NIST Release Cloud Computing standards, guidelines and Final Reference Architecture

http://bit.ly/vlLcdL

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been designated by Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra to research and accelerate the adoption of the cloud computing model. As such, they have released their findings which seem to look a great deal like the IBM Cloud Computing Reference Architecture.

Still, this promises to cause Cloud Computing engagements to heat up, and consequently, more architecture and design opportunities for many of us who are willing to embrace the change. Please visit the link and take a look the NIST site for their latest updates.

Resource for Early-career IT Architects & Aspirants

Resource for New & Aspiring IT Architects:

https://wiki.sei.cmu.edu/sad/index.php/Main_Page

This site covers the implementation of the material explained in the Software Engineering Institute Series book "Documenting Software Architecture: Views and Beyond". It acts as a respository for the material of both 1st and 2nd addition. I highly recommend spending some time on this sight for early career architects and aspirants [such as myself] who may need a deeper understanding of what their deliverable requirements truly are, and the expectation of what they should possibly look like.

Infrastructure Architecture Building Blocks

Here is the link to a subject that is near and dear to my heart:

https://dya-knowledge.sogeti.nl/dir/DYA_Infrastructure_Repository

For those of you not envolved in the Infrastructure Architecture process, this can help you to gain some understanding of what is involved.

IT Architect Mentorship

http://bit.ly/mvBuKS

Iasa has the only world-class mentoring solution for architects and architecture teams in enterprise and technology architecture. We have world-class mentors including Iasa Fellows and Certified IT Architect Professionals. Don't forget to ask us about our corporate mentoring programs for architect capability and team development.

The program gives you a year to work with as many mentors as you would like. The mentoring sessions last 60 days (2 full months) and allow you to develop specific skills to help you in your day to day work. Each mentoring session will provide you many opportunities to work with experienced architects in the following areas:

• Focus Area: Business Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Information Architecture, Infrastructure Architecture and Software Architecture
• Industry: Retail, Grocery, Insurance, Defense, Banking, etc.
  
• Skill Area: Valuation Techniques, Presentation Skills, UML, Design, Architecture Descriptions, Leadership, Security, Reliability, etc.
  
• Next-Generation Technology: SOA, Cloud Computing, Mobility, Data Center, etc.
  

The program officially kicks off on August 1st, 2011 but we are only accepting 60 candidates in the first round. As an early adopter you will get additional time with mentors, the chance to work directly with the Board of Education and the Iasa thought leadership, and the opportunity to lock down mentoring with the worlds top architects. Additional candidates will be accepted after the first 30 days.

New Facilitators

Greetings fellow IT architects ! Many of you will have noticed that Craig S. is in need of a hiatus and has asked for assistance in moving our agenda forward. I, along with James, have accepted the challenge, endeavoring to do the very best that we can to keep our membership learning and growing.

In support of this effort, I would ask that each of you take a few moments out of your busy schedule and tell us what it is that you would like us to discuss in our meetings. Are there topics that you would like to see re-visited? Issues that you would like to see covered that have not been discussed yet? This is your group, and we can only make it as great as you would like for it to be.
Let's hear from you.

- Donovan Johnson

No ColARC until further notice

There will not be a ColARC meeting in May, or following, until I can find someone to organize them.

Family circumstances (good ones!) are preventing me from organizing ColARC or even attending any evening events. Anybody want to help?

April Meeting Announcement: AOGEA 2011 First Quarter Meeting

Please join the 2011 first quarter meeting of The Association for Open Group Enterprise Architects (AOGEA), Ohio chapter, whose purpose is to advance the enterprise architecture profession and professional excellence in IT Architecture in the Ohio region.

The meeting will be on Thursday, April 07, from 6-8 p.m., at 5515 Parkcenter Circle Dublin, OH 43017, in the Ivory Conference Room.

Agenda for the meeting:

• Registration and snacks
• Value of EA, Utilities Industry
  Pablo Vegas, CIO of AEP
• EA experience
  Srini Krish, CTO J.P.Morgan Chase
• A Plan For All Seasons - Achieving Strategic Alignment Through EA
  WebAge Solutions
• Q & A
• Vote of thanks

Tickets for the event are free, but you need to register to attend.

Join Us on April 7th for a Joint Meeting with AOGEA Ohio

The next ColARC meeting will be a joint meeting with AOGEA Ohio on Thursday, 7 April. Location and speakers will be announced soon!

No meeting in February

We will not have a meeting in February due to lack of a speaker. Please feel free to suggest speakers for future meetings! The next meeting will be a joint meeting with AOGEA Ohio, probably in March. The date will be announced here when it is set.