Category Archives: Enterprise Architecture

Feb
17
2015

An iPad Tale

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Several years ago, in my role as an Enterprise Architect, we began to see a demand from various business components to leverage use of the growing popularity of Apple’s iPad in another example of consumer driven IT.  At the same time, Apple started to introduce the iPad2 making the iPad1 available at a discount.  Additionally, leveraging an additional discount for a refurbished model, I acquired an iPad1.

And so began my discovery of iPad technology.  I used the iPad as a note taking platform during several conferences and discovered some of the quirks of the Apple IOS operating system.  Unlike Windows and even the Android platforms, IOS does not have a visible file structure!  I did not realize this until I was at a conference taking notes with the iPad note application…a full day’s notes were instantly vaporized with some keystroke sequence I accidentally activated. Up until that time, I was sending the notes back home via e-mail (apparently the only way to preserve them) at the end of the day…lesson learned, do it hourly! (I believe you can also deposit the contents in Dropbox, but I’m not a big user of this service).

As I learned more about the iPad technology I configured it with various news applications as well as the solitaire application.  It served me well as a browser to catch up with the morning news, to pass the time.  At some point, my e-mail settings got lost and while I was able to read my e-mails, I could not send any…not much of a loss for my use.

As time goes on, Apple upgraded the IOS operating system from v5 to versions 7 and 8.  However, the iPad1 was limited to version 5.x.  As Apple introduced newer versions of the iPad and other IOS devices, applications began to leverage new capabilities of IOS especially v7.x.  Applications on the iPad1 gradually became obsolete and could no longer be upgraded.  Also, applications often crashed the operating system, especially with embedded content using pictures…in essence, my iPad1 was doing its equivalent to a “blue screen of death.”

Wanting to keep somewhat current with iPad-like technology, I sought out newer options.  First off, it had to run IOS v7 or v8.  I didn’t need all the latest features, and I wanted to manage the cost.  Apple had introduced the iPad Mini and currently has 3 generations of such.  I looked at both the iPad Mini 3 and the iPad Mini 2.  I found the screen size acceptible and the high resolution of the screen (“retina”) was nice.  I didn’t need the regular sized iPad (9″) and the smaller Mini was workable for my needs.  I settled on the iPad Mini 2, searched for refurbished or sale and found a good price at a local Microcenter computer store.

IOS hasn’t changed in some functionality limitations I’ve seen before – no visible file system.  But the smaller sized iPad Mini 2 was easy to carry, held its battery charge reasonably well, my applications ported over easy.  Additionally I was able to set up the e-mail accounts, so my reading e-mails was maintained…but in addition, I figured out how to sent e-mails although the iPad is not my primary approach to sending e-mails.

As with my previous iPad1 note taking, the ability to take notes with some formatting – like bullets – is not possible; one must use various manual characters to simulate bullets (such as a “*”), then e-mail the content, then copy into a more suitable word processor.

Pros:

  • Small size…can sometimes fit in a big pants pocked.
  • Cloud file storage available … Apple cloud and applications for Microsoft One Drive.
  • Screen resolution really good.
  • Application ecosystem very good…some nice utilities not readily available in other ecosystems.
  • Suitable for a consumption device

Cons:

  • IOS continues to frustrate with no file visibility
  • Cannot see local network attached storage/file systems
  • Pictures from the camera have to be e-mailed vice just moved to storage (I believe it can be moved to Apple’s cloud, but it cannot be moved to One Drive; I shun having to have a Microsoft Cloud,  Apple Cloud, Dropbox, Box, and an Android Cloud to use the various operating systems and features)
  • Printing on home-bound printers not easy (I haven’t mastered it yet…not sure it is possible)
  • Not really suitable for anything other than a consumption device; limited note-taking is possible.

Overall rating for the iPad Mini 2 — 1 out of 5 stars.

 

Note: Any names/trademarks used are NOT an endorsement of those items...but are provided for reference only and are owned by their owner.

Jun
28
2013

Windows Server 2012 R2 – PREVIEW

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I’m working on a project that requires a small server for a small business/home office.  Potentially Windows Home Server 2011 (based on Windows Server 2008) would suffice, but that product is no longer in production.  Microsoft recommends Windows Server 2012 ESSENTIALS as a (more expensive) replacement.

