October 19, 2009 - No Comments
The Anti-Malware Testing Standards(AMTSO) workshop in Prague last week was attended by diverse multi-national organizations, cultures, and personalities. This paired with an agenda focused on ethical standards at the core resulted in an excellent setting to observe international business theories in practice. Ethically controversial topics included the creation of malware, marketing practices, and AMTSO member responsibility.
Business education promotes the understanding of different business cultures and standards. When within our moral bounds, we are taught to accept those differences and customize our business in the interest of stakeholder gain. This mindset leads to compromise because we learn to dance with anyone, including the devil, in the interest of some type of perceived profit. Ironically, during dinner with fellow AMTSO members, a peer commented that the MBA degree would lead to the end of the world. Many in the security community share this opinion, including the very popular blogger Alex Eckelberry, who takes the opportunity to mention the “MBA moron” when opportunity presents itself. What is lacking, and cannot be taught in MBA theory, is discretion of when and how to apply modern business theories.
The AMSTO workshop was a prime case study of when culturally accepting MBA attitudes have no place. Rather, to avoid compromise, “Let’s get it right” was echoed several times over the course of workshops. When creating standards in the interest of global computer security, agreeing that everyone’s view is okay will not produce results. I’m happy to report that the passionate member opinions and group discussions were not a dance, but rather 2 days of hard work that producing proper standards.
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