i've moved

i've re-started my blog here. the new blog title reflects a broader coverage of topics. but i'll still cover everything and anything related to Managed File Transfer. Cheers!

Flush the Flash

Is that a security exposure in your pocket…? Organizations are starting to turn their attention to the widespread use of USB flash memory sticks. During a recent tour meeting customers across the US in November, I discovered that USB memory sticks were starting to be banned by several companies, mostly in Financial organizations. The main concern is the ease with which sensitive data could be loaded onto these sticks and from there end up in all kinds of places, with little control over who might see it and no idea what the exposure could be. It’s bad enough if you’re able to detect a security exposure, but worse still if the first you hear about it is on the evening newscast. A story today from the bbc.com site shows that Government organizations are banning the memory sticks now. Whilst viruses that lurk on memory sticks are clearly one part of the problem, the issue of where the data could end up is also part of the headache. Completely banning memory sticks may work for organizations where going through metal detectors is a daily activity, but that’s not (yet) the case in the majority of companies, and doesn’t solve the issue for home-workers. Will notebook machines appear on the market without USB ports for cautious organizations? Perhaps. Will spot checks be conducted for memory sticks? Unlikely. If organizations made it easier to share and use files than having to wrestle with memory keys and hunt for the USB port? Probably. Can Managed File Transfer offer an easier way than USB sticks to securely share and use large files in the future? Definitely.

Dizzy

Ok - so it took me a while longer to post again than I'd hoped. Truth is that Labyrinthitis is no joke. It took until October before the symptoms went completely. Now it's gone I consider myself very fortunate. Some poor folks wait years to recover! The Web can be a great resource, but sometimes it's better not to look for things you have and learn too much about what you've got(!) Anyway, this dizzy, nauseous sensation reminds me of something: the feeling many organizations have when they find out they’re about to be audited. Audits come in different shapes and sizes. We’re audited from time-to-time too about the way we build our software. Whatever the driver is for an audit – whether it’s to check on the process by which software is created or whether it’s to check that financial reports are accurate and up-to-date – there is one common thread: proving it by documented evidence. Without the written evidence – and proof about when it was made and that it couldn’t have been changed later – it’s very hard to satisfy any auditor. (I think there’s a misnomer here by the way: “audit” means "to hear" – but auditors really want to see – so perhaps they should be called “perlustrors”?) The point is this: If an auditor strolls into your offices next week and asks you to show them that when the people in finance send their reports to the other departments (for instance) those files always get there, none go astray and none get partly sent... are you ready? Lots of large organizations I talk to aren't. As regulations tighten it's going to be harder to ignore those dark and dusty parts of the organization where things work "Ok" but you really can't demonstrate (prove) it's working as it should, protecting financial information and making sure it's timely and accurate. It's making lots of organizations feel very dizzy right now. But unlike labyrinthitis, where you just have to sit it out and wait, there is a cure for this: Managed File Transfer.

Well that was unexpected

So I had great plans to write again a couple of hours after my first ever blog post... And I was sharing my concerns about not being particularly good at writing regular notes like this. And then it hit me. During one a planning session with the software development team I began to feel dizzy. Not unusual perhaps. After all we're wrestling with some pretty bid decisions right now as to the future of IBM WebSphere MQ following our major release last month (http://www.ibm.com/webspheremq/v7). WebSphere MQ is our core messaging product and the backbone of 10,000 customer's business - not least our's too. Anyway, it was something much more than the pressure of strategic planning and shared weight of responsibility: Acute Virual Labyrinth Infection, Dr Short told me. Which basically means that something really nasty is playing havoc with my inner ear. You get to experience the effects of a really bad hangover - but for a few days. There goes the week! Fortunately I'm working with an excellent team who were able to pitch in and cover the customer briefings I'd been looking forward to. There is so much interest in Managed File Transfer among our clients I'm giving brieifings every day. It's great to see how enthusiatic clients are about what we're doing in this space. And for me personally, I'd had more client contact in the last month than I'd had in 12 before it.

So - this morning I feel good enough to type. It's been 90 hours since this inner ear thing struck. But I've got to be careful because looking at the screen too much will start the spinning up again - as I discovered yesterday. But I do need to cut to the chase! Managed File Transfer is our latest project from IBM Hursley. We're building a brand new product right now to provide the ability to manage (audit, configure, monitor etc) the movement of bulk data in files and documents. We made our first announcement on July 8 which you can read about here. Hmmm. Getting that dizzy feeling again. I'll take a break and tell you more in a bit. Look after your ears!

Here we go!

Well, I finally did it. I joined the world of blogging. I'm looking forward to sharing what we're up to and how we're doing it. Seriously I'm worrying how I'll find time each day to tip-tap away here, but I guess I'll be pinching scraps of time during the day. I've never written in a diary before so time will tell whether I keep this going. That said, I'm never short of things to say about Managed File Transfer! I love this space. Later on today I'll post some background on what got me into this business.