Relating Systems Integration to Knowledge Management (and other classes)

So I'm sitting in Knowledge Management class now, where Dr. Stucke is proctoring for Dr. Gallivan, who is stuck in China somewhere.  We're about to watch a YouTube video, so I figured this is a good time to blog instead of taking my customary nap.

I'm trying to link the Systems Integration class with the Knowledge Management class in my mind, maybe somebody has some ideas.

First, my definition of Knowledge Management (KM) is the art/science of linking up knowledge seekers with knowledge keepers.  This can be done through knowledge management systems (codification of knowledge, usually knowledge stored in a database, etc.), social knowledge management programs (personalization of knowledge, this can include email, conferences, IM), or knowledge in the community (like in blogs and social networking).

I think KM relates the most to Systems Integration ideas when the KM codification approach is used.  Here's how I think we can link KM with SI:

Let's say we want to make a database driven Intranet to hold and store knowledge, and we want to link or integrate the KM database with an employee database, perhaps using ETL on way to a data warehouse.  Well, whenever you are linking two databases, using ETL, or a data warehouse, we have moved into the realm of Systems Integration!

I was blogging to Asha about this on another posting - that really no matter what you're doing in Information Systems, that Systems Integration plays an important role.  Without integrating systems, you just have information systems silos that may be important by itself, but silos are very weak when information or data needs to be shared.

I never considered Systems Integration before this class, but now I see it everywhere, and it feels like a fog has been lifted.  Now the next time I'm dealing with a system or thinking about implementing a new system, I will think of how it will possibly need to be integrated later.

Anyway, the YouTube video is ending, I have to pay attention now.  Does anyone have any thoughts of how Systems Integration relates to their other classes?  Thanks!

Shibboleth

I did small researches on Shibboleth in Wiki and Shibboleth's web site :

Shibboleth (pronounced /ˈʃɪbəlɛθ/ or /ˈʃɪbələθ/) is any distinguishing practice which is indicative of one's social or regional origin. It usually refers to features of language, and particularly to a word whose pronunciation identifies its speaker as being a member or not a member of a particular group. The term originates from the Hebrew word "shibbólet", which literally means the part of a plant containing grains, such as an ear of corn or a stalk of grain or, in different contexts, "stream, torrent".

Shibboleth® System:

The Shibboleth System is a standards based, open source software package for web single sign-on across or within organizational boundaries. It allows sites to make informed authorization decisions for individual access of protected online resources in a privacy-preserving manner.

Because I have some library cataloguing experiences, this method reminds me of Dewey decimal classification. But under the name I can see that it uses a method similar to Object-oriented design to manage those individual accounts. Using this method, the account management will be able to manage the accounts more effectively and efficiently. Last September I joined a presentation sponsored by Deloitte Consulting. They introduced a role-based method to manage the identities in the industries and used a similar way to present how to manage the accounts. How is Shibboleth related to this role-based identity management? Perhaps we will ask our speaker again.

With the coupling of more technologies, Identity Management becomes more urgent not only in academia but also in industries. In ING, every year we test access controls to a large amount of financially significant applications. Without appropriate management on these access controls, the company or the university might incur great financial risk and reputational risk.

Systems Integration Philosophy - lessons learned from this class

I want to share some random thoughts I have about Systems Integration while sitting on the couch eating M&Ms.  Here are some things I've learned that will forever change my view on integration.

My first thought is that this is an extremely complex subject.  I never thought about systems integration much before coming into this class, but after taking this class and learning about the myriad of technologies available, it seems to me that no one can know much about all of these technologies, and the more you know the more superficial the knowledge is across the board, as the technologies are so varied and different.  In fact, I think you can make a whole undergrad or grad degree called MS Systems Integration, for example, and that still wouldn't be enough.

Also, as new and newer technologies emerge, you need more and more techniques for integrating systems, which is sort of a rehash of what I just said, but from a different angle.  The ERP is a relatively new advent, and think of all the technologies associated with it.  Think of all the integration technologies involving the web, databases, servers, etc.  Because there are so many new technologies, it's hard for anyone to keep up with them.  So like most technologies, specialization becomes very important.  So you can be a database integration expert, an application integration expert, an ERP implementer, but I doubt you can be an expert in all the kinds on integration, unless you're just an exceptional superstar.

Another thought - where would the world be without integration?  What good would all these technologies be if they cannot interoperate?  I always thought of technologies as more of standalone islands, but the key is getting them all to talk in a meaningful way.

Another - what does the future hold?  I wonder if the trend will continue of the technologies becoming more and more sprawling, or if we'll start to see more standards and fewer ways to have to integrate systems.  Will the integration of systems become more graphical, automated, and intuitive?  Or will they become more flexible and require coding?  Will they rely more on things like APIs where you don't need much back-end knowledge?  Will there more of a push to open source integration?  As Microsoft loses more and more of its grip on future market share, will systems integration become yet even more complex?  Is there going to be a large vendor that specializes in just integration?

Wow, it's enough to make your head spin.  I really enjoyed learning about all these, but the more I learn, I realize I know less and less.  But the first thing to learning is knowing what you don't know, realizing what's out there, and then you can pick and choose what fits your needs and become expert at it - and go from there.

Are there any other philosophical thoughts on systems integration out there? Am I right in assuming the present is extremely complex to warrant high specialization and even its own degree?  Will the future become even more or less complex?  As I finish my bag of M&Ms, I'm curious to know what you think.  I have a free bag of M&Ms to the best response.  Blog on!