Current interest around sustainability and net-zero initiatives mostly focuses on efforts to reduce carbon emissions associated with various products and services. But, as we explore in this Advisor, methane is another emission that wreaks havoc on the environment and deserves our attention.

In this Advisor, we share a Q&A session from Cutter Fellow William Ulrich's recent webinar on the role of business architecture in software design.

A successful project relies on good relationships among team members. To achieve this, managers must be prepared to address three types of communication-related issues: project conflict, relationship conflict, and task conflict.

Drones will have a future positive impact on advanced air mobility, particularly in the area of package delivery. As we explore in this Advisor, drones can be used in this manner to enable sustain­ability while at the same time leaving a relatively small footprint.

Of all the IT projects underway during the past 15 years, only a small proportion can be classified as “bleeding edge.” The vast majority have been mod­ernizations of existing operational IT systems using proven computing technologies. Thus, it is hard to understand why the level of IT failure has remained relatively constant. This Advisor examines the factors underlying these failures.

Experienced project managers with strong project management acumen still occasionally take part in a project that seems to take on a life of its own, devouring organizational resources. This Executive Update examines a few failure scenarios that could have been avoided with better decision-making processes and offers a set of key questions project managers should continue to ask along the project’s journey.

Yassine Maleh argues that, during the pandemic, companies made hasty infrastructure changes and deviated from their security policies and controls. As businesses recover, he recommends a review of risk management processes in light of pandemic-related changes. He shares practices designed to ensure infrastructure security and resilience and suggests five ways to incorporate risk management into cybersecurity initiatives.

In addition to zero trust and privacy by design, the authors discuss strategies for reducing human-related risk when enterprises are no longer confined to physical spaces. They also call into question some cybersecurity myths that can lead to poor decisions and business practices. The authors argue that while cyber threats are continuously changing and emerging and should remain an area of focus, the ever-expanding attack surface is also a challenge. Another concern to consider is improving security skills, so the authors suggest a decision framework that includes vulnerabilities around social and human elements in addition to physical and information systems.

While the pandemic and enhanced digitalization have introduced more types of cyber threats, the authors assert that most recent high-profile attacks are not very sophisticated. Rather, they happen when basic cybersecurity practices are ignored or overlooked. It is likely that organizations are overestimating certain types of cyber risk, leading to overspending to secure gaps. There is also a danger that overly restrictive practices will reduce employee productivity and stifle innovation. Therefore, a realistic risk assessment after implementation of basic security practices and commensurate controls is important.

This first article of the issue is from a team of cybersecurity researchers from a leading engineering institute in India. They explain how the ubiquitous problem of password authentication can be resolved using Fast Identity Online Alliance’s (FIDO) mechanism.

This inaugural issue of Amplify was carefully organized to encourage dialogue on cyber-resilience strategies and countermeasures. This discussion is extremely relevant, since there is more disruption than ever before, and the truth is that no device is secure! A solid understanding of both risk and resilience is a critical element in every organization’s cybersecurity plan.

CISOs, CIOs, and other technology leaders are well-served with a strong digital- and cyber-savvy corporate board, as are shareholders and other corporate stake­holders. In a world increasingly dependent on complex digital systems for growth and resiliency, ensuring the boardroom is a critical digital and cyber-control point is a necessary and overdue step.

CISOs, CIOs, and other technology leaders are well-served with a strong digital- and cyber-savvy corporate board, as are shareholders and other corporate stake­holders. In a world increasingly dependent on complex digital systems for growth and resiliency, ensuring the boardroom is a critical digital and cyber-control point is a necessary and overdue step.

Digital twins provide an advanced form of simulation and modeling for building virtual digital versions of real-world entities and processes. How are organizations using digital twins to implement sustainability projects? This Advisor considers the use of digital twins in sustainability scenarios — including some real-world applications involving smart cities, smart buildings, and clean energy production.

In this on-demand webinar with Cutter Fellow William Ulrich, you'll discover why holistic, formally defined, and highly rationalized business abstractions are vital to the success of software design and related IT deliverables.

This Advisor explores how the power behind quantum computing can enable today’s most difficult algorithms to be solved in a matter of seconds, enabling real-time processing, analysis, and modeling of data unthinkable with current methods. Parallel processing will accelerate the effectiveness of teams using data analytics to boost efficiency.

Why do technology projects succeed? The most vital ingredient is organizational and personal courage.

Why do technology projects succeed? The most vital ingredient is organizational and personal courage.

Today’s Internet of Things (IoT) solutions have tremendous potential to enhance healthcare operations and generate overall improvements to care outcomes, cost, and efficiency. New IoT solutions for healthcare are smarter and, more importantly, tailored to the needs and requirements of healthcare organizations. In this Advisor, we explore two practical use cases of IoT solutions in healthcare.

Companies can’t choose between growth and sustainability — they must have both. This Executive Update explores this issue and proposes ways to identify the right technology portfolio to support new business models that lead to growth while ensuring sustainability goals.

The increases of women in senior or executive roles over the past two decades have been less than inspiring. It would seem, therefore, that although leadership literature has played a significant role in raising the profile of women in management, much needs to happen in actual board rooms and manage­ment suites in order to advance the careers of women in leadership positions.

San Murugesan looks at how artificial intelligence (AI) strategies can enhance information systems security. He calls this “cyber AI” and discusses how activities such as monitoring, threat hunting, and incident response can benefit from AI/machine learning solutions. The article covers the use of AI in behavioral analytics, threat intelligence, ransomware attack detection, smart identity governance, online fraud detection, deepfakes, and risk assessment. Finally, the author points out the potential for malicious use of AI in the increasing occurrence of cyber threats. His thoughtful piece provides a deep exploration of the nexus between AI and cybersecurity from an expert viewpoint.

Abhijit Dasgupta, an accom­plished security risk leader with extensive experience in building and leading security risk and digital governance practices globally, comments on the changing threat landscape and highlights the enhanced risk from both new remote work practices across businesses as a result of COVID as well as from cryptocurrencies. He suggests strategies such as zero trust, perimeter-less, and multi-cloud.

Abhijit Dasgupta, an accom­plished security risk leader with extensive experience in building and leading security risk and digital governance practices globally, comments on the changing threat landscape and highlights the enhanced risk from both new remote work practices across businesses as a result of COVID as well as from cryptocurrencies. He suggests strategies such as zero trust, perimeter-less, and multi-cloud.