I downloaded an evaluation version from the Microsoft web site, good for 180 days.  I tried the evaluation of 2012 of what I thought was ESSENTIALS but it turned out to be the STANDARD version of 2012 and not the ESSENTIALS version.  Both are based on the same platform, but ESSENTIALS have a much friendlier front-end…more suited for the Small Office, non-IT department, organizational model (home use too).

BUT…with Windows 8.1 public preview available, I downloaded the Server 2012 R2 preview.  Its installation was smooth, and it had a specific feature for installing ESSENTIALS.  Bravo Microsoft.

I revisited the Microsoft website and made sure my initial download was ESSENTIALS…it wasn’t.  I downloaded the 2012 ESSENTIALS trial software, installed it and found the great similarity with the 2012 ESSENTIALS R2 Preview.

For now, it is onward with my evaluation.  At first blush, ESSENTIALS may be well suited for the Home Office/Small Business server needs.

ED

UPDATE: 09 July 2013 – The preview server software seems to be holding up as stable, however I have yet to master installing applications on the server for use by any connected workstation.  As typical with Windows Home Server, and Server 2012 Essentials, a “Connector” software needs to be installed on the workstation.  In general this is OK, but in 2012 ESSENTIALS R2 Preview, the CONNECTOR installation does NOT NOT appear in the Programs and Features…and thus CANNOT BE REMOVED!  In fact it takes over the workstation sign-in process forcing general use of Network login vice local workstation login although that is still possible.  (Instructions on Microsoft web sites say the connector can be removed via Programs and Features, but that was not possible on the R2 preview…a fluke or “new feature”?

Mar
28
2013

RSA Conference 2013

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Cyber security was the theme of this year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco 26-28 February.   Of particular note, were numerous presentations and products that concern the growing scale of tools  needed to combat today’s cyber attacks; the growing sophistication and “organization” of attackers (to include criminal groups, cracker groups, state actors, and non-state actors); and the “intelligence” that attackers gather on how enterprises protect themselves and the high-cost/generally low priority given to cyber defense.

Some common themes:

  • Large enterprises must rethink their cyber defense capabilities in light of the intensity and diversity of attacks, the extraordinary value of any lost data – real and perceived, and the scale limitations (and costs) of today’s technologies.
  • There is a need to expand the information sharing capabilities of products…not only within the product families but across product families.  An attack detected needs to share the attack parameters, rapidly, with a wide body of parties in order to quickly adapt national infrastructures to protecting/mitigating any attack.
  • Nationally, there is a need to develop standards, across product lines, that will provide the capabilities to rapidly exchange cyber attack information, while protecting privacy – thus forming the ecosystem for an agile cyber defense.
  • Enterprises should incorporate security/cyber risk management with other risk management assessments (typically focused on more business decisions) thus security risk is a component of the business risk.

Thus:

  • We need the ability to defend against the intensity and diversity of cyber attacks.
  • We need the ability to share information…not only within the product families but across product families and across providers; we need a cyber defense ecosystem.
  •  We need the ability to rapidly exchange cyber attack information, while protecting privacy.
  • We need the ability (and direction) to incorporate security/cyber risk management with other risk management assessments (typically focused on more business decisions) thus security risk becomes an equal component of the business risk and success.
Dec
30
2012

Violating the Three Click Rule – Part 1

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In the early days of computing, there was a rule that any action should be no more than 3 clicks away.  Prior to mice and web, it was 3 selections from a menu (basically a menu tree).  With the advent of the web, that same 3 click rule applied to reach any action.

There were many reasons for such a rule, primarily to keep the computer users attention to the work that was being performed and make locating some action fast.

Many web sites today fail the three click rule.  Many tablet operating systems also fail the three click rule (clicks being various touch capabilities).

Recently FIOS changed their Video On Demand (VOD) menu.  The older one pretty much held to the 3 click rule…the newer one is grossly violating it.  For example if I wanted to watch a CBS tv show…it was FREE>Entertainment>CBS and I then had a selection of CBS programs.  The new version TVShows>ByNetwork>A-C and then stepping through a flat list of all the categories A though C (about 18 clicks just to reach CBS (or even a more complicated Search)…just to get to the list of CBS shows to scroll through.

Anyone for automated fines, just like Speed and Red Light cameras, for violating the three click rule?  Its about time!

ED