Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Podcast Series

Latest Episodes:

Applying Agile in the DoD: Eighth Principle Oct 09, 2014

Show notes

In this episode, the eighth in a series by Suzanne Miller and Mary Ann Lapham exploring the application of Agile principles in the Department of Defense, the two researchers discuss the application of the eighth principle: Agile processes promotes sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

A Taxonomy of Operational Risks for Cyber Security Oct 07, 2014

Show notes

Organizations of all sizes in both the public and private sectors are increasingly reliant on information and technology assets, supported by people and facility assets, to successfully execute business processes that, in turn, support the delivery of services. Failure of these assets has a direct, negative impact on the business processes they support. This, in turn, can cascade into an inability to deliver services, which ultimately impacts the organizational mission. Given these relationships, the management of operational cybersecurity-related risks to these assets is a key factor in positioning the organization for success.In this podcast, Jim Cebula, the Technical Manager of the CERT Cybersecurity Risk Management Team, discusses a taxonomy that provides organizations with a common language and terminology they can use to discuss, document, and mitigate operational cybersecurity risks. The taxonomy identifies and organizes the sources of operational cyber security risk into four classes: (1) actions of people, (2) systems and technology failures, (3) failed internal processes, and (4) external events. This podcast is based on an SEI technical report and blog post. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Agile Metrics Sep 25, 2014

Show notes

As the prevalence of suppliers using Agile methods grows, these professionals supporting the acquisition and maintenance of software-reliant systems are witnessing large portions of the industry moving away from so-called "traditional waterfall" lifecycle processes. The existing infrastructure supporting the work of acquisition professionals has been shaped by the experience of the industry—which up until recently has tended to follow a waterfall process. The industry is finding that the methods geared toward legacy life cycle processes must be realigned with new ways of doing business. In this podcast Will Hayes and Suzanne Miller discuss research intended to aid U. S. Department of Defense acquisition professionals in the use of Agile software development methods. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Four Principles for Engineering Scalable, Big Data Systems Sep 11, 2014

Show notes

In this podcast, Ian Gorton describes four general principles that hold for any scalable, big data system. These principles can help architects continually validate major design decisions across development iterations, and hence provide a guide through the complex collection of design trade-offs all big data systems require. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

An Appraisal of Systems Engineering: Defense v. Non-Defense Aug 28, 2014

Show notes

In this podcast, Joseph Elm analyzes differences in systems-engineering activities for defense and non-defense projects and finds differences in both deployment and effectiveness. This research is the result analysis of data collected from the 2011 Systems Engineering (SE) Effectiveness Survey performed by the National Defense Industrial Association Systems Engineering Division, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society, and the SEI. This analysis examined the differences in the deployment and impact of SE activities between defense-domain projects and non-defense projects. The analysis found significant differences in both the deployment of SE in the two domains and the effectiveness of the SE. The report identifies specific process areas where effectiveness in one domain is noticeably higher than in the other. Further research to understand these differences will benefit both domains by enabling them to share best practices. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

HTML5 for Mobile Apps at the Edge Aug 14, 2014

Show notes

Many warfighters and first responders operate at what we call "the tactical edge," where users are constrained by limited communication connectivity, storage availability, processing power, and battery life. In these environments, onboard sensors are used to capture data on behalf of mobile applications to perform tasks such as face recognition, speech recognition, natural language translation, and situational awareness. These applications then rely on network interfaces to send the data to nearby servers or the cloud, if local processing resources are inadequate. While software developers have traditionally used native mobile technologies to develop these applications, the approach has some drawbacks, such as limited portability. In contrast, HTML5 has been touted for its portability across mobile device platforms as well an ability to access functionality without having to download and install applications. In this podcast, Grace Lewis describes research aimed at evaluating the feasibility of using HTML5 to develop applications that can meet tactical edge requirements. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Applying Agile in the DoD: Seventh Principle Jul 24, 2014

Show notes

In this episode, the seventh in a series by Suzanne Miller and Mary Ann Lapham exploring the application of Agile principles in the Department of Defense, the two researchers discuss the application of the seventh principle: Working software is the primary measure of progress. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

AADL and Edgewater Jul 10, 2014

Show notes

In 2013, the AADL Standards meeting was held at SEI headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa. The SEI Podcast Series team was there, and we interviewed several members of the AADL Standards Committee. This podcast is the third in a series based on these interviews. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Security and Wireless Emergency Alerts Jun 26, 2014

Show notes

The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service depends on information technology (IT)—computer systems and networks—to convey potentially life-saving information to the public in a timely manner. However, like other cyber-enabled services, the WEA service is susceptible to risks that may enable an attacker to disseminate unauthorized alerts or to delay, modify, or destroy valid alerts. Successful attacks on the alerting process may result in property destruction, financial loss, infrastructure disruption, injury, or death. Such attacks may damage WEA credibility to the extent that users ignore future alerts or disable alerting on their mobile devices. In this podcast, Carol Woody and Christopher Alberts discuss guidelines that they developed to ensure that the WEA service remains robust and resilient against cyber attacks. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Safety and Behavior Specification Using the Architecture Analysis and Design Language Jun 12, 2014

Show notes

In this podcast, Julien Delange discusses two extensions to the Architecture Analysis and Design Language: the behavior annex and the error-model annex. The behavior annex represents the functional logic of AADL components and interacts with the other system elements. SEI researchers are currently participating in the ongoing improvements of this extension of the AADL by connecting it to other analysis tools. The error model annex augments the architecture description by specifying safety concerns of the system (error propagation, error behavior, etc.). The language is the foundation of new analysis tools that provide qualitative and quantitative assessment of system safety and reliability. SEI researches have defined new tools that analyze the model and produces safety validation documents, such as the one required by safety standard such as the SAE ARP4761. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

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