Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Podcast Series

Security vulnerabilities are defects that enable an external party to compromise a system. Our research indicates that improving software quality by reducing the number of errors also reduces the number of vulnerabilities and hence improves software security. Some portion of security vulnerabilities (maybe over half of them) are also quality defects. Can quality defect models that predict quality...

In this episode, the ninth in a series by Suzanne Miller and Mary Ann Lapham exploring the application of Agile principles in the Department of Defense, the two researchers discuss the application of the ninth principle: continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances Agile. Listen on Apple Podcasts .

The goal of any cybersecurity investment is to reduce the potential impact from cyber risk. Initial investments should be in capability development—the implementation of controls to protect and sustain operations that depend on technology. As capability increases, additional capability investments produce diminishing returns—the curve flattens. At that point, investment in cyber insurance becomes...

In 2013, the AADL Standards meeting was held at SEI headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa. The SEI Podcast Series team was there, and we interviewed several members of the AADL Standards Committee. This podcast is the fourth in a series based on these interviews. Listen on Apple Podcasts .

Soldiers in battle or emergency workers responding to a disaster often find themselves in environments with limited computing resources, rapidly-changing mission requirements, high levels of stress, and limited connectivity, which are often referred to as "tactical edge environments." These types of scenarios make it hard to use mobile software applications that would be of value to soldiers or em...

Part of a series exploring Agile in the Department of Defense, this podcast addresses key issues that occur when Agile software teams engage with systems engineering functions in the development and acquisition of software-reliant systems. Published acquisition guidance still largely focuses on a system perspective, and fundamental differences exist between systems engineering and software enginee...

Given that up to 70 percent of system errors are introduced during the design phase, stakeholders need a modeling language that will ensure both requirements enforcement during the development process and the correct implementation of these requirements. Previous work demonstrates that using the Architecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) early in the development process not only helps detect...

In September 2014, Alistair Cockburn met with researchers at the SEI headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa. The SEI Podcast Series team was there as Cockburn sat down with Suzanne Miller to discuss his unique perspective as one of the creators of the Agile manifesto and his viewpoint on the current state of Agile adoption. Listen on Apple Podcasts .

In this episode, the eighth in a series by Suzanne Miller and Mary Ann Lapham exploring the application of Agile principles in the Department of Defense, the two researchers discuss the application of the eighth principle: Agile processes promotes sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. Listen on Apple Podcasts .

Organizations of all sizes in both the public and private sectors are increasingly reliant on information and technology assets, supported by people and facility assets, to successfully execute business processes that, in turn, support the delivery of services. Failure of these assets has a direct, negative impact on the business processes they support. This, in turn, can cascade into an inability...

As the prevalence of suppliers using Agile methods grows, these professionals supporting the acquisition and maintenance of software-reliant systems are witnessing large portions of the industry moving away from so-called "traditional waterfall" lifecycle processes. The existing infrastructure supporting the work of acquisition professionals has been shaped by the experience of the industry—which...

In this podcast, Ian Gorton describes four general principles that hold for any scalable, big data system. These principles can help architects continually validate major design decisions across development iterations, and hence provide a guide through the complex collection of design trade-offs all big data systems require.  Listen on Apple Podcasts .

In this podcast, Joseph Elm analyzes differences in systems-engineering activities for defense and non-defense projects and finds differences in both deployment and effectiveness. This research is the result analysis of data collected from the 2011 Systems Engineering (SE) Effectiveness Survey performed by the National Defense Industrial Association Systems Engineering Division, the Institute of E...

Many warfighters and first responders operate at what we call "the tactical edge," where users are constrained by limited communication connectivity, storage availability, processing power, and battery life. In these environments, onboard sensors are used to capture data on behalf of mobile applications to perform tasks such as face recognition, speech recognition, natural language translation, an...

In this episode, the seventh in a series by Suzanne Miller and Mary Ann Lapham exploring the application of Agile principles in the Department of Defense, the two researchers discuss the application of the seventh principle: Working software is the primary measure of progress.   Listen on Apple Podcasts .

In 2013, the AADL Standards meeting was held at SEI headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa. The SEI Podcast Series team was there, and we interviewed several members of the AADL Standards Committee. This podcast is the third in a series based on these interviews.   Listen on Apple Podcasts .

The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service depends on information technology (IT)—computer systems and networks—to convey potentially life-saving information to the public in a timely manner. However, like other cyber-enabled services, the WEA service is susceptible to risks that may enable an attacker to disseminate unauthorized alerts or to delay, modify, or destroy valid alerts. Successful att...

In this podcast, Julien Delange discusses two extensions to the Architecture Analysis and Design Language: the behavior annex and the error-model annex. The behavior annex represents the functional logic of AADL components and interacts with the other system elements. SEI researchers are currently participating in the ongoing improvements of this extension of the AADL by connecting it to other ana...

Every day, major anti-virus companies and research organizations are inundated with new malware samples. Although estimates vary, approximately 150,000 new malware strains are released each day. Not enough manpower exists to manually address the volume of new malware samples that arrive daily in analysts' queues. Malware analysts need an approach that allows them to sort samples in a fundamental w...

In this episode, the sixth in a series by Suzanne Miller and Mary Ann Lapham exploring the application of Agile principles in the Department of Defense (DoD), the two researchers discuss the application of the sixth principle,The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.   Listen on Apple Podcasts .

In the acquisition of a software-intensive system, the relationship between the software architecture and the acquisition strategy is typically not examined. Although software is increasingly important to the success of government programs, there is often little consideration given to its impact on early key program decisions. The Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is...

Trust is a key factor in the effectiveness of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service. Alert originators at emergency management agencies must trust WEA to deliver alerts to the public in an accurate and timely manner. The public must also trust the WEA service before they will act on the alerts that they receive. Managing trust in WEA is a responsibility shared among many stakeholders who are...

The importance of verification and validation (especially testing) is a major reason that the traditional waterfall development cycle underwent a minor modification to create the V model that links early development activities to their corresponding later testing activities. In this podcast, Don Firesmith introduces three variants on the V model of system or software development that make it more...

The Personal Software Process promotes the use of careful procedures during all stages of development with the aim of increasing an individual's productivity and producing high quality final products. Formal methods use the same methodological strategy as the PSP: emphasizing care in development procedures as opposed to relying on testing and debugging. They also establish the radical requirement...

Technical professionals are often called on to research, recommend, implement, and execute IT risk assessment and analysis processes. These processes provide important data used by management to responsibly grow and protect the business through good decision making for mitigating, accepting, transferring, or avoiding risk. These decisions must account for IT risks caused by emerging threats to the...