The European Identity Conference EIC, which recently ended here in Munich, had many highlights, but for me personally the very best was the keynote by the Italian psychologist Dr. Emilio Mordini, CEO of the Centre for Science, Society and Citizenship CSSC in Rome, which he describes as a leading independent research centre specializing in advice on political, ethical and social issues raised by emerging technologies. His topic was “Secrecy in the Post Wikileaks Era“, in itself a fascinating subject, but where it got really entertaining and thought-provoking was when he turned to the subject of the „segreto di Pulcinella“, or Pulchinella Secrets.

Pulchinella, we all learned, is a bumbling, clownish figure from the Italian “commedia dell’arte”, a traditional folksy form of theatre that began in Italy in the mid-16th century and which is characterized by masked “types” performing often improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. According to Wikipedia, “arte” does not refer to “art” as we currently consider the word, but rather to that which is made by “artigiani” (artisans).

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Today marks a milestone in the history of KuppingerCole, since today is the day we welcome the youngest member of our team. Did I say “young”? Sorry, wrong word. Of course he isn’t really the oldest – that’s still me. But he ain’t exactly no spring chicken, either.

I’m talking about Craig Burton, of course. Yes, that Craig Burton. The guy who founded The Burton Group. The same guy who almost single-handedly defined what it means to be an analyst in the Identity & Access Management workplace. The one of the leading lights in our industry, grayest of “eminence gris” in a field where graying temples and even manes of white are becoming increasingly common.

Craig left the company that still bears his name quite awhile before they were acquired by Gartner, and he has spent most of his time working as a private consultant, at the same time performing the heartrending duties of a son during the final years of terminally ill parents. He is now a free agent once again, and he is eager to explore the future of an IT industry that he sees as becoming increasingly identity-aware in ways that many of us still can’t really imagine. His first post on his new KuppingerCole blog is entitled “The Living Web” and explores how the “Internet of Things” will change our lives perhaps more profoundly than the original World Wide Web.

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