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It has been another interesting and dynamic year on the security and intelligence front and OODA Loop was there to cover it all. The following list is comprised of the Top 10 Sensemaking and Member Resources Pages of 2023 as determined by the number of page views for each page. We also included posts that are evergreen and still popular, achieving a “Top 10” number of views, but were not published this year, as well as a couple that did not make the top ten but were very topical sensemaking tools, tactical guides and reports which remain prescient and applicable.
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#1: The OODA Loop Explained: The real story about the ultimate model for decision-making in competitive environments: In this article Matt Devost and Bob Gourley provide practitioner’s context on a concept near and dear to our heart, the OODA Loop. In doing so we capture why this concept is so relevant to any competitive situation, including business and cybersecurity. The OODA Loop is an approach to decision-making developed by retired Air Force Colonel John Boyd based on his decades of experience as a pilot and extensive study of the greatest battles in history. OODA Stands for Observe, Orient, Decide and Act. It is called a loop to underscore the continuous nature of decision-making in dynamic, competitive environments.
#2: What Executives Need To Know About The 2023 Threat Assessment from the U.S. Intelligence Community: The Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community is an unclassified report released each year concurrent with Congressional testimony to Congress by the Director of National Intelligence. The report focuses on what the ODNI believes are the most direct, serious threats to the U.S. during the next year. OODA leverages the details of this report in our research and reporting, every year we use this as a foundation for updates on our threat assessments and our C-Suite report. We read the report looking for surprises or changes to assessments that need to be immediately highlighted to business leaders. This year we found several interesting nuances to bring to your attention.
#3: The Executive’s Guide To Quantum Computing: What you need to know for your strategy today: This guide captures key concepts and the status of major quantum computing research initiatives in a way meant to serve the needs of operational decision-makers. Our goal: inform you about the near future so you can make the right changes to your strategy today. After a review of some key quantum computing concepts we will provide an update on some of the most promising research initiatives and key use cases being explored. We then conclude with insights you can use for your strategic approach and a list of resources for further research.
#4: The OODA C-Suite Report: Operational Intelligence for Business Leaders: What is the value of an informed decision? At OODA Loop, we seek to surface decision intelligence that provides meaningful perspective for leaders and analysts looking to make the most informed decisions possible. This list below represents developments that fit the category of operating in a VUCA world, identifying and responding to Gray Rhino risks, or opportunities from advancements in emerging technology domains. These are issues we think our members should be tracking and mapping to collection requirements for our team to keep you as informed as possible. We categorize and summarize these big trends into Geopolitical Issues, Technology Trends, Cyber Risk Issues, and Recommendations for Action.
#5: The SEC Announces Final Cybersecurity Rules: What the C-Suite Needs To Know and Do: This report provides insights for corporate directors and the C-Suite including CISOs on the new SEC rules on cybersecurity. For over a decade the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been working with corporations and their many stakeholders to seek ways to appropriately influence corporate governance around cybersecurity. On 26 July 2023 the SEC voted to implement new rules for all publicly traded corporations (read the full rule here and the fact sheet here). The draft rules had been out for over a year, but the final rules have changed pretty significantly. This post reviews what you need to know and do now.
#6: A Traveling Executive’s Guide to Cybersecurity: One of the most frequent questions we are asked by global executives and their security teams is how to protect their information and technology systems while traveling abroad. With this in mind we built this reference with an eye towards serving the OODA members who travel abroad for business, especially those who will operate in a nation that is NOT a Western style liberal democracy. Of course, these tips also apply to individuals traveling abroad for non-business purposes or who just want to improve their overall individual security posture.
#7: Decision Intelligence and Establishing an Intelligent Enterprise: The greatest determinant of your success will be the quality of your decisions. We examine frameworks for understanding and reducing risk while enabling opportunities. Topics include Black Swans, Gray Rhinos, Foresight, Strategy, Stratigames, Business Intelligence and Intelligent Enterprises. Leadership in the modern age is also a key topic in this domain.
#8: A Complete Guide to The Pegasus Project, the NSO Group, and the Commercial Spyware Marketplace: While the recent EO banning commercial spyware use within the USG included a list of previous directives and legislative activity leading up to the directive, the real back story is found at The Pegasus Project – the global investigative reporting collaboration which broke the story on the NSO Group and the company’s “zero-click” surveillance software product, Pegasus. Find a complete guide here.
#9: John Boyd on Patterns of Conflict and the OODA Loop: John Boyd studied. He studied fighter pilot tactics, studied aeronautical engineering, studied bureaucrats and how to avoid their traps, studied evolution and biology, and studied history. And Boyd synthesized in a way that only a real practitioner of war could produce a briefing called Patterns of Conflict that is still having a big impact on the world today.
#10: The Quantum List Updated: Companies leveraging quantum effects for real-world functionality and security: OODA is tracking almost 1300 firms that leverage quantum effects to provide real-world functionality. Of these, we have selected 23 to bring to our network’s attention because of our judgment of the importance these firms are already playing in the domains of Quantum Computing, Quantum Security, Quantum Communications, and Quantum Sensing.
OODA Loop – Thinking Strategically About What Comes Next and How To Mitigate Risk: We asked our members for more feedback on which issues the OODA team of business, risk, and technology experts should help bring insights to. Inputs on this are already coming in and we expect to be asked to continue to focus not on a tactical day-to-day but on the longer-term strategic implications for business and government, including continued risk mitigation recommendations for supply chains, inputs on how markets for products and services change, and insights on how well governments will be able to control the escalation ladder they are all on right now. Over the last several months we have also held special workshops and OODA Salons working aspects of supply chain and other strategic risks for member benefit and provide some of the output of those below for reference.
