Thursday 28 July 2016

Coming together on being alone

In case you missed the news - the UK will exit the European Union in the coming years with the aim of gaining sovereign control of the nations future without the interference from the other 27 member states.  Whatever your views on the rights or wrongs of this decision - the outlook for the future and the UK’s role on the world stage - one global influence on the UK that is unlikely to alter will be the digital / cyber sphere.  Whilst undoubtedly governments can and do moderate the online world’s influence on their citizens, national borders on the world wide web are far harder to control than in the physical world.

A recent celebrity super injunction was challenged in the UK courts on the basis that the information it sought to protect was freely available and easily accessible on the internet for sites hosted and governed by other jurisdictions.  When it comes to cyber security, digital identity and online regulation, the larger the physical jurisdiction, the more global influence exists in how the online world operates.



At a recent digital / cyber / identity / security event that I attended, a relatively senior UK civil servant was presenting on behalf of their department’s view of upcoming EU cyber legislation; during the presentation they referenced a meeting earlier that day with the newly appointed cabinet minister for their department on what the opportunities post-Brexit were for the UK in cyber industries.  When asked for the outcomes from this topic the response was “I don’t think its appropriate for me to comment on that here”.  This was a room full of subject matter exerts from academic, industry and public sector looking for guidance and insight from the UK government - what more appropriate time could there have been to discuss this?

The UK currently plays a leading role in global cyber policy - providing thought leadership, global policy and development of international standards on a range of topics.  We simply cannot afford to lose our voice and influence if we’re to achieve the sovereign control that the decision to leave that EU was intended to deliver.  That means having strong leadership that gives a clear roadmap on the UK strategy for how we will adopt and interoperate with globally agreed objectives.  We simply cannot afford to be inward looking when it comes to the digital world.

The EU has a strategy for the Digital Single Market - so not only will we be negotiating our position in the physical Single Market, we’ll also be negotiating our relationship in the digital one too.  One of the key component of this Digital Single Market will be the electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market regulations (otherwise known as eIDAS).  The eIDAS regulations aim to enable secure and seamless electronic interactions between businesses, citizens and public authorities with electronic ID (eID) and electronic trust services (eTS).  Having a common framework for interoperability that permits cross border transactions is a key building block of the Digital Single Market.  The member states transacting in this market have standards based implementation of identity schemes, electronic signatures & seals, delivery services and website authentication.  All these electronic trust services will have legal validity within the member states. 

In eID, the UK Government have their interoperable eIDAS aligned service GOV.UK Verify - so on the face of it we’ll be able to access the Digital Single Market at least from this perspective; except that along with “the new way to prove who you are online” the GOV.UK platform is still promoting registration to the old way - Government Gateway; even for the services listed under the new way, the old way is still prevalent and often more prominent.  So our inward looking approach is already being promoted above the needs of the outward EU interoperable standard.


The answer to what are the opportunities for UK cyber industry post-Brexit are reliant on an updated Government Digital Strategy; we need to know whether we’re going to be more Estonia than North Korea as a nation when we have reclaimed our sovereignty.  We need bold leadership that outlines what our ambition is on the global stage; industry needs to know that digital UK has a return available on their investment; academia need to know the skills that future generations will need and they need to know that funding sources aren’t going to be strangled by our unwillingness to operate with a global outlook.  

If government can’t control its own departments under a single digital strategy whilst we’re faced with EU regulation being imposed, then what message does this send for our post-Brexit future?  We simply cannot afford to go it alone in the digital sphere - our opportunity to provide the thought leadership and influence of innovation, security, regulation and standardisation needs to be increased, not diminished.  

The UK Government is embarking in it’s biggest transformation programme ever - my earlier post on why transformation programmes fail, Rip it up and start again, highlights the importance of a clear strategy and vision.  In the digital sector we need to know how we plan to come together, otherwise we risk being very alone.

Read my other posts
Just in Case - From early adoption to maturity
I have control - Can we truly own our identity
Tipping the balance - Getting the right balance between security and user experience
You don't know what you're doing Poor security practices are putting users at risk 
I didn't say you could touch me - Biometric authentication and identity
You don't need to tell me - Impacts of the EU General Data Protection Regulations
I'm not the person I used to be - Authentication for real world identities
Distributed Identity has no clothes - Will distributed ledger technology solve identity
Bring Your Own Downfall - Why we should embrace federated identity
Unblocking Digital Identity - Identity on the Blockchain as the next big thing
Tick to Agree - Doing the right thing with customer's data
The Kids Are All Right - Convenient authentication: the minimum standard for the younger generation
The ridiculous mouse - Why identity assurance must be a rewarding experience for users
Big Brother's Protection - How Big Brother can protect our privacy
I don't know who I am anymore - How to prove your identity online
Three Little Words - What it means for your business to be agile
Defining the Business Analyst - Better job descriptions for Business Analysis
Unexpected Customer Behaviour -  The role of self-service in your customer service strategy
Rip it up and start again - The successful Business Transformation
Too Big To Fail - Keeping the heart of your business alive
The upstarts at the startups - How startups are changing big business 
One Small Step - The practice of greatness
In pursuit of mediocrity - Why performance management systems drive mediocrity

About me

Bryn Robinson-Morgan is an independent Business Consultant with interests in Identity Assurance, Agile Organisational Design and Customer Centric Architecture.  Bryn has near 20 years experience working with some of the United Kingdom's leading brands and largest organisations.

