Governance and Fighting the Curse of Complexity

Of course they do, but with a big caveat. There will always be new computing paradigms: think of virtual reality or robotics or quantum computing. New systems, new technologies, new approaches will continue to increase IT complexity.

Indeed, our complex economies – and the pace of business change – all but guarantee that we’re in a permanent state of increasing complexity.

Governance and the Process Side of Simplification

So, if integrative tools are only part of the answer, what else can IT and security leaders do?

The answer lies in building a system of overall guardrails – governance, if you will – of the entire enterprise. Integration will always be important, but it doesn’t take the place of rules-based standardization and simplification.

That means due diligence in terms of the systems of record used before an acquisition is made. It means active training and re-training of staff so that politics doesn’t keep an obsolete system alive when it should be sunsetted. It means rock-solid identity management so that systems, data, and applications are accessed by the right people – and IP addresses – at the right time.

Plain and simple, all IT purchases should be approved by an IT governance group. There should be no new systems acquired unless there’s an analysis of the new technology’s impact on complexity in the environment.

Audits of applications should lead to the sunsetting of duplicative systems. And organizations should employ governance rules to define the sources of truth in terms of what data should be used and when and where that data resides.

IT leaders have many vendor solutions at their disposal when it comes to simplifying their IT ecosystems. But there is no tool that overlays all the integrative, simplifying tools on offer today.

The most powerful solution isn’t downloaded from a tech company’s site. It comes from the brave business, IT, and security leaders who define, refine, and enforce systems of governance.

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For further reading, we recommend:

https://owy.mn/3I7jBdg: OliverWyman’s TECHNOLOGY COMPLEXITY AND ITS IMPACT ON INNOVATION, By Chris DeBrusk

https://bit.ly/42Pe703 Forbes: July 10, 2022: Today’s Enterprises Have A Complexity Problem: Their Profits, Productivity And Security Depend On Solving It

About Author

AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

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