Mental Models For Leadership In The Modern Age: This is part of a series providing insights aimed at corporate strategists seeking competitive advantage through better and more accurate decision-making. The full series is available at our special section on Decision Intelligence. Members are also invited to discuss this topic at the OODA Member Forum.
C-Suite Guide: Improving Cybersecurity Posture Before Russia Invades Ukraine: One thing a career in the intelligence community taught me is no model for predicting the future is foolproof. Every model and method has flaws. But when an adversary tells you what they will do you have to take that into account. And at this point, all indications from Putin are that Russia intends on invading Ukraine. This post is about what this means for organizational cybersecurity posture.
Cryptocurrency Incident Database: Over the past several years, there has been a rapid emergence of companies, projects, and initiatives in what is broadly categorized as Web3. While monitoring that rapid innovation, the OODA research team has noticed a disproportionately high number of cybersecurity incidents that have the potential to negatively impact the Web3 innovation ecosystem, disrupt customer adoption of these technologies, and result in consumer and enterprise monetary losses. OODA has compiled a Web3 incident database based on our research to categorize what compromises are taking place as well as document the cyberattack root causes. Tracking root causes provides insights into how innovators can create robust cyber risk management approaches and reduce the potential for consequential attacks. Reviewing the database leads to several conclusions on the need for improved risk mitigation. We capture many of our recommendations in this report on Web3 Security.
The Executive’s Guide To Artificial Intelligence: What you need to know about what really works and what comes next: The megatrend of Artificial Intelligence is transforming the algorithms of business in exciting ways. This reference, aimed at the business decision-maker, will help you make the most of AI in your organization. It provides clear articulations of fundamental concepts, succinct examples of highly impactful use cases, and tips you can put in place to ensure your AI projects stay on track to deliver value. We keep this online reference updated so you will always have access to the best of our thoughts. This reference is part of a series. Follow it with our special report on When AI Goes Wrong and our report on Artificial Intelligence for Business Advantage.
Back To The Basics Of Corporate Intelligence: A Practitioner’s View: This post is part of a series providing insights aimed at corporate strategists seeking competitive advantage through better and more accurate decision-making. The full series is available in our special section on Decision Intelligence. Organizations in competitive environments should continually look for ways to gain an advantage over their competitors. The ability of a business to learn and translate that learning into action, at speeds faster than others, is one of the most important competitive advantages you can have. This fact of business life is why the model of competitive success articulated by former Air Force fighter pilot John Boyd, the Observe – Orient – Decide – Act (OODA) decision loop, is so relevant in business decision-making today. In this business model, decisions are based on observations of dynamic situations tempered with business context to drive decisions and actions. These actions should change the situation meaning new observations and new decisions and actions will follow. This all underscores the need for a good corporate intelligence program.
Fine Tuning Your Falsehood Detector: Time to update the models you use to screen for deception, dishonesty, corruption, fraud, and falsity: This is part of a series providing insights aimed at corporate strategists seeking competitive advantage through better and more accurate decision-making. The full series is available at our special section on Decision Intelligence. Members are also invited to discuss this topic at the OODA Member Forum. The best business leaders are good at spotting falsehoods. Some joke and say they have a “bullshit detector”, but that humorous description does not do service to the way great leaders detect falsehoods. Bullshit is easy to detect. You see it and smell it and if you step in it it is your own fault. In the modern world, falsehoods are far more nuanced.
Guide For Business: Final checks for reducing risks in the face of nation-state cyber attacks based on White House advisory: The President has just announced he has indications that the Russians are targeting our national infrastructure for a possible cyberattack, saying all companies should prepare and raise defenses asap. This is an important announcement that should be taken seriously by all companies in every sector of the economy and by individuals as well. It is also the first time in history that a President has announced specific indications of a potential cyber attack from an adversary nation. This is absolutely worth paying attention to and worth thinking through your actions in response.
What Leaders Need to Know About the State of Natural Language Processing (NLP): This post seeks to illuminate major developments in computer language understanding in a way that can help enterprise and government leaders better prepare to take action on these incredible new capabilities.
It should go without saying that tracking threats are critical to inform your actions. This includes reading our OODA Daily Pulse, which will give you insights into the nature of the threat and risks to business operations.
Use OODA Loop to improve your decision-making in any competitive endeavor. Explore OODA Loop
The greatest determinant of your success will be the quality of your decisions. We examine frameworks for understanding and reducing risk while enabling opportunities. Topics include Black Swans, Gray Rhinos, Foresight, Strategy, Strategies, Business Intelligence, and Intelligent Enterprises. Leadership in the modern age is also a key topic in this domain. Explore Decision Intelligence
We track the rapidly changing world of technology with a focus on what leaders need to know to improve decision-making. The future of tech is being created now and we provide insights that enable optimized action based on the future of tech. We provide deep insights into Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Quantum Computing, Security Technology, and Space Technology. Explore Disruptive/Exponential Tech
Security and resiliency topics include geopolitical and cyber risk, cyber conflict, cyber diplomacy, cybersecurity, nation-state conflict, non-nation-state conflict, global health, international crime, supply chain, and terrorism. Explore Security and Resiliency
The OODA community includes a broad group of decision-makers, analysts, entrepreneurs, government leaders, and tech creators. Interact with and learn from your peers via online monthly meetings, OODA Salons, the OODAcast, in-person conferences, and Slack forum. Explore The OODA Community.
About the Author
Daniel Pereira is research director at OODA. He is a foresight strategist, creative technologist, and an information communication technology (ICT) and digital media researcher with 20+ years of experience directing public/private partnerships and strategic innovation initiatives.
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence