REAL Talk With Sam Holcman

How do you make decisions on when to do things in-house, offshore, or outsourced?  We suggest the optional decision is what is the most direct way to achieve organizational goals and strategies.  With simple two-dimensional representation, all stakeholders will be able to see the relationship between the goals that are to be achieved and the personnel, processing power, and data each associated wi...

Enterprise Architecture is a discipline.  Enterprise Architect is one Architecture Role.  We name the twelve architect roles in an enterprise. These names are associated with The Enterprise FrameworkTM  and are mapped into this Framework. Wordy definitions of these roles are not as helpful as the actual understanding of what each of these Roles produce. Please see our website www. ArchitecturesCOE...

Two articles were recently published that demonstrate clearly, the Data ownership debate/discussion/concerns that are going to determine where the public internet, search engines, and AI are facing and how these areas will mature very soon.  Quite simply, who “owns” the data, and what rights do those data owners have.  This seven-minute broadcast is an introduction to this very important topic.

When we were asked this question by one of our clients, the question being what is digital transformation, we did a bit of research.  As typical, we started with Google and Bing.  And to be a bit more contemporary, we asked a few AI engines the same question.  Summary – not really helpful!  Words have meaning.  What we suggest we need to do is enhancing or optimizing business activities through te...

What is the key skill that is not generally taught in Business Architecture or Enterprise Architecture Seminars and Training Courses?  Soft Skills!  The skills needed to get your point across and be heard.  Yes, a balance between “Hard Skills” that you get in these Seminars is just one component, and some say not the key component.  Have a listen to what Soft Skills are.

It has been ten-plus years since the meteoric rise in the use of off-premises computing – cloud computing.  Of course, we all know things change, and a little advertised change in the Information Technology world is the widening costs differential between in-house computing and cloud-based computing.  There has been and is a steady rise in the cost of cloud solutions and a corresponding steady dec...

We have compiled the six most often asked questions when we are called on for a potential consulting engagement. These six questions address the most important skills a consultant needs.  And you should be able to gauge the answers to these questions quite quickly.  And yes, there is one time-waster question we also suggest really is a time waster!

In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Paul Vieira outlines the actions taken by the Canadian Government that would force Facebook and Google (amongst others) to pay media outlets for links.  I call this leveling the playing field, and this podcast outlines why it is time for this to happen.  And by extension, the same compensation needs to occur from the AI vendors that are training thei...

An article I read - "7 Ley questions CIOs need to answer before committing to generative AI," got me thinking about what questions need to be ASKED prior to not just AI - but any technology that is acquired/implemented. Using just a small component of the EACOE Enterprise Architecture approach will provide these questions. It is worth just a few minutes of your time, I believe.

Whether you are into AI or not, we all have a choice to make when we are looking for information of any kind – restaurant recommendations, business trends, gasoline prices, strategies, or best practices.  Two fundamental sources exist – paid sources and no-cost sources.  Have you thought about it in these simple terms?  That is what this broadcast is about.

I recently read an article titled AI is Writing Code Now. For Companies, That is Good and Bad. In summary, it is bad.  It is not only bad because we are increasing complexity and exacerbating technical debt, but these organizations are just speeding up what they have been doing for decades. It is time to realize where we are in Information Technology Maturity and get the organization on the path t...

In a recent CIO article, eight famous analytics and AI disasters are described, discussed, and analyzed.  There is a common theme that is apparent after a bit of analysis is done.  I call this the ninth and continuing disaster.  A solution to this ongoing disaster is outlined.

As a public service, I am reading the actual “Bard Privacy Notice” in this podcast.  It is worth all to spend five minutes listening to this Notice.  I will then relate this Notice to what it means to those of us that in some way, rely on the Internet/AI for information and the use of this information.  WOW!

On the heels of a widely published academic study on the AI-enabled cheating occurring on college campuses surrounding exams, college campuses are studying and looking at alternatives – both oral exams and, more importantly, skills-based demonstration, to access academic achievement and competency.  The motivation is quite simple for colleges.  If a degree no longer designates legitimate achieveme...

The fuel for Artificial Intelligence is data.  Good fuel (data) will provide good energy (answers).  However, bad fuel (bad data), will cause issues both in the long term and short term (bad answers, misleading information, untruths, and many more undesirable outcomes). There is no known, as of this broadcast date, list of data sources that any of the AI engines are being trained on.  What does th...

There is much discussion about the potential use of Artificial Intelligence for purposes that are less noble or in the best interest of most of us. OK, no disagreement. But does anyone really believe that establishing a national government or worldwide agency to regulate AI will be a solution? I do not. Yes, the government may have a role. I would like to suggest that using the AI Engine with grea...

Let us begin with a summary – the Internet does not have best practices. The Internet has published practices. Let us work through the logic because there are no best practices on the internet. Really nothing shocking – just a bit of realization.

In this episode of Real Talk, we explore the correlation, causation, coincidence, and/or contribution to the increase in cyber attacks of all kinds and the increase in the use of agile techniques in technology. We begin by stating a scientific hypothesis and then exploring the four C’s.  This is a status report on this research.

In this two-part broadcast, we will recap the use/misuse of the internet and its information sources for research on topics in various fields. Part two of this two-part broadcast will then look at AI and what is happening in the same arena. This is only one lesson that provides a stark and frightening example of AI “shortcutting” rather than doing actual work. Yes, there are solutions.

In this two-part broadcast, we will recap the use/misuse of the internet and its information sources for research on topics in various fields.  We go back to our experiences with graduate students in two different universities and the consequences of using unvetted information sources instead of actually doing the work required.  Part two of this two-part broadcast will then look at AI and what is...

You are what you eat. AI engines are what data they consume. If AI needs to be “cured” or wants to be “cured,” it starts by admitting what it has consumed. Yet we hear that the training data for an AI vendor is proprietary. Well, let us examine this.

In this Broadcast, we will define Business Architecture, what it is, its components, audience, and its output – Business Capabilities to achieve the Organization’s Goals, and Objectives.

First-Mover is not automatically a win. Each industry and technology need to be looked at through two dimensions – Market Evolution Speed and Technology Evolution Speed. A simple two-dimensional representation of these two factors in your industry/market can give you a quick gauge of where you are, should be, and what your competitors are doing. What is your approach to AI?

This Broadcast will outline mistakes organizations have made in training their staff in Enterprise Architecture or Business Architecture.  As you will hear, the most common mistakes are easily avoided to enhance the effectiveness of training and certification programs.

In this direct reading of an article by Johnathan Turley, published in USA Today, Professor Turley recounts his horrifying experience with an AI “published” article about himself. Could it happen to you and me?