| Over the past few years I’ve been exposed to many different IT environments as part of a wide range of SOA initiatives for clients in both private and public sectors. While doing some work on a project for a client in the defense industry, I had an opportunity to learn more about not just their technical landscape, but also the various policies and procedures that are specific to the defense culture. During this time I came across the DoD Standardization Program, an initiative comprised of documents and specifications that establish guiding principles and standards for various aspects of the military, including the design of weapons and military equipment, as well as the definition of methods and processes used by military personnel.
While reading about this program, I learned that several other standardization programs have been in existence for some time, facilitating standardization within public sector organizations (such as the Coast Guard and NASA), as well as numerous private sector industries. The goals of these programs tend to revolve around the establishment of industry standards to enhance interoperability with the ultimate objective of reducing operational overhead, reducing risk, and increasing the organization’s overall effectiveness.
In the case of the aforementioned public sector-related standards, interoperability may refer to the exchange of equipment or weapons or the exchange and collaboration of personnel from different locations. |