A Comparative Analysis of Wiki Discretionary Access Control in a CONOPS Environment

This research conducts a comparative analysis of discretionary access controls of current wikis by experimenting with their discretionary access controls and functionality, comparing the wiki software cost of implementation, and comparing the scalability for possible enterprise use. Most importantly, the author will analyze wikis discretionary access control capabilities and suitability in regards to which wiki will be more beneficial in a particular CONOPS. The derivation of the author’s thesis focuses awareness on effective information allocation that is reliable and accurate while maintaining its confidentiality based upon some level of discretionary access control (DAC). In the author’s opinion, wiki technology enables near real-time information, fosters Communities of Practice (CoP), enhances collaboration, and reduces information stovepipes. The author will examine different wikis to determine which wiki DAC implementations are most suitable for different CONOPS objectives. To determine the best wiki complement with CONOPS objective, the author will conduct tests and a comparative analysis. The comparative analysis consisted of DAC mechanisms and administrator functions.