IT vendors aren't prepared to tell users that they can't have the convenient and clever features that those same vendors have taught them to expect. Open and shut If people can't or won't be taught to lock their own doors, perhaps it's time to set a more easterly course by disclosing technology and inviting community improvement. For 20 years, people have been buying machines at home that are just like the ones they use at work, and have been doing the equivalent of putting personal bumper stickers on the cars from the company motor pool. Companies don't let people customize other shared resources at will. There's growing sentiment for going back to more centrally controlled IT architectures, with Microsoft promising IT managers fine-grained Software Restriction Policies in Windows XP server.
East is east, and west is west.
We can make systems work better by disclosing algorithms for scrutiny and improvement and by using advanced technology that makes security more transparent to users. We can make systems more controllable by adding more mechanisms that limit users to predefined paths, instead of letting them find their own best solutions in a universe of innovation. Buyers need to send clear signals to vendors as to which route they prefer. See more Off the Cuff columns. All Rights Reserved.