How to keep technology from running amok

Even the best planned technology encounters interactions or issues can make things go haywire — it’s the stuff of Hollywood legends. The fictional HAL 9000 computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey, programmed to preserve the integrity of its mission, ended up killing space travelers.

But there are plenty of recent real-life examples of IT gone wrong and wreaking havoc, and even death and destruction.  Toyota is dealing with the most massive recall in its history (for software controlling the pedal assembly). A recently merged bank locked customers out of their accounts for two weeks (as the re-constituted institution attempted to merge two IT systems). A few weeks back, The New York Times ran an article on how a number of patients were overdosed with radiation with disastrous and tragic consequences.

We’re relying more than ever on systems and technology for our day-to-day existence and commerce, and at the same time, the impact of any system glitches are magnified to the nth power. My colleague Heather Clancy, in her latest post, points to our rising reliance on the ever-pervasive “Internet of things.”

We are straining under the weight of an over-reliance on information technology. And when something goes terribly wrong, will fingers be pointing at IT and software creators? Maybe we shouldn’t blame software creators when things go wrong. Look at corporate cultures that fail to provide the tools and support that provide for good governance and risk management.

I just co-presented a Webcast with Jeff Papows, CEO of WebLayers and formerly president of Lotus, on this topic, and what business and IT people need to do to manage the risks of glitches. As Jeff put it, “we have all the ingredients here for the information technology version of a perfect storm.  As of January of 2010 there were six billion networked things talking to other things — whether that’s local area networks, wide area networks, hot spots, Bluetooth or whatever. Its an immense of amount of everything from handheld computing to other Internet-savvy devices interconnecting in an unprecedented volume. There are literally a billion transistors in place for every carbon-based bi-ped homosapien life form on the planet. The strain on our infrastructure is more extreme than its ever been.”

Add to that a backdrop of a tough economy, with IT and support departments being cut to the bone. Plus, something new in the mix — hostile governments orchestrating cyber-attacks against the US economy.

In attempting to mitigate or prevent a catastrophic software glitch, or chronic series of events, we need to ask, who takes responsibility for these things, who can prevent such things? There are some issues that will be laid at the feet of information technology managers, and many others that may be well beyond the control of IT. As NASA, the most technically proficient organization on the planet, concluded after a lot of soul-searching following both the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters in 1986 and 2003, the issue was one of communications, management, and a corporate culture that may have built up a bit too much hubris, with no place for those who challenge conventional wisdom or saw issues that were able to surface among the managers.

I have a feeling that we may see a similar pattern emerge as Toyota finally has a chance to step back and examine its own operations in the wake of the recent recall of accelerator pedals.

The way to avoid or at least mitigate the risks of a horrendous glitch?  Encourage environments of innovation and automation. “The complexity curve is not going to flatten,” Jeff pointed out. “Whether you’re Ford, Toyota, Bank of America, or AT&T,  I don’t care who you are, we’re all forced to do more with less. As a consequence, the only thing in my view we can do is do for ourselves what we’ve promised to do for the market all along, and that is innovate and automate.” Tools such as design time governance, quality assurance, and security middleware can help, he says.

But tools alone won’t do the trick, he adds. “There is no silver bullet.”  What is essential is a corporate culture and management structure that encourages managers and practitioners to develop and follow best practices. “Glitches are no longer something that happens in the backroom.  They’re something now that affects the quality of our companies’ success in the marketplace. Therefore in my view, its not just a matter fo IT management — it’s corporate management and the cultural freedom to be inventive, and allow computer science professionals who are on the front lines of our companies to acquire the tools that they need in order to get ahead. You cant simply solve these problems by working harder.”

Become a learning organization in this regard, and learn from the experiences of others, Jeff urges: “It starts with gathering those best ideas and best practices and policies. It’s like anything else, most of us didn’t invent the wheel, but we’re all big fans.” Establishing centers of excellence also can go a long way to codifying these best practices into company systems and processes.

I added that we need almost a Y2K-style focus to the issues. Industry veterans may remember how back in the 1990s, for the first time in many cases, IT sat down with the business to map out exactly what kinds of applications it was relying on, and what the potential impacts would be on the business is any one of those applications went down. Risk management exercises — reviewing likely scenarios of failure and preparing for them — should be a part of every IT project.

Cloud computing adds a new dimension to the risk. Vigilance must extend past the firewalls — again, a lesson explored in the run-up to Y2K.

Huge catastrophic glitches aside, the day-to-day glitches also add up, and a buggy e-commerce site could severely dampen business. In the presentation, I discussed the results of a Unisphere Research/ITI survey I conducted last fall that showed most e-commerce consumers will quickly walk and never come back if they encounter a glitch at a Website. That can lead to a lot of wealth destruction.

As Jeff pointed out, “these days, consumers vote with their mouse.”

The entire Webcast can be viewed here.