Author: Sebastian Holst

I am pleased to be able to offer 5 complimentary passes to the OCEG IT Forum being held at the Harvard Club in Boston on May 9th and 10th. I have already written about this conference in previous entries here – the conference focuses on the role of technology and the IT organization in governance, risk and compliance management.

This is not a technical conference – it is a conference on how all stakeholders can best utilize, prioritize and deploy IT and technology resources. Participation cuts across executive, line of business and senior technology roles and includes diverse perspectives including presentations from the CEO of Deloitte Consulting, CCO of Sun Microsystems, CSO of Bose, Sr. Director of IT Internal Audit from Microsoft, VP of enterprise risk research from Forrester and many more.

The registration fee is over $1,200 –this offer of complimentary registration offers educational and networking opportunity to the those that care about these issues. If you think you or someone in your organization would benefit –please email me directly at sebastian@gilbane.com.

(For full disclosure – I am the co-chair of this event and that is how I am able to extend this offer).

The OCEG IT Forum is gathering steam in its pursuit to establish a recurring annual curriculum of connected conferences and publications for IT and GRC professionals. OCEG has combined with The Integrity Institute , The Institute for Internal Auditors and the CERT/CC to produce a series to address the complex issues surrounding the application of technology to the rapidly evolving discipline of governance, risk and compliance management. The conference is being co-chaired by Michael Rasmussen, VP of risk management and compliance at Forrester Research and myself and is being supported by a growing number of sponsors led by diamond sponsor Deloitte Consulting LLC.

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…with a subtitle of Technology, Process & Organization – The 3 pillars of adoption
Evolving governance, risk and compliance (GRC) management requirements (process) and a raft of new technologies to automate, coordinate, monitor and audit those processes are enabling, or shall I say forcing, significant shifts in organizational structure. While changes within finance, legal, HR, risk and compliance offices are certainly profound, IT organizations have a unique two-front battle on their hands. Obviously, IT has to get its own house in order – document and put into motion an effective and sustained IT governance program. This should not be confused with the second broader and more strategic challenge of application and technology expansion in support of finance, legal and the rest of their internal constituents. The critical importance of sustaining effective GRC programs and the central role of technology as an enabling catalyst makes the successful adoption of GRC technology one of the most important operational challenges of the day.
It is for all of these reasons that I am very excited about the recent work of the Open Compliance and Ethics Group and the soon to be announced OCEG IT Forum.

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The problem with extra-curricular BLOGS

The problem with extra-curricular blogs (those that are not connected to your day job), is that it’s very difficult to set aside time to write much of any interest. Well, in order to maintain any momentum on my little blog, I am inserting a TOC for future blog entries…I wonder, does predicting future structure in a blog violate the spirit of a blog or extend it?

Anyhow, here is a preview on some of the areas of confusion surrounding compliance management that are particularly irksome to me. I will try to knock-off a few of these topics every couple of weeks. If you have any comments – don’t hesitate to kibitz!

• Compliance DOES NOT equal compliance management
• Sarbanes-Oxley IS NOT a content management problem
• Complete ignorance of US Sentencing Guidelines on effective compliance management MATTERS
• …SO DOES supporting multiple regulations
• The bridge between compliance and performance
• The role of IT in overall corporate compliance (versus IT governance)
• The role of Software as a Service in overall compliance

I think that’s enough for now…. see you soon!

A year (or two or three) ago, I contributed a regular column to www.gilbane.com and came to enjoy having an alternative outlet for my musings. The theme then was “tribal knowledge – a monthly column dedicated to dispelling hi tech myths and sharing life’s lessons.” Well, I am not sure how many new “life lessons” I may have to share – but I can say with absolute confidence that “hi-tech myths” continue to breed, multiply and prosper. Having crossed back into “the dark side” of the business as my analyst friends privately call the enterprise software industry, I am going to narrow my focus to the latest white hot hi tech category – compliance. So, this is just a “hello world” posting – giving fair warning that I have a long list of double talk, meaningfully ambiguous terminology and self referential world views that I am looking forward to skewering – and I hope someone out there will enjoy reading these postings as much as I anticipate writing them. Thanks for the forum Frank.

Gilbane Report to Host Open Webinar Series on Content Technology Best Practices
11/18/03

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mattel and Unisys to share strategies that work in first installment of ongoing webinar series.

Contact: Sebastian Holst
sebastian@gilbane.com
+973 5 GET CMS (+973 543 8267)

Cambridge, MA , November 18, 2003. The Gilbane Report announced that it will host an ongoing webinar series on content technology best practices as told from the enterprise consumers’ perspective. The series complements the popular Gilbane Report conferences and publications and further extends the Gilbane Report community. “This webinar series is the first public work to come from the Content Technology Works™ Program (CTW) announced in September,” said Frank Gilbane, Founder of The Gilbane Report. “These online events provide our audience with direct access to leading enterprises that are making content technology work today. Regardless of your background, everyone can learn from the success of others.”

The first seminar, “Content Categories That Work”, will be held on Dec. 16, 2003 at 12:30PM EST .

To register, visit http://gilbane.raindance.comselect “View Scheduled Events” and then the “Register” icon.

Learn how three companies, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mattel and Unisys, make sense of the content technology world for the benefit of their organizations, partners and customers. Other scheduled webinar topics include “Tips and Techniques for Adoption” and “Measuring Value, Managing Expectations.” For more information on The Gilbane Content Technology Works Program, visit www.gilbane.com/technology_works.html. “If you have ever been confused by analyst jargon or vendor-centric presentations, this webinar series offers an antidote,” said Sebastian Holst, Senior Editor of The Gilbane Report. “In fact, all material from the CTW program is jargon-free, authentic and opinionated because it comes straight from the enterprises that are making this technology work. Unfettered and complimentary access to this high quality content is made possible by our partners: Software AG, Sun Microsystems, Atomz, Artesia Technologies, Convera, Context Media, INSCI/WebWare and Vignette.”

About Bluebill Advisors and The Gilbane Report

Bluebill Advisors, Inc. ( www.bluebilladvisors.com) serves the content management community in three distinct ways: publications, industry conferences and professional services. Our publications include The Gilbane Report, a content technologies industry standard with thousands of subscribers in 85 countries and a public portal at www.gilbane.com. Our conference business is in conjunction with our subsidiary, Lighthouse Seminars ( www.lighthouseseminars.com), and our partners Medialive International, AIIM International, IDEAlliance and TechnoForum. Services include management consulting, marketing services and implementation strategies for enterprise users, technology vendors, investors and analysts.

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