An enterprise architecture framework for multi-attribute information systems analysis

Enterprise architecture is a model-based IT and business management discipline. Enterprise architecture analysis concerns using enterprise architecture models for analysis of selected properties to provide decision support. This paper presents a framework based on the ArchiMate metamodel for the assessment of four properties, viz., application usage, system availability, service response time and data accuracy. The framework integrates four existing metamodels into one and implements these in a tool for enterprise architecture analysis. The paper presents the overall metamodel and four viewpoints, one for each property. The underlying theory and formalization of the four viewpoints is presented. In addition to the tool implementation, a running example as well as guidelines for usage makes the viewpoints easily applicable.     

Automatic data collection for enterprise architecture models

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is an approach used to provide decision support based on organization-wide models. The creation of such models is, however, cumbersome as multiple aspects of an organization need to be considered, making manual efforts time-consuming, and error prone. Thus, the EA approach would be significantly more promising if the data used when creating the models could be collected automatically—a topic not yet properly addressed by either academia or industry. This paper proposes network scanning for automatic data collection and uses an existing software tool for generating EA models (ArchiMate is employed as an example) based on the IT infrastructure of enterprises. While some manual effort is required to make the models fully useful to many practical scenarios (e.g., to detail the actual services provided by IT components), empirical results show that the methodology is accurate and (in its default state) require little effort to carry out.     

Yet another cybersecurity risk assessment framework

IT systems pervade our society more and more, and we become heavily dependent on them. At the same time, these systems are increasingly targeted in cyberattacks, making us vulnerable. Enterprise and cybersecurity responsibles face the problem of defining techniques that raise the level of security. They need to decide which mechanism provides the most efficient defense with limited resources. Basically, the risks need to be assessed to determine the best cost-to-benefit ratio. One way to achieve this is through threat modeling; however, threat modeling is not commonly used in the enterprise IT risk domain. Furthermore, the existing threat modeling methods have shortcomings. This paper introduces a metamodel-based approach named Yet Another Cybersecurity Risk Assessment Framework (Yacraf). Yacraf aims to enable comprehensive risk assessment for organizations with more decision support. The paper includes a risk calculation formalization and also an example showing how an organization can use and benefit from Yacraf.

     

Architecture analysis of enterprise systems modifiability: a metamodel for software change cost estimation

Enterprise architecture models can be used in order to increase the general understanding of enterprise systems and specifically to perform various kinds of analysis. The present paper proposes a metamodel for enterprise systems modifiability analysis, i.e. assessing the cost of making changes to enterprise-wide systems. The enterprise architecture metamodel is formalized using probabilistic relational models, which enables the combination of regular entity-relationship modeling aspects with means to perform enterprise architecture analysis. The content of the presented metamodel is validated based on survey and workshop data and its estimation capability is tested with data from 21 software change projects. To illustrate the applicability of the metamodel an instantiated architectural model based on a software change project conducted at a large Nordic transportation company is detailed.     

Using enterprise architecture analysis and interview data to estimate service response time

Insights into service response time is important for service-oriented architectures and service management. However, directly measuring the service response time is not always feasible or can be very costly. This paper extends an analytical modeling method which uses enterprise architecture modeling to support the analysis. The extensions consist of (i) a formalization using the Hybrid Probabilistic Relational Model formalism, (ii) an implementation in an analysis tool for enterprise architecture and (iii) a data collection approach using expert assessments collected via interviews and questionnaires. The accuracy and cost effectiveness of the method was tested empirically by comparing it with direct performance measurements of five services of a geographical information system at a Swedish utility company. The tests indicate that the proposed method can be a viable option for rapid service response time estimates when a moderate accuracy within 15% is sufficient.     

Influence of coating system composition on moisture dynamic performance of coated wood

Model coatings with known composition were assessed for liquid water permeability both as single coat systems and combined as primers and topcoats to form regularly used coating systems—in total 38 different systems. The water permeability of the coatings, expressed as water absorption value, was measured by a method similar to the method that now is proposed as a European standard for the assessment of liquid water permeability. During artificial weathering, the samples were measured for a water absorption value, thus showing the change in water permeability as a function of weathering. The study has shown that an excess of surfactants in the alkyd emulsions has a negative effect on the coating’s ability to exclude water from the test samples. A waterborne acrylic paint based on a dispersion of larger particle size (0.4 μm) showed a poor ability to exclude water compared to a similar paint based on smaller dispersion particles (0.1 μm). The alkyd emulsion paints, as single coats, showed high water absorption values compared to solventborne paints and acrylic paints. P.O. Box 5609, SE 114 86 Stockholm, Sweden     

Uptake and release of fatty acids by rat adipose tissue: Last in—First out?

Fatty acid labeled chyle was administered iv to ad lib fed rats. At intervals from 1 hr to 50 days later rats were killed and pieces of their parametrial adipose tissue were incubated in vitro with norepinephrine. The specific radioactivity of the mobilized free fatty acids was compared to that of tissue glycerides and that of tissue free fatty acids. The results indicate that fatty acids taken up by the adipose tissue do not mix immediately with the bulk of tissue lipids and that the mobilized free fatty acids do not pass through the tissue free fatty acid pool.     

Discolouration of white coatings applied on kiln- and air-dried scots pine lumber

During drying, the low-molecular weight (LMW) sugars and nitrogenous compounds are redistributed and accumulated at the lumber surface. These soluble substances may migrate into coatings and cause discolouration. The aim of the present study was to determine the susceptibility to discolouration of white coatings, applied on kiln- and air-dried lumber surfaces with different content of LMW sugars and nitrogen. The differences in the discolouration were more distinct between the coatings than between the drying treatments. Planing had no significant effect on the discolouration, which proved that the different content of soluble substances at the original and planed surfaces did not induce significantly different discolouration. The type of drying and the actual contents of soluble substances at the surface, played a minor role in the discolouration process. The discolouration of all five coatings can be characterized as “fading”, due to decreased colour saturation and lightness.     

Modeling Security of Power Communication Systems Using Defense Graphs and Influence Diagrams

The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for assessing the security of wide-area networks (WANs) used to operate electrical power systems. The framework is based on the formalism influence diagrams and the concept of defense graphs and facilitates a so-called consequence-based analysis of the security problem. The framework is also capable of managing uncertainties, both related to the efficacy of countermeasures and the actual posture of the supervisory control and data-acquisition system. A model over WAN attacks and countermeasures and experiences from applying the framework are described.