Toolkit

Story: How to talk to Microsoft about Linux

• 
• 

Sigh...

It's a straightforward article really. Ask real-life though questions when confronted with FUD. It's as simple as that.

This Microsoft Roadshow is nothing more then FUD. So why do some (perhaps with commercial motivations?) try to counter-act with more FUD?

Answer: they don't know any better and hope that their FUD will fool you to spend even more budget dollars on their "great" advise.

What has that done for you in the last past 10 years? Ever increasing budget demands, more overhead, more problems, more comprimises and less security.

Their answer? Spend more, restrict more, comprimise more and swallow a lot. Granted, most have already become used to that.

However, if you can't see it's time for something else by now then you're obviously in the wrong job...

Then again, anyone who doesn't know any better would disagree with the above. Question is, would you want to employ one of those? And do you think your competition will?

I especially like the usual FUD response: "if you know what you're doing then Windows is safe". Yeah, at what price, time frame, effort, (business) risk, etc.? Usually followed by the remark: "Windows is easy, just click, run and ready". Yeah, just as easy as how to secure it, right? Not!

Or, "it's Microsoft's IP and market demand will solve all". Yeah, as if no choice will lead to choice somehow. Simply ask your CEO what kind of power he wishes the company would have if he could make anything happen and then how he would like to be on the receiving end of that once it would be the case. Most likely is that you won't get a honest answer.

Any fool can succesfully toast your Windows environment. Hackers and your trusted administrators and employees alike. Plenty of click, run and ready tools around to achieve just that. And yes, this includes using various products as they're supposed to be used.

Sure, Windows environments can be made safe. But do you know how? Do you have the budget for it? Do you have the stomach for it? Would you like to work at such a place? Can you maintain that level of security for several years without having to rewrite prognosed budget expectations? Will your competitors do the same?

In you answer "no" or "maybe" to anyone of these questions then it's time to look around. There's always more then one way to solve a problem. One only needs to be creative and innovative enough. Question is, are you for the amount of salary (or fee) you're receiving?

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Full Talkback thread