Tag: application failure

We’re sure that by now, you’ve seen all of the stories about last week’s computer turmoil at the New York Stock Exchange, United Airlines, the Wall Street Journal, and TD Ameritrade.  And as a top-level executive you’ve probably launched an internal review, or at least asked yourself, “Could it happen here?”
The simple answer is, unfortunately, “yes, it most definitely could.”

Digital transformationis a project many business executive leaders have recently taken on, especially those in banking and financial services. These organizations are competing to digitally transform front-end systems that are connected to brittle legacy systems. The subsequent failure to identify the structural vulnerabilities in combined applications, produces security and reliability issues the negate the value of digital transformation.

My six-year-old can tie her own shoes. I honestly did not realize how big of a deal that was until her teacher told me a few months ago that she had, for a short time, become the designated shoe tier in her classroom. Apparently, thanks to the advent of Velcro closures for kids’ shoes, nobody else in her kindergarten class knew how to tie their shoes.

I’m not one who believes in fortune tellers or those who claim to be able to predict the future. Heck, I don’t even read my horoscope and cringe whenever someone attempts to force it upon me. Only when my wife has attempted to read me my horoscope have I offered even as much as a polite “hmm.” Nevertheless there are many out there who swear by those who claim to be able to predict the future, especially in the financial industry.

Before I could enjoy my Father’s Day brunch this past weekend, I found myself with a list of things to do around the house – cleaning out the garage, vacuuming the car, replacing our mailbox which “someone” in my family (not me) ran over. The latter of these tasks, of course, required that I go out and purchase some tools and supplies – a new post, new box, numbers for the box and a post digger - to get the job done.

Catchy slogans are catchy for two good reasons – the put an extremely true point into very simple, succinct language. This is probably why they call these true, simple statements, “catch phrases.”

One of the most effective catch phrases of my youth was for a product called Fram Oil Filters. Sometime in the 1970’s, Fram came out with a set of television and radio commercials where a mechanic would explain how a simple thing like replacing your oil filter on a regular basis could prevent major engine problems. The catch phrase uttered by the mechanic at the end of each commercial was, “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later.”

Almost everyone has heard about the Titanic and the sinking of the unsinkable.  I guess if you assume your ship is unsinkable, having only 20 lifeboats for a few thousands people seems reasonable.  Maybe it gets overlooked when there are so many important “features” to get right on the maiden voyage.   I’m sure the pressure to ensure the comfort of hundreds of VIP’s must have been immense.  Sometimes it takes a real disaster for change to take place.

I’ve never been much of a horror movie fan. I think my deep-seated love and background of history and my fascination for things that are real diminishes my ability to kick back and allow my wits to be uprooted by monsters and other ghoulish figures like Jason from Friday the 13^th or Freddie Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street.

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said that "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." But decades after Lombardi's Green Bay Packers dominated the NFL, a new slogan joined the sports lexicon - "moral victory."

One of my favorite television shows these days is one of the highly successful USA Network dramas called “White Collar.” The plot revolves around a stellar FBI agent and a highly educated criminal mastermind, who specializes in art thefts and forgeries, whom the FBI agent brought to justice. The FBI agent then turns the criminal into a consultant to the FBI and together they go on to flourish as a crime-fighting team, clearing 94% of their caseload.

My father was proud of his military service. He believed that young men and women could learn a lot not only from having served in the armed forces, but from having actually experienced the stress that comes with "taking fire."