System administrators and programmers are feeling the pinch of numerous regulations that are interfering with how they do their jobs.

Editor's Note: This article is an extract of the white paper "You Don't Trust Me Anymore!" available free from the MC White Paper Center. 

This may be the cry of your teenagers as you impose earlier curfews and restrictions on where they can roam. But usually, they've done something to deserve the curbs you're trying to place on their behavior. Unfortunately, the cry I often hear is coming from administrators and programmers as restrictions are being placed on their actions and the functions they are allowed to perform on the system. The difference between these folks and your teenagers is that they haven't done anything to "deserve" the restrictions. And that's their complaint: "What have I done? I've never stolen from the company and never will. Why are you taking away my ability to perform my job?"

The problem is that they are victims of the laws and regulations that are forcing organizations to more strictly control access to the system and provide separation of duties. I believe these restrictions are harder to stomach in the iSeries community than elsewhere because we are such a loyal bunch and totally dedicated to our work. The thought, therefore, of placing restrictions on one's job functions, or system access, is often personally offensive.

I can't blame administrators and programmers for their reaction. However, they need to understand that the changes are not personal and have nothing to do with whether or not the organization trusts the employee. If an organization doesn't trust an employee, I dare say that the employee would be let go!

No, this is an issue of business implementing sound business practices. It's a wise business decision to reduce user access so that they cannot accidentally upload data when they only intended to download a fresh copy of a file into their Excel spreadsheet. Even more common than choosing to implement sound business practices, organizations are imposing more restrictions in order to come into compliance with numerous laws and regulations being imposed on them.

Want to learn more? Download the complete white paper "You Don't Trust Me Anymore!" from the MC White Paper Center.

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Carol Woodbury is IBM i Security SME and Senior Advisor to Kisco Systems, a firm focused on providing IBM i security solutions. Carol has over 30 years’ experience with IBM i security, starting her career as Security Team Leader and Chief Engineering Manager for iSeries Security at IBM in Rochester, MN. Since leaving IBM, she has co-founded two companies: SkyView Partners and DXR Security. Her practical experience and her intimate knowledge of the system combine for a unique viewpoint and experience level that cannot be matched.

Carol is known worldwide as an author and award-winning speaker on security technology, specializing in IBM i security topics. She has written seven books on IBM i security, including her two current books, IBM i Security Administration and Compliance, 3^rd Edition and Mastering IBM i Security, A Modern, Step-by-Step Approach. Carol has been named an IBM Champion since 2018 and holds her CISSP and CRISC security certifications.

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