Maneuver Warfare in IT: A Cheerleading Pundit

The Twitter conversation between Christofer Hoff and I went like this

Jun. 15, 2009 09:44 AM

The Twitter conversation between Christofer Hoff and I went like this:

Christofer - I haven't formally blogged a resp. (yet) to @Kevin_Jackson on his 'maneuver warfare in IT' Not just a cultural shift but a huge tech. one

Kevin - @Beaker I'm looking forward to your comments.

Christofer - @Kevin_Jackson I want them to be constructive, so I'll do my best. I'm having trouble with the reality distortion field vs. unicorns ;)

Kevin - @Beaker LOL

I strongly recommend that you read his response titled "Cloud Computing Security: (Orchestral) Maneuvers In the Dark?". It begins:

"I enjoyed Kevin’s piece but struggled with how I might respond: cheerleader or pundit. I tried for a bit of both."

The challenges he had with my article, include:

Mixing tenses in some key spots seemed to imply that out of the box today, Cloud Computing can deliver on the promises Kevin is describing now. Given the audience, this can lead to unachievable expectations
The disconnect between the public, private and military sectors with an over-reliance on military analogies as a model representing an ideal state of security operations and strategy can be startling
Unrealistic portrayals of where we are with the maturity of Cloud/virtualization mobility, portability, interoperability and security capabilities

His last couple of paragraphs, however, really brings it home:

"It’s absolutely a cultural issue, but we must strive to be realistic about where we are with Cloud and security technology and capabilities as aligned. As someone who’s spent the last 15 years in IT/Security, I can say that this is NOT the “…dawning of a new day in IT security,” rather it’s still dark out and will be for quite some time. There is indeed opportunity to utilize Cloud and virtualization to react better, faster and more efficiently, but let’s not pretend we’re treating the problem when what we’re doing is making the symptoms less noticeable.

I am absolutely bullish on Cloud, but not Cloud Security as it stands, at least not until we make headway toward fundamentally fixing the foundational problems we have that allow the problems to occur in the first place."

Please read his post and comment. This is a GOOD conversation !!

Follow me at http://Twitter.com/Kevin_Jackson

▪ Expanding Maneuver Warfare in IT

About Kevin Jackson
Kevin Jackson is currently an Engineering Fellow with NJVC, one of the largest information technology solutions providers supporting the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Prior to this position, he served in various senior management positions including VP, Dataline LLC, Director Federal for Sirius Computer Solutions and Worldwide Sales Executive for IBM. His formal education includes MSEE (Computer Engineering), MA National Security & Strategic Studies and a BS Aerospace Engineering. Jackson graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1979 and retired from the US Navy earning specialties in Space Systems Engineering, Airborne Logistics and Airborne Command and Control. He also served with the National Reconnaissance Office, Operational Support Office, providing tactical support to Navy and Marine Corps forces worldwide. Kevin is the founder and author of “Cloud Musings”, a widely followed blog that focuses on the use of cloud computing by the Federal government. He is also the editor and founder of “Government Cloud Computing” electronic magazine, published at Ulitzer.com. google-site-verification: google25c59f8091bf6ea5.html