We confess: C5IS does not spend a great deal of time perusing reports by the European Commission, even when the topic is export for dual-use weapons and ISS technologies. Hence the time lapse in noticing that our work is cited as source for the Commission's "FINAL REPORT: Data and Information Collection for EU Dual-Use Export Control Policy Review" authored by Stockholm … [Read more...]
Gartner, Frost & Sullivan and the Red Light District of Industry Analysis
A veneer of objectivity surrounds major IT analyst organizations like Gartner and Frost & Sullivan - the belief that reviews and recommendations are entirely based on merit and cannot be influenced by cash. In fact the opposite is true. For companies that wish favorable coverage or inclusion in the much revered “Magic Quadrant,” getting in the door with Gartner is … [Read more...]
2016 C5IS Predictions
As a rule, C5IS eschews predictions. The vagaries of life and business tend to make fools of seers. Much of what comes to pass defies the “science” of data analytics, arriving out of the blue as a total surprise that no one and no system has the power to foretell. Sometimes the best forecasts are contrarian -- “bets” deemed by most to be statistically the least likely to … [Read more...]
Cisco: Encryption Backdoors and the Art of Public Posturing
In a joint letter to the White House, Cisco Systems and other tech companies including Facebook and Google earlier this year joined privacy advocates in defending the right to use strong encryption, and opposing mandatory “backdoors” that would permit government access to customers’ encrypted data. But hold on. Cisco and other network equipment vendors by law already provide … [Read more...]
Introducing “Surveillance Industry Buyer’s Guide”
C5IS is at work on a unique product: the first-ever Surveillance Industry Buyer's Guide. The new book will be "one of a kind" -- a ground-breaking compendium and review of the world's leading surveillance companies by category type. The Guide will be available to C5IS members only. In the coming weeks we will share key data from the book here as a preview of the final … [Read more...]