Today, I’ll be talking about a topic that most business owners often struggle with when it comes to technology infrastructure: security vs Ease of Use.
When I started in this business in the 90s, I was working with a pediatric surgery group who had plenty of specific requirements: their patients wanted privacy, but also needed an easy to use system. The practicing doctors and staff needed something that was easy to use, but also powerful. So I began to formulate a simple way to explain their options.
I’ve summarized the situation with this handy little graphic:
What we see here above is called the security/ease of use/functionality triangle. As one method of explaining the situation, let’s look to manufacturing. Manufacturers are often face with a similar triangle, often explained with the simple expression “Light,Strong, Cheap, pick two” which is a common problem in engineering generally.
Simply explained, you must make trade offs when it comes to building systems, and your business infrastructure is no different. If you want an easy to use business infrastructure it will either lack functionality, or it will be insecure, or some combination of both.
As an example, let’s look at the hugely popular iCloud backup, which makes the news regularly for exposing its users to hacking. iCloud is unarguably one of the easiest backup solutions around: you simple “turn it on” (and of course pay the monthly fee) and it “just works.” Until it gets hacked. Now let’s assume a less than scrupulous actor somehow manages to figure out your iCloud password. If you had not enabled iCloud backup for, say, photos, then that actor would not have access to your photos. Similarly, if you checked the box for “iCloud backup” then it’s likely that actor has access to *all* of your files, which is less than desirable. So: ease of use: check, functionality:check, security:not so much.
Your response might be: well hacking is rare, so it’s not an issue. But remember, many at Apple can also access your data, since it is NOT stored in an encrypted manner, so at some level, that actual security is basically zero.
On the other hand, let’s say you set up your own solution (or we help you set one up) where your delicate documents are not stored on iCloud but instead stored on a local device that you attach regularly. Now, if someone accesses your password, they don’t have access to much. Similarly, if you do lose your device, it’s no big deal: you have a back up. However, you must connect the device regularly, daily in fact if you want complete protection. Whatever you haven’t backed up since your last connection would be lost otherwise. So secuirty, check, functionality, check, ease of use, not so much. That may be a small price to pay for someone whose privacy is critical, a celebrity for example. And if that audience had been made aware of the glaring problems with iCloud, they may well have decided NOT to use it. Oh well.
The moral of the story is this: there is not perfect solution to such complex problems. But don’t let that worry you because there is the optimal solution for you and your needs.
At Hawaii Mac Support, we’ll help the average home user understand the risks and benefits of all of your technology. If you’d like to organize your tech, get in touch.
For business: Just as that pediatric practice had very specific needs and plenty of questions, we find most business need help defining the “optimal” solution. In fact, without defining things properly, it is impossible to measure the results. We have partnered with Intrit to help you diagnose the most effective path forward for your business. Each business has its own sets of needs, and making sure you have the perfect solution for you particular business is critical to your success. If you’d like to set up an audit or get help with your Information Systems, get in touch.