W3C Workshop on Internationalization,
Cisco Systems Inc. Position Statement,
IT Infrastructure Internationalization (i3).


Workshop Date and Location
2002/Feb/1/Fri, Washington DC, USA

Author
Konstantin Kalaitzidis
Program Manager, IT Infrastructure Internationalization (i3), Cisco Systems Inc.

Disclaimer
THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF NONINFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

References
Reference 1: “W3C Workshop on Internationalization - Cisco Systems Inc. Position Statement #1 : IT Infrastructure Globalization”, by Garrey Learmonth, IT Architect, Cisco Systems, Inc. 2002/Jan.

Context
The mention of the word “internationalization” brings up thoughts of multilingual/multicultural content development, multilingual application development, and in general user interface issues associated with language and culture. This association is vital, but inadequate.

IT Infrastructure Internationalization (i3) is a framework that can transform the way a company does business worldwide, by establishing a web infrastructure that delivers consistent, rapid, and reliable performance anywhere, anytime. i3 is a critical but overlooked component of internationalization that needs further examination.

Summary
IT Infrastructure Internationalization (i3) is an overlooked area of internationalization that can result in tremendous benefits for a company doing business in the international markets. Proposed for discussion here is the development of a model that correlates the i3 components, to assist in the internationalization of IT architecture and infrastructure.

Definitions
For purposes of this discussion, an infrastructure environment is defined below:

i3 : IT Infrastructure Internationalization.

i3 Components : (All the components that make up this i3 model)
1. Hardware and software
2. Administrative functions
3. Attributes

i3 Architectural Components : (IT Infrastructure hardware and software)
1. Applications and Content
2. Middleware
3. Databases
4. Application/Web Servers
5. Operating Systems
6. Information Security
7. Networks

i3 Administrative Functions : (IT Infrastructure Administrative functions)
1. Content Development
2. Application Development
3. Database Administration
4. Application/Web Server Administration
5. System Administration
6. Information Security Engineering
7. Network Administration

i3 Attributes : (IT Infrastructure Attributes)
1. Performance (consistent and rapid response)
2. Availability
3. Reliability
4. Stability
4. Scalability
5. Security
6. Support
7. Localization

i3 Model
The development of an i3 model requires a clear understanding of the correlation among the i3 components, and the identification of boundary conditions such as languages, geographic locations, etc. The model can then assist Internationalization Engineers in the design, testing, certification, deployment, and support of an internationalized architecture and infrastructure.

General Expectations from the Workshop
1. Exchange of views with our IT colleagues in the W3C membership. What has been tried, what does not work, what does work.
2. Establish partnerships with W3C, and its members, and collaborate on identifying challenges and developing solutions in the area of i3 and internationalization in general.
3. Creation of a new working or interest group focusing on i3.

Proposed Topics to be Addressed at the Workshop<
1. Definition of “Globalization”, “Internationalization”, and “Localization”.
(Consider the negative connotations of the term globalization lately).
2. Definition of “IT infrastructure”
3. Internationalization test tools
4. Internationalization certification criteria
5. Identification of i3 interdependencies
6. Bandwidth challenges and solutions
7. Design of Bandwidth and locale intelligent apps
8. An architecture optimized for internationalization
9. Acceptable performance criteria for international marketplaces
10. Language sets and their influence on architecture and infrastructure designs
11. Internationalization of architecture and infrastructure, challenges and solutions
12. Mobile application challenges and solutions
13. Metrics for measuring i3 (and internationalization in general) readiness.
14. Cost reductions resulting from infrastructure internationalization
15. Reduced time to world markets - internationalize once, localize many
16. Increase customer satisfaction - Improve user interaction by internationalizing
17. Using i3 to strengthen your relationship with existing customers
18. i3 as an enabler to expand customer base
19. i3 and its potential positive impact on sales
20. Solutions that scale - anytime, anywhere
21. Distributed Computing - Geographically distributed architecture and infrastructure
22. Internationalization of Web Services
23. i3 modeling


Potential Contributions and Solutions from Cisco Systems
1. Participate in Internationalization Working or Special Interest Groups
2. Cisco operates in over 65 countries, with major IT operations in AsiaPac/Japan, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. The expertise of Subject Matter Experts with practical experience in the world market place can be leveraged to address challenges in the area of internationalization.