...drive it like you stole it!...

Friday at last!

Work hard, play harder!  Remind yourself what is truly important in life.

Give it no less than 110% each and every day.

For all of my hard working friends, family and co-workers, this is YOUR anthem.

I give you the man himself...

Big SMO!

System Complexity is the Problem

Complexity is the antithesis of Information Security.

Hats off to Thomas Dullien for his excellent analysis of numerous aspects of supply chain, processor architecture and software security.

A compelling, easy to understand analysis.

Link to Video Lecture

...Government Over Reach...

The US Government "Encrypt Act"...why not?

...hmmm....That pesky 10th Amendment thing...

First step might be to gain State, Local and Federal consensus on just what "CIP" means. 

Consensus takes you a step closer to a shared risk model with a firm grounding in quantitative analysis. 

There are large state and local investments for critical infrastructure parts and pieces that pre-date Federal Govt involvement that need to be addressed.  Heavy handed "fear, uncertainty and doubt" based approaches will fall on deaf ears of knowledgeable decision makers, as well they should. 

Not to mention that the "Encrypt Act" will mandate LEO back-doors in the encryption that will be exploited instantly by the black hat cracker for hire community. 

Then we start the compromised consumer credential circus all over again.  We remember how this played out with Equifax (Teflon US Govt approved monopoly).  This will create yet another Teflon US Govt Monopoly devoid of oversight.

Some tasty "glasnost" on the Encrypt Act

...Maximum Effort - Leadership...

Great Leaders are not born, they get fed up with poor leadership and make a personal commitment to do better when they are put in a leadership position.

Organizations reward positive results, which, are mostly focused on short term gain.  Effective Leaders focus on long and short term gains, striking a balance between, personnel, customers and profits.  It's the smart play.

My top Leadership references:  "The Absolutes of Leadership", by Phil Crosby; "The Starfish and the Spider", by Rod Beckstrom; and "Leadership in the Shadows", by Kyle Lamb.  An esoteric mix I know, take a look and always remember...

A great manager, is seldom a Great Leader.  In business you must, "...Lead, Follow, or get our of the way!...", so says my Lakotah Great Grand Father.

Rod Beckstrom speaking on his excellent "starfish" book.

...setting expectations...and getting what you need...

If you want great results, learn how to set expectations with your team like a BOSS!.

Clearly communicating expectations, while gaining and maintaining agreement on deliverables, is the key to a culture or individual accountability.

A team that self organizes and internalizes both individual and team accountability is unstoppable.

Success is enhanced when ambiguity is eliminated.

Thus clear communications, agreement and follow up are key success factors.

For expectation to thrive, don't under estimate the power of "time boxing" deliverables, as a matter of fact, go ahead and time box everything.  You'll be glad you did.

Some great, in depth follow up on "time boxing".