversary and to in general contribute to brainstorming to enable tremendous improvement by perfect vision leap year 2020); 3) think of 2020 as the time for a huge celebration with IT awards broadcast live via web / satellite around and out of this world to showcase the many improvements since 2007.

Here’s the tip I now share with readers…

Those seeking to be SOX compliant should work to ensure compliance inherently. For example, have a strong BA (e.g. perhaps Blaine Bey) or a strong PM type (e.g. perhaps Norah Topping, BSc, MBA, ISP, PMP) meet with a special corporate task force (e.g. business stakeholders and a few talented developers) to walk through each SOX requirement and determine how compliance can be made easy and innately achieved. Related efforts may require implementations of tools or custom appliances; and regardless should include some virtual learning such as by reviewing a whitepaper noted in my INFORMATICS slides (available upon request to info@inherentquality.com, note when watching the slides, right-click, select slide 15, click to initiate the animation which launches additional points… ensuring SOX compliance inherently will be the first point you will see “download commissioned Forrester Consulting case study to learn how a company overcame SOX compliance challenges and: passed its internal and external SOX audits; implemented real-time alerting to enforce change controls for critical tables; automated the entire compliance reporting process (including sign-offs); implemented separation of duties by storing all audit information in an external, tamper-proof appliance” ... for your convenience here is a direct link to a case study about improved ROI, guardium.com/forrester ... and here is another produced May 2007).

To give others a sense of what my journey has been like, the INFORMATICS slides/activities were designed to take attendees on a fast-paced exploration where they would begin to discover various puzzle pieces, issues and opportunities in a similar but condensed fashion to what I have been going through. I knew it would be risky to take this approach. I probably should have kept to tradition (e.g. presented far fewer slides, each with an image or few words, and then moved into only a few workshop items allowing lots of time for each activity). Instead I intentionally attempted to move quickly through a multiple day workshop in an afternoon and to provide an abundance of information that attendees could review at their own pace once they obtained a copy of the presentation through inherentquality.com or CIPS/PDiT. I indicated the approach I would be taking at the start of the session. I was hoping anyone who decided to stay would be fine with the approach. Anyway, the slides are available in case you would like to review them or have them reviewed by someone. Please note one of the available files is a 2 minute pps which looped as attendees arrived. The other is the actual 123 slide session pps. For the latter if particular slides are clicked through too quickly particularly animation will be missed. A right-click will of course launch a menu (e.g. to pause or move to a particular slide).

BTW I did not attend the INFORMATICS arranged brewery tour Monday evening instead I opted to attend to some other items. Also I left INFORMATICS yesterday as a close Friend’s father had past away Sunday and I wanted to spend time with the family. I was going to stay another day but ended up returning home to take care of items of my own (e.g. sharing this update). BTW the noted friend I have known since I was 5 years old; he was the best man at my wedding, and I was the best man at his. His father in recent years was suffering with dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease. Once again I suggest many watch this brief presentation.

On a final note…

quality is not something laid on top, real quality exists when it is inherent and virtually invisible

The above words I faded in and out on the second slide of the INFORMATICS 123 slide pps. An example of these words is ‘having a passion for exploring all aspects inherently associated with ensuring quality, including exploring means for pushing the envelope by breaking from tradition as the world today and more so in the future requires sharp listening and reading skills and an open mind to solve puzzles and see things in a different way’. At the beginning of the session I had an attendee read something from page 20 of a magazine (here is a link to the magazine including instructions for scrolling through it). The paragraph read aloud was about a long but very important global warming presentation that attendees could throw spitballs at, but if their reading, listening and thinking skills were sharp, they would not. Fortunately there were several at my session who had sharp skills, I am sure they will get lots of value from the session when they download and review it at their own pace. This was my intent. My apologies to those in the room with whom I did not connect, they will eventually see that the life that is coming is already before us waiting to be opened up to the world. Globally IT consists of millions and impacts millions/billions more. Globally IT is largely unconnected islands. More so in the future IT will come together to be more so one and have many improvements of high purpose that are more so inherently for all, for every. Many individuals and things will contribute to this including this IQ mentioned within my slides and verbally during my session. A sea, sky and interconnected universe exist. In the future a growing interconnectedness will be a further enabler to improvements associated with software, technology and information. These improvements will be seen in many ways, including within people, processes and products/services. Look closely however to see the value-inherent, intrinsic and pervasive.

Already in today’s world you can virtually stay informed of many IT related activities even if you are on the opposite coast of a country (e.g. east to west) or anywhere in or out of this world. Already in today’s world you can have broadband access anywhere. You do not need to present in-person, or to attend in-person to have a voice or to stay informed. Virtual schools and opportunities to get or stay connected are increasingly available. This is good for all for every. It will enable more to contribute to high purposes such as perhaps even helping to save the planet or eliminate things like war and poverty.

Best Regards, Ron

PS if you missed the CIPS supplement in the newspaper, you can read it here; also while I do not plan on presenting at the CIPS 50^th in May 2008, I will be pleased to read that many came out to join the field and be part of the solution for making a better IT, and for IT making a better future for all for every.

18 May 2007

Here goes nothing. I am not sure which direction my writings will take and I have doubts anyone will care what I have to say, but I do know I will be back to freely share awareness and thoughts on some related internet discoveries. For example, I think the first minute of this video grabs attention and that the remaining minutes should have placed a nicer light over some very talented contributors to the on-going evolution of IT. As a second example, I think this brief show is powerful and that it is important that each of us try to do something that might potentially benefit our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. If each of us is thinking at least a few generations out, and from a perspective of making the world a better place overall, then just maybe we can help make the world a better place for all within the generations to come. When you leave this world, you will feel better for having done so. Hopefully you can see this now and will join in being part of something larger than yourself that is an evolving solution that advocates sharing, giving positive energy and inherently trying to help make the world progressively better.

Believe in a bright future for all. There are millions within the IT field. Each can contribute to making bright futures for others. There are millions more who are quickly becoming power users of software, technology and information. There is an IT skills shortage and opportunities to make IT better, and for a better IT to make things better for all throughout the world. This message then goes out to IT and more so to all presently outside the IT domain… from the perspective of inherent quality simplicity, join the field, be part of the solution.

There are remarkable revolutions going on now. Related results will be far reaching. As example they will: draw new comers to an exciting and fun career in IT; produce a new breed of IT professional that more so merges business and IT into one; elevate information (through means such as online communities) to more so be directed at the reader's interests and needs. As a further example, visit the Storage Research Library and download ‘The Clustered Storage Revolution: Defining the Paradigm Shift to Clustered Storage’. Posted 07 Nov 2006 the paper introduces the Isilon® IQ clustered storage solution as the first to deliver on the promises of a new paradigm shift. When you apply the wording and concepts to other aspects of the profession you will further get a sense that quality is and needs to continually evolve upward and inward. The Deliverables page of InherentQuality.Com will be updated following INFORMATICS 2007. The related auto-play slideshows will help you understand inherent quality further as too will the upcoming Inherent Quality Simplicity, and my periodic Sharing herein.

Thank you for reading, and for all you do to help make quality increasingly more inherent or occur more inherently.

Kind Regards, Ron

 This page was last updated June 27, 2007