Currently Browsing : Stuart Gomersall

Spreadsheets in the enterprise, considering availability (pt 3/5) 0

Posted on 25, March 2014

in Category bsg insight

This post looks at the perspective of availability – defined for this purpose as “concerns unwanted withholding of information”. Availability is simply the ability to get what you want from the system when you need it. There should not be any barriers outside of the checks and balances that manage the other security perspectives in the CIADA model. Given that Excel is a fairly robust and prevalent industry application, there are not many software ‘features’ that may deliberately or inadvertently withhold information from its own users; though a side thought would caution against passwords only known by one person which [&hellip

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Spreadsheets in the enterprise, considering integrity (pt 2/5) 0

Posted on 17, March 2014

in Category bsg insight

Integrity This post looks at the perspective of integrity – defined for this purpose as “concerning the unwanted modification of data.” Modifying the data in a sensitive data set is a huge risk. Potential ruinous of the result in its entirety and in the context of a decision support system – it is the kind of thing that people lose jobs, homes and businesses over. Shockingly, people may even want to do this for selfish and malevolent reasons… and in an Excel world they can do this without a trace (almost – which is a thought for another post). The [&hellip

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Spreadsheets in the enterprise, considering confidentiality (pt 1/5) 0

Posted on 10, March 2014

in Category practitioner experience

Confidentiality For the sake of this post, I’ll define confidentiality as “concerns regarding the unwanted disclosure of information.” Confidentiality is complex as it is both role-driven and time-driven, i.e. sensitive data may only be applicable to me in my current role and for a specific timeframe after which it may become stale and elicit invalid results. Without deploying additional layers (e.g. using the file system layer to assign access via login to specific roles) neither angle is covered by Excel (or any Office-style application). Access is blanket applied – you are in or out of the loop. Hidden sheets help, [&hellip

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Are there senses of a BA? – Stuart Gomersall 0

Posted on 31, August 2012

in Category practitioner experience

Are there senses of a BA

So there are 5 special senses, we all know that. There are more subtle ‘senses’ like a sense of fear amongst others. But what are the senses of a Business Analyst? Someone who makes letters and numbers in a spreadsheet into a successful system or change initiative. Someone who makes the impossible possible. Someone who tames the wilderness. Here are some thoughts on the emergent senses of the evolving BA. > Common sense Several of my contemporaries, notably @ukadrianreed, have highlighted how common sense is a thing missing from many BA’s armoury at the moment. I fear that BA’s get [&hellip

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