29
Fri, Nov
0 New Articles

September 11, 2002: A Year of IT Reflection

Commentary
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

As the first anniversary of the terrorist activities of 9/11/2001 approaches, the role of IT has never been more important to the economic well-being of the nation and, in fact, of the planet. Yet the IT recession (and the economic slowdown generally) continues to inflict conflicting demands upon organizations and the IT infrastructure. How do we now define our IT security within our organizations? How do we evaluate the threat to each business enterprise? Is this threat physical in nature--as was the attack on the World Trade Center? Or is the threat more insidious, eroding our confidence in the systems upon which we rely?

Building Networks for Good and Evil

For more than 20 years, we in IT have been building networks to enhance and facilitate transparent business and personal interaction. It's been a rollicking ride on a technological rollercoaster, pulling together the latest gadgets, circuits, and software into an international infrastructure for communication and commerce. Cell phones, PDAs, desktop applications, Internet protocols, and high-function servers have distributed the power of technology out to every corner of every neighborhood in the United States, Europe, and most of the developed world. This power has transformed nearly every business activity, united Europe into a single currency, and enabled the capital markets to move resources from one continent to the next with the click of a mouse. Never in the history of human endeavor have the inhabitants of this planet been more connected, more in touch, and more in control of their personal resources and destinies. Never have more information and knowledge been more freely accessed. Never have individuals had access to more power to do good, to make wealth, to bring justice into the world.

Yet the events of 9/11 revealed the darker side of this same technological revolution. How? The same technology that delivered the resources to build our incredible IT infrastructure also conjured up and delivered the terrorists that piloted the planes on that tragic day one year ago. And although, in the final analysis, it was box cutters and Swiss Army knifes that forced the takeovers of the airplanes, there is no doubt that the functional network of terrorism itself would have been hard pressed to act in such a concerted and devastating manner without the use of our advanced IT technologies.

The Loss of Innocence

This is the more technologically insidious implication of 9/11: We have been victimized by our own tools and networks and devices. Placed in the hands of individuals who abhorred the technology itself, it is as though the culture of technology has been turned against itself. And in the blink of an eye, millions of us used our TVs and computers to witness the structural collapse of the World Trade Center. Just as the Twin Towers took down much of New York City's IT telecommunications, I believe it wiped out many of our long-held beliefs in the innocence and the resilience in IT, too.

On that level, then, is it any wonder that a year after those terrible events, the IT industry is in its worse recessionary period in 30 years? The official excuse is that the economy is in a cyclical downturn. But emotionally, I think we're all blaming 9/11. Our sense of powerlessness and loss about 9/11 is still impacting how our organizations feel about the prospects of rebuilding IT momentum.

Scapegoating IT

How does this psychology work? Let's examine it briefly.

For instance, we outwardly blame the failure of our government's intelligence gathering mechanisms, right? But aren't we really saying that our government's information technology failed? It's interesting to note that after 9/11 many IT industry leaders were quick to line up outside the doors of the U.S. Congress to push their individual corporate remedies. Then the finger-pointing began.

Some of these leaders proclaimed that it was the nature of the government's antiquated intelligence-gathering equipment that allowed the terrorists the freedom to act and that the government needed to reinvest in the newest and latest gadgets to overcome those obstacles.

Others said that implementing new software--variations of CRM or Knowledge Management--might prevent the possibility of future attacks by better tracking terrorist activities.

Still others said that relaxing the civil liberties for personal privacy in electronic communications--or strengthening the laws that govern communications encryption--should be important parts of any future security solution.

But after all the governmental hearings, wasn't the real message "Government failed to warn us, and its failure was based upon its flawed information systems!"?

Facing the Flaw in the Armor

Each proposed remedy has a significant price tag and each individual solution--if applied on a global basis to all of our networks and devices--would be enough to fuel recovery in the IT sector well into the future. Yet very little has been accomplished to implement any real change in how we manage our information systems, how we secure them, or how we might--as an industry--protect them. This is as true within the individual IT department as it is on the governmental level.

So is it possible that this subconscious scapegoating of IT by management is holding back investment and expansion? Has our nation's confidence in technology itself been so sorely shaken that it is hesitating to move forward? I believe it has.

Government and business today seem to be balking at the idea of further investment in IT systems. It is as though we all woke up on the morning of September 12, 2001, and realized that we had just gone through a technological nightmare that revealed a devastating flaw in our armor. In that dream, it is the technology itself that seems to be the real culprit behind our fear. And 365 days after the terrible destruction of the Twin Towers, we have yet to figure out how to face it.

Thomas M. Stockwell is the Editor in Chief of MC Press, LLC. He has written extensively about program development, project management, IT management, and IT consulting and has been a frequent contributor to many midrange periodicals. He has authored numerous white papers for iSeries solutions providers. His most recent consulting assignments have been as a Senior Industry Analyst working with IBM on the iSeries, on the mid-market, and specifically on WebSphere brand positioning. He welcomes your comments about this or other articles and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thomas Stockwell

Thomas M. Stockwell is an independent IT analyst and writer. He is the former Editor in Chief of MC Press Online and Midrange Computing magazine and has over 20 years of experience as a programmer, systems engineer, IT director, industry analyst, author, speaker, consultant, and editor.  

 

Tom works from his home in the Napa Valley in California. He can be reached at ITincendiary.com.

 

 

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: