The Open Group Event Highlights  – January 31-February 2, 2022

By Loren K. Baynes, Director, Global Marketing Communications, The Open Group

Last week’s global virtual event brought together over a thousand attendees from around the world to discuss how open digital standards can help push forward the state of play around data science, the digital enterprise, and environmental footprint reduction.

Speakers from organizations including IBM, Capgemini, PwC, Fujitsu, and AXA made for a lively and informative three days, with virtual attendees tuning in to learn about everything from human-centered AI, through digital product lifecycles, to tracking carbon emissions with satellites.

A Case Study on the Origin of the IT4IT™ Standard

Like many of technology’s better creations, the IT4IT™ Reference Architecture standard was born out of necessity.

The IT landscape is continually shaped by innovation. Despite that being a cause for celebration for consumers and end-users, the introduction of these new technologies – such as the mainframe, the PC, client servers, the Internet, cloud computing, IoT, etc. – meant that the IT function had, effectively, lost track of what it needed to manage and control.

An open standard architecture-based approach to managing the business of IT was needed. This would have to be a holistic, end-to-end, service-based description of everything the IT function needs, and to be a good steward of all the IT components, solutions, and services within its remit. It was this issue that set in motion the train of events that brought us to where we are today. But there are no grounds for complacency. The work continues.

Even today the complexity and pervasiveness of, and the dependency on, IT systems continues to grow. In many cases, in many organizations today, the management solution is a loose collection of siloed processes. We are still not paying enough attention on how to remain in control. That is why the IT4IT standard is such an important instrument to manage IT, and why we have chosen to document how it came to be.

Competing in The Age of AI

As someone who cares about how business strategy and digital intersect, it is great to see complementary validations of business thinking. This is what I found after reading “Competing in The Age of AI”, released on January 6, 2020. The book’s authors extend and compliment “Designed for Digital” which was reviewed in September.  Maybe the authors should take a walk across the Charles River.

In Competing in the Age of AI, authors Marco Iansiti and Karim Lakhani dig into the role of data and AI in driving the digital future. Their perspectives provide additional and supportive thinking from Designed for Digital.

Why the IT4IT™ Standard is Key to Driving Business Value for CIOs

Forrester predicted that 2019 would be the year of rebuilding foundations and measured innovation for the CIO. As part of this, they suggested that CIOs not put the proverbial ‘cart’ before the ‘horse’, and to focus on providing solid foundations while taking a measured approach to innovation. Yet despite the guidance to focus on practicality, many CIOs still aspire to be seen as a technology evangelist and to work with smart business partners to create major change within the organization. This has left many CIOs at a stalemate in regards to their role and responsibilities, especially as the CEO and CDO roles continue to evolve.

Agile Architecture in the Digital Age – a Conversation with Frédéric Lé

The agile transformation of the enterprise is becoming a pre-requisite of an effective digital transformation project. This requires organizations to adopt a product-centric, outside-in perspective, evolving product and service portfolios – as well as business and operational models – to deliver value faster than ever before. All this, whilst being closely aligned to the businesses needs and objectives.

We spoke with Frédéric Lé, Technology Strategist, Corporate Technology Office at DXC Technology, in advance of The Open Group Denver 2019 event to learn more about how digital leaders and their teams can steer transformation, something he has coined ‘DigitAgile’.

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