REAL Talk With Sam Holcman

Architecting to Create Business Agility to Compete in the Post Pandemic World

The Coronavirus pandemic is the latest in a long list of disruptors to established business models. Whether it is competitors, technology, natural disasters, foreign or domestic threats, a disruption, or the next occurrence of an unknown, businesses are recognizing that change is the new normal.
This emerging reality does not begin with new technology. Technology enables a series of business and mission-aligned initiatives to move the organization to its next state.

Applying Logic to Consumer Behavior in Times of Crisis

Our guest, Ken Metviner, very interesting & fresh perspective on the what the future holds as we move out of the most current crisis we are in. This won't be the last crisis, & perhaps we should look at consumer behavior with a bit more logic than just believe it is a “random walk”.
Ken outlines a perspective that is unique & logical - one half the economy can be characterized as stable and one half the economy characterized as variable – each requiring move-ahead approaches in their own way.

Data Driven Marketing – the Key to Digital Transformation

Clark Keller, of Data Driven Marketing, provides insights into marketing in the digital age.Technology has changed the way companies deliver their marketing message but hasn't changed basic marketing principles.
Customer data is the most valuable asset a company has. Customers use reviews as a way of deciding which company to do business with. Data & customer information allow companies to hyper-target their marketing message. Of course, underlying all of this is a concern with privacy.

Distance Learning – The New Normal?

In this unique view of distance learning, we speak to 3 college students, from 3 universities, on their personal experiences with distance learning. School closures led institutions to move instruction to online. Proper planning has given way to crisis management & implementation.
Questions include, education topics, food, housing, money, learning access, feedback, social interactions, & the “new” academic life. We will gain insights “from the trenches” on what works, & what needs improvement.

Focusing on the Here and Now – A One Day Exercise

If you're tuning in in the April 2020 timeframe, we are in a bit of a turmoil situation.
Pressures are coming from a number of directions, & focus is easily lost and replaced by motions & actions that substitute for planned actions and strategies. Focus, consistency, coordinated actions, & efficiencies are more important “in the now”, yet we need explicit representations we can view & act on.
Yes, unfortunately, a short-term focus is a necessity at this hour- how to succeed in the here & now.

Architecting for the Cloud and the Cloud Repatriation Movement

The cloud is discussed as the potential for better technology & business agility, but moving computing resources has two sides.
IT leaders are learning that running applications in the cloud costs more than doing so on-premises, & adds complexity & security concerns not fully appreciated in the “rush” to the cloud, leading them to rethink strategies, & bring applications back in-house.
We outline our EACOE Enterprise Architecture analysis approach on rationalizing cloud/in-house strategies.
Watch and see the presentation: https://www.architecturescoe.org/resourcesall/processvisualization-75sn8-lz977

Moving From Crisis Management to Creating Resilient Organizations In Anticipation of the Next Crisis

A new reality has been set- the global movement of people & goods provides a new set of opportunities and challenges, which cannot be predicted, but should be anticipated. Today's crisis is the disease, COVID-19 & the virus, SARS-CoV-2. The next could be another virus, or massive internet outage, or a terrorist attack.
But, the reaction of most organizations is reactive & crisis driven. We must look at approaches for developing resilient organizations to anticipate the next disruptive event.

Why Some People Revel In Complexity

Triggering my thoughts in developing this episode was YAF. What is YAF? YAF is Yet Another Framework! This is a consortium of academics, industry, & government people published YAF on enterprise architecture.
My thoughts quickly moved to thinking about complexity and those that revel in it. Is there such a thing as “complexity bias”? Is it, for some, a measure of progress?
In this episode, we will explore complexity and complex. They are different!

Applying Enterprise Architecture to Identify Cost Containment and Optimization Opportunities

We have all turned, to some degree, to a short-term focus in both our personal & business lives. We must deal with reality.
How do you address both short & long term issues & opportunities? In the short term, identify areas for optimization, while understanding the effects in future operations.
We outline a two-week Enterprise Architecture Immersion approach that identifies short-term prioritized opportunities for cost optimization, & sets the stage for the eventual return to normalcy.

Applying the EACOE and BACOE Architecture Methodologies to Analyze the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic

We look at this Pandemic through the eyes of Enterprise & Business Architecture. A robust architecture methodology is a tool we can use to analyze things that are complex, and we are seeing significant complexity in this situation!
We apply out-of-the-medical-box thinking to this crisis situation. Let us take a brief time-out from the media driven hype & hysteria-focused analysis & see if we can provide another frame of reference for those professionals working to help us through the crisis.