Information Architectures After The Internet Frenzy · J. Craig Mudge Ph. D. September 2002 Australian Davos Connection Information Architectures After The Internet Frenzy Dr. Craig

J. Craig Mudge Ph. D.www.pacific-challenge.com

September 2002 Australian Davos Connection

Information ArchitecturesAfter The Internet Frenzy

Dr. Craig Mudge

Today’s extended enterprise (business, university,government, army)

Revisit Internet fundamentals

An information architecture to match today’s enterprise

Discovery based linkages

Much-hyped XML Web Services

Some future-proofing steps

Outline:



Acknowledgements

John Seely Brown

Martin Haeberli

Scott Loftesness

Doug Terry



HeterogeneityHeterogeneity in ourOrganisation structures; Applications, Networks, IT systems,Sizes of enterprise, Robustness, etc.



Swivel chair integration

Automatic integration



1. Revisiting Internetfundamentals



suppliers/partners

employees

the co

mm

un

ityinve

sto

rs

customers

•Earnings reports by Webcast•Filing a proxy•Quarterly reports

•E-procurement•Trucking service

•Shopping for a product•Customer self-service•Group buying service

•Health benefits•Superannuation

XYZ, Ltd

•Disaster situation reports•E-learning

Five business relationships on the Internet



Both Information and physical goods travel the Web

Information

goods

Physical goods

Business-consumer

Earnings announce, news, video, game

Clothing, books

Business-business

HBR article, Software; Customer service

Paper clips, Engine parts, chemicals



Business fundamentals of the Internet

• Web gives universality of access• Web is first truly interoperable system• cheaper and cheaper computer networks• network effects: value of system increases• communities• value from connectivity, convenience,

information, aggregation, self service,personalization, ...

• producers directly connect with consumers-- dis-intermediation and re-intermediation



Aggregation: Improved convenience in Financial Services

Personal Finance Manager

(Moneyor Quicken)

Web sites ofbanks, brokers, insurers

Internet

Aggregation across multiple financial products from different FIs



Aggregation: three stages in its evolution so far

Personal Finance Manager(Money

or Quicken)

Standard protocol

Screen scraping

Stage

I

II

III

HumanPersonal Finance

spreadsheet

Personal Finance Manager(Money

or Quicken)

Access technology Where aggregated data is stored



World’s largest library

Bioinformatics - genome data

News, often personalised

SEC filings (EDGAR data base) Prospectus IPOs RedHerring

Competitors

TerraServer

Patent database

Question to CEOs: How well are your senior execsusing this information external to your enterprise?



Benchmark examples

• eBay

• PayPal

• (Amazon.com)



2. Today’s extended enterprise

Supply chain; much outsourced; more mergers;private and public Webs



Heterogeneity

Heterogeneity in ourOrganisation structure; Applications, Networks, IT systems,Sizes of enterprise, Robustness, etc.



Example from the health-care industry

doctor

insurer

Doctors’office

Pharma-ceutical company

hospital

pharmacypatient



3. A matching informationarchitecture?



Drivers of today’s information architecture• Business drivers

– Better match with heterogeneous nature of theenterprise

– Contribute to cost savings– Match changing nature of supply chain– Become a competitive advantage for us

• Internet drivers– Match next step in the Internet and the Web– Manage increasing security vulnerabilities

• Cost drivers– Cut costs of application integration– Allow our IT investments to be made at our pace

• Improve our future proofing



Traditional Network Security

Risk Exposure

Today

Gro

wth

of b

usin

ess a

nd g

over

nmen

t ser

vice

del

iver

y

on th

e In

tern

et

Increased use of Internet: who: clients, customers, employees, teachers, suppliers/partners where: office, regional centre, school, hotel, home, branch office

$

time

Widening gap



4. Discovery based linkages



Communication between two devices without knowingeach other in advance

These new systems are different from other distributed systems in that they

concentrate fully on providing a convenient way for devices to communicate

without knowing each other in advance.

Discovery in hardware devices is wellestablished: Bluetooth, Jini, 802.11, USB, …

Business directories provide the analog to devicediscovery in distributed systems



Discover, connect, and exchange data



Discovery based linkages in our firms



5. Much hyped XML WebServices

Definition: Web Services are self-contained, modular applicationsthat can be discovereddynamically and invoked over theInternet



ApplicationLayer

Email(SMTP)

Web(HTTP)

TCP

IP

…EthernetMobile phone

Infrared ATM

TransportLayer

InternetLayer

LinkLayer

Cable Satellite

…

The TCP/IP Protocol Architecture

Internet Standards



ApplicationLayer

The TCP/IP Protocol ArchitectureEmail

(SMTP)Web

(HTTP)Audio/Video

(RTP)

TCP UDP

IP

…

…EthernetMobile phone

Infrared ATM

TransportLayer

InternetLayer

LinkLayer

…

Cable Satellite

…

…

File Access(NFS)

Internet Standards extended to video



In 2002, the tech vendors agree on Web Services

In the pre–commercial era (pre-1994), the Internet standardswere set by a world-wide community of scientists andscholars.

In 2002, amazingly, the technology vendors agree on thestandards for Web Services

XML/SOAPMessages

Transport

Business processes

Combining processes to formcomplex business services

Discovering services

Function

Web on Internet

WSDL to describe processes/services

PO, credit check; loan request,shipment; invoice, payment

Language = BPEL

Business registriesDirectory = UDDI

ExampleAccepted standard

Web Services

layers



Promising, but not quite ready for prime time

• Security

• Robustness of infrastructure

• Performance data (on reducedintegration costs and time)

• Still new work to be done– Trusted directories

– Validating the business languages

– Service levels, provisioning, …

Current limitations of Web Services



IT requires less technical knowhow and much deeperbusiness 'know-when'

The familiar Spreadsheet is both simple and comprehensive

Linking and combining business services can be this simple and powerful



Steps to take now• Take an inventory of integration projects

• Assess readiness of the organization

• Support both organizational effort andtechnology steps which address gaps

• Begin exposing silo functions as services

• Instrument these services

• Think on new cultural model that theseservices enable

• Encourage research efforts inratings/reputation -- towards reputabledirectories



Some hints of a future aided by Web Services

• M and A competitive advantage– advantage accrues to both the acquirer and the acquired

• Integration within the heterogeneousenterprise

• Integration via discovery• More effective use of extended enterprise• Automatic trading (computers hooked to

different Web sites)

• Internet Email and the browser gave usPayPal and eBay and banking self service --these mundane cases were transformational!!

But don’t forget: KISS



Summary

• Today’s extended enterprise (business,university, government, army)

• Revisit Internet fundamentals

• An information architecture to match today’senterprise

• Discovery based linkages

• Much-hyped XML Web Services

• Some future-proofing steps

Documents

Information Architectures After The Internet Frenzy · J. Craig Mudge Ph. D. September 2002 Australian Davos Connection Information Architectures After The Internet Frenzy Dr. Craig