Posts by Red_Wolf_2

Useless

Pretty useless really, the shape could be resampled in via software (think, 3d printer emulator), which would strip the DRM from it, and give you the same shape/object.

*sigh*

This isn't new, I found exactly the same sort of attitudes existed back in 2007 when I wrote my honours thesis on the issue. (http://randomcontent.wolfnexus.net/RandomSite/index.php?cID=91 for anyone who is actually interested, I posted the introduction and abstract as my university hasn't moved past print yet.)

Fundamentally it came down to a separation in the aims of senior management of IT vs general business. You'd either get someone installed as CIO who knew nothing about IT (and would do a sub-par job on looking after it), or someone who knew IT, but was promptly relegated to the outer of senior management and not listened to.

While IT is not a utility, businesses often forget just how dependent they are on its operation. I know if I switched off all IT resources where I work, the firm would be completely unable to function. Additionally if anything ever breaks then "IT is useless, everything always breaks." Nobody remembers when things have been running flawlessly for months on end.

IT often forgets that there is more to the business than what they actually do. Without the business bringing in the $$$ there will be nothing to make the IT systems go. Always remember there must be an actual point to what you are trying to do, and a clear business benefit to it.

As for cloud computing and BYOD, there is always the spectre of security looming overhead. Businesses think convenience without always taking into account the risks (both technical and social) that comes with such things. BYOD is convenient, but can allow for uncontrollable intellectual property and data leakage. It also becomes a serious issue when investigating wrong-doing, as in many countries a company can not seize a person's own device for investigation purposes. As a business person or an IT person, ask yourself what could be done if a user with a BYOD device was suspected of theft, fraud or wrong-doing, or liked loaning their device to their partner, who works for a competing company?

Cloud computing is another fun world all together. Sure you can have contracts and can sue each other for loss of data, but if you lose a years records due to a stuff-up in the cloud, is any level of compensation going to save your business and reputation? What happens if the provider goes bust, or is bought out by a competing company that suddenly now gets access to all your files?

These are not issues commonly considered by business people, ("thats all technical stuff, you work it out!"), but if the smelly stuff hits the fan, who do you think ends up taking the blame?