motorola and six-sigma

motorola and six-sigma

flat world getting bumpy?

BBC Tech article:

A senior executive for Microsoft has said the firm could pull out of non-democratic countries such as China.

originally found on slashdot

Outsourcing and Globalization: National Security Risk?

A BusinessWeek article discusses whether or not there is a national security threat due to the outsourcing of technology.

from the article:

As combat becomes increasingly high-tech, Pentagon officials