Follow Bryn on Twitter: @No1_BA


Connect with Bryn on Linked In: Bryn Robinson-Morgan

Wednesday 6 July 2016

One Small Step

The practice of greatness

The Nasa Juno mission arrived safely into its orbit around Jupiter.  Nearly five years of travel and over eleven years of planning went into that moment.  The culmination of hard work, dedication and brilliance of the Nasa team working towards a single goal: To understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter.  Upon receiving the signal from the Juno Spacecraft that its arrival was successful the team rightly celebrated – more memorable quotes entered into space exploration folklore.



"Nasa did it again.  That says it all to me. And I'm so happy to be part of the team that did that. I mean this team has worked so hard and we have such great people. And it's almost like a dream coming true right here.  The mission team did great. The spacecraft did great. We are looking great. It’s a great day." - Scott Bolton, Juno's principal investigator.

Now for most teams, the goal won’t be quite so grand; the impact not quite as significant.  Though should the celebration of success be any less important?  Every day when we go to work, we should know what goal we’re working towards – what difference we’re going to make and our how we’re progressing against our target.

Whether your team is working towards a weekly sales target, is managing against key performance indicators or service levels, or is delivering against time, cost and quality metrics, the importance of ensuring that everyone understands the goal and the role they play in achieving it shouldn’t be underestimated.  If you’re leading that team you have the responsibility for making it great.

“We did it again” – a great team delivers time after time.  Nasa didn’t send Juno off and check back on its progress after 5 years.  Every step of the way, every action, every moment was carefully managed by the team – with corrective action being taken whenever required to ensure that the trajectory towards success was maintained.

“I’m so happy to be part of the team” – a great team is a happy team.  We all have off days, stressful times, personal problems, work issues.  If you or any of your team are unhappy you need to address it and work out a solution.  Make sure that your team has the things in their hierarchy of needs to stay happy.

“This team has worked so hard” – hard work needs to be rewarded.  Appreciation isn’t just about monetary remuneration – a thank you; a lunch time meal; a trip to the park; a drink after work – reward your team and they’ll reward you.

“We have such great people” – building a great team is much easier if you resource it with great people.  Take the time to unlock their potential; recognise their strengths and support them with their weaknesses.

“It's almost like a dream coming true right here” – to make your goal a reality you need to know what success looks like.  Make sure everyone knows what is expected from them and let them know how they’re doing against those expectations – do it regularly and often.

“The mission team did great. The spacecraft did great. We are looking great. It’s a great day." – Reaching your goal should be celebrated as a great day.  Your great team got you there.  Make sure that they look great to themselves and to others.  Celebrate your success together and be proud to shout about your achievements.

Your team might not be going boldly where no team has gone before, they might not be changing the world.  Though remember, the practice of greatness involves just one small step at a time.


Read my other posts
Just in Case - From early adoption to maturity
I have control - Can we truly own our identity
Tipping the balance - Getting the right balance between security and user experience
You don't know what you're doing Poor security practices are putting users at risk 
I didn't say you could touch me - Biometric authentication and identity
You don't need to tell me - Impacts of the EU General Data Protection Regulations
Coming together on being alone - The need for a clear government digital strategy
I'm not the person I used to be - Authentication for real world identities
Distributed Identity has no clothes - Will distributed ledger technology solve identity
Bring Your Own Downfall - Why we should embrace federated identity
Unblocking Digital Identity - Identity on the Blockchain as the next big thing
Tick to Agree - Doing the right thing with customer's data
The Kids Are All Right - Convenient authentication: the minimum standard for the younger generation
The ridiculous mouse - Why identity assurance must be a rewarding experience for users
Big Brother's Protection - How Big Brother can protect our privacy
I don't know who I am anymore - How to prove your identity online
Three Little Words - What it means for your business to be agile
Defining the Business Analyst - Better job descriptions for Business Analysis
Unexpected Customer Behaviour -  The role of self-service in your customer service strategy
Rip it up and start again - The successful Business Transformation
Too Big To Fail - Keeping the heart of your business alive
The upstarts at the startups - How startups are changing big business 
In pursuit of mediocrity - Why performance management systems drive mediocrity

About me

Bryn Robinson-Morgan is an independent Business Consultant with interests in Identity Assurance, Agile Organisational Design and Customer Centric Architecture.  Bryn has near 20 years experience working with some of the United Kingdom's leading brands and largest organisations.

Follow Bryn on Twitter: @No1_BA


Connect with Bryn on Linked In: Bryn Robinson-Morgan