My Favourite Tipples from an identity & access management expert
Jinfo Blog

By Jon Bentley

Abstract

My Favourite Tipples are shared by Jon Bentley, commercial director at OpenAthens. He highlights some of his top online resources for keeping on top of new ideas in areas from digital marketing to scholarly publishing and authentication.

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I've worked in and around digital technology for many years and the pace of change hasn't stopped. I don't think it's getting faster but it's certainly not slowing down.

Our team, our tools and our ideas have to be relevant to this point in time. This requires a continual scanning and occasional deep dive into what other people are thinking and doing. We need to be prepared to move - and move quickly - in other directions if we see risks or opportunities. And dealing with change is about knowing what to let go of as much as trying new things. We can't do everything - but we can keep moving forward.

• Digiday: Big ideas at speed clash in the world of digital marketing and publishing. It's a different world to the one I work in now, but the different perspectives can create parallel insights into the issues we wrestle with at OpenAthens.

• The Scholarly Kitchen: Big ideas - in depth. Many authentication issues can appear arcane and specialist. The range of thoughtful and knowledgeable contributions offers a counterbalance to our internal worldview. The articles can be very provocative - and usually in a good way.

• Tim Harford: A writer and broadcaster, reading his site ensures I encounter ideas I rarely find elsewhere. His book "Messy" delivers essays on organisational health and success metrics for a business I've not seen elsewhere. A valuable and powerful message on avoiding the dangers of "groupthink" for a business.

• OpenAthens: I have to declare an interest as I work for OpenAthens but the OpenAthens website puts, in one place, all the ideas and views I'm most interested in! Whether it's research or internal blogs, it's the best place for me to find out what we're getting up to in different areas, such as corporate research like this.

For fun:

• The London Review of Books: I've subscribed for years and there is always something to make you stop and think. Want to know more about the bitcoin hysteria? Find out where it started by reading this Andrew O'Hagan article. 

An article in Jinfo which I found particularly interesting:

• When the Jinfo reports cover something in our area, the objective view is very valuable. A rational and informed perspective from a third party challenges our own opinions and received wisdom. It takes time and money for us to do something similar, so reports like this one on authentication and access solutions are of great value.

Contribute your "My Favourite Tipples"

Would you like to share your "My Favourite Tipples" with the Jinfo audience? For contributor guidelines email catherine.dhanjal@jinfo.com or visit the Publish with Jinfo page.

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