The first IT area has become a rather repetitive non-automated validation process for all systems, where it seems very little information is shared amongst all of the many software applications that use personal data. This is seems to go completely against the purpose of IT, which is streamlined information sharing. It also seems we are stuck in constant validation, with very few systems able to rely on saved security information. Although it is slowly advancing and improving, all phone systems still require a heavy and gets even heavier identity validation, to the point of the person losing or forgetting their own validation secrets. It is clear information is not saved, reused, automated, and is in fact irritatingly redundant and not just when it comes to passwords, but overall account management because each software application uses its own, following a standard, but does not share or automate security. Although we have biometric systems, they are underutilized, limited to just windows or cellular phone (mobile application) authentication and does not link to a centralized identity system where all accounts can be effectively managed, sharing and securing information. While it’s an exciting discovery and necessary problem to solve, it’s been twenty or more years since online or electronic account authentication and the development of systems has taken off, so confidence in seeing change in this area is low, when there is an excellent opportunity to not only improve security, but streamline and centralize the process.
This leads to information integration and developing a plan to share information across multiple platforms or applications, beyond just personal identifying details, but common data and data that supplements or is useful in other systems. This data was used for sale from business to business as marketing and advertising data, but that being an optional function managed by the law, it might be time to rethink the way information is shared in all systems, beyond just government, but also commercial applications used in Social Media.
The third topic reviews how the human computing system (the brain, mind, and body and it’s ability to interact with others) and comparing our systems engineering approaches to systems and interactive solutions to see if we have designed or are similarly designed and how one can be more improved. For example: Facial Recognition Systems are a similar human brain function to recognize a face, name, and store it in our databases (brain’s memory) to align with specific knowledge about that person, along with feelings and experiences. The computer systems have greater capability, but are not used in authentication or biometrics; only in the movies it seems, or in high security facilities. These areas partly exist in some systems, such as our licensing system, keeping specific identifying characteristics of persons as datapoints, even though the information changes and is not regularly updated. There seemst to be a lack of necessity and use of the information stored and no update process – or a laxed requirement of annual changes, when we now have systems that manage that information more effectively. An integrated systems management plan would solve this problem, but can’t if each systems is managed independently by system owners or site authorities.
Being careful not to venture too far in hollywood’s depiction of advanced computing, it’s easy to identify areas in need of improvement in IT, but the dangers of full integration is great if not architected properly, or if it’s now too late to integrate because engineers took an individualized approach to world-wide computing systems, without an effective sharing and update process. I can’t believe it’s not possible to change this.