With Russia's intention to assert data sovereignty by requiring all firms to keep data and systems in Russia, and many other countries already requiring this or quickly following suit, we are seeing what I expected a few years back: nations exerting control over their cyber infrastructures and using corporate IT infrastructure as a means to thwart competing nations. While techno-optimists usually equate IT with democratization, I am not sure despotic or even democratic rulers think the same.

In the previous two Agile Advisors in this series (see "One Size Does Not Fit All, Part I" and "One Size Does Not Fit All, Part II"), we described characterization of projects using three criteria:

Innovation -- determines the kind of performance measures to be used: descriptive, predictive or combination of the two.

Complexity exists everywhere. Would it not be helpful to understand specific kinds of complex situations where the services of architects are particularly valuable? This would help enterprises use architects' capabilities more effectively.

This Executive Update surveys how major enterprise application vendors are harnessing mobile technology, beginning with SAP and Oracle.

In June 2014, I discussed some of the possibilities the commercial use of drones offers. Since then, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), after several years of study, has finally issued proposed guidelines for the commercial use of drones in the US. Moreover, the FAA appears to be more receptive to commercial drone usage, and we are now seeing an increase in their use by companies, government agencies, and researchers.

In June 2014, I discussed some of the possibilities the commercial use of drones offers. Since then, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), after several years of study, has finally issued proposed guidelines for the commercial use of drones in the US. Moreover, the FAA appears to be more receptive to commercial drone usage, and we are now seeing an increase in their use by companies, government agencies, and researchers.

As we explore in this Executive Update, the problem that cross-training solves is the natural creation of islands of expertise and its consequences. While some people certainly need to be experts, cross-training problems occur at a lower level.

In this Executive Update, Sheila Q. Cox reveals the three essential steps for effective delegation.

Security in the IT realm is a very complex issue to deal with, largely because the very attributes that create vulnerabilities are the main creators of value for individual users, businesses, and society itself. Just as the value of a network increases as the square of the number of nodes on that network, so too does the probability of a bad actor exploiting the network to his or her own ends.

To sell ideas effectively, you must think of your partners as customers, adopt a sales mindset, understand the sales process, and develop strong communication skills. Understanding people's needs and connecting what you want to accomplish to what they need will help you reach your goal. In doing so, your IT organization will become more effective in getting others to listen to, accept, and act on your ideas.

Everyone is in sales, and the IT organization is no exception. As we discuss in the accompanying Executive Report, the challenge is that many of the technical people in IT organizations have never been trained in sales skills, don't feel comfortable with these skills, and even regard the concept of selling as distasteful.

By now almost every software professional has been exposed to the Agile Manifesto, or at least to its first page containing the value system. But few people have noticed that the Agile Manifesto also contains a second page, with the "Twelve Principles of Agile Development." So if you want to know "how Agile" you are, you should take a look at these principles.

Data generated by sensor-enabled devices is making it possible for organizations to measure activities and behavior that was not really practical before the advent of smartphones, wearables (e.g., watches, bracelets, anklets, and smart clothing), and other connected devices. In short, connected devices are leading to new applications and larger and richer data sets.

The governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) area has been developing for the past several years toward a more centralized and comprehensive approach. Historically, it has always encompassed an area of large data. Today, it is about to become a focus for big data.

The governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) area has been developing for the past several years toward a more centralized and comprehensive approach. Historically, it has always encompassed an area of large data. Today, it is about to become a focus for big data.

If we use measures properly, we do so to improve our business, organization, or our lives. In this respect, there are many times when having some data is not better than having none. Given that all data could possibly be erroneous to some extent, what to do?

Business rules and logic change at a faster pace than many other architectural components. So it is not surprising that one of the long-standing objectives in enterprise architecture (EA) has been to separate the more dynamic parts from those elements that are more stable. There are various ways to achieve this, and in this Executive Report we examine two options: business rules and complex event processing (CEP).

Business rules and complex event processing (CEP) are technologies that have been around for some time now. Both technologies provide options to support one of the long-standing objectives in enterprise architecture (EA): to adapt and accommodate rapid-pace business change with a constant, stable, and sustainable architectural foundation. The accompanying Executive Report examines how we can use techniques in enterprise architecture to provide a solid basis for supporting business rules and CEP.

This Executive Update provides an understanding of the concepts behind fork and pull and its possible applications for internal and external software development projects, as well as its potential for other applications.

Companies offering Internet-based products and services or online mobile services to their customers should use effective authentication mechanisms for high-risk transactions involving access to customer information or movement of funds to other parties. For the company, it is also important to protect stored cardholder data and encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks as per popular standards such as PCI DSS. Areas of concern for online commerce can be minimized once the industry gives adequate focus to security issues.

The different ways that supermarkets organize service at the deli counter offer an example of salient transparency. Inefficient supermarkets rely on the mob to self-organize. Customers are expected to form a queue, and the servers have the task of deciding who's next. When approaching the mob, a customer cannot tell whether or how the mob has organized, how long it will take, or who to queue behind. He or she must expend mental energy to establish and maintain position in line and may experience anxiety over whether cutting in line will occur.

Case management isn't necessarily important for every business, but we have seen that it is a vital concept for some, such as insurance, health, or legal. Even in companies where cases are not currently common, the idea might be relevant -- for example, in handling a customer complaint that spans a longer period of time, or that covers multiple services. The notion of case will probably become more relevant as enterprise architectures become more dependent on their integration with Internet and social technologies.

The accompanying Executive Report explores some simple actions to alter your thinking and ultimately improve your approach to getting the right things done. We'll talk about two of the most common and far-reaching oversights made by today's CIOs: how we frame the situations we're faced with and how we decide. Every decision we make is greatly impacted by these two tasks.

When we use targets for our indicators of success, they become more than an indicator of how well you are doing -- they become the "goal." The targets supplant the valid goal you created and become more important than the thing they were designed to measure. This is the metamorphosis Martin Klubeck warns you about in this Executive Update.

When we use targets for our indicators of success, they become more than an indicator of how well you are doing -- they become the "goal." The targets supplant the valid goal you created and become more important than the thing they were designed to measure. This is the metamorphosis Martin Klubeck warns you about in this Executive Update.