Stuart Berman

I'm a corporate network security guy with 2 kids

This blog is first and foremost for the sake of my children that as they mature they may have better insight into who their Dad is. My more intimate thoughts are kept in a separate and protected section (for everyone's sake).

I thrive on challenges which cause me to combine and stretch the limits of my skills and talents into measurable achievements and contributions which result in "Tikkun Olam" (are a true benefit to people) [but literally in Hebrew means 'repair the world']. A small example of this is my Master's Project program to bridge the 'gap' between business and academia - benefitting students, businesses and schools by revealing the soft skills Information Science students will need to enter their professional careers.

I have a passion for learning new subjects or increasing the depth of existing knowledge.
I am interested in cross discipline truths which may be applied into areas that seem to lack the benefit of such knowledge. An example of is the work of Christopher Alexander, an architect who practiced and wrote about patterns in building design - this work was adopted by Object Oriented software designers for use in programming languages. Often this is considered 'horizontal thinking'.

The strife between development and "Green" (perhaps 'The Lexus and the Olive Tree') is resolved in 'sustainable development' (Patrick Moore) or 'Green by Design' (William McDonough) and I want to be involved.

I have a keen interest in globalization and an avid reader of Thomas Barnett's works. His insights into security and connectivity offer a useful parallel into my work in Information Security.

"Lean Thinking" principles deliver what consumers want best and creates the best work environment - I embrace these principles fully and consider the adoption by manufacturers inexorable and consider how this can be leveraged by IT, and even in the home!

The positive power of our humanity in the workplace needs to be realized, tools like LinkedIn as a social networking tool and understanding personality (www.keirsey.com) get me excited at the possibilities they offer.

My personal 'self actualization' is to bring the Jewish principle of "Tikkun Olam" (fixing broken things) to bear in our work and personal lives. Here we acknowledge in the secular world our spiritual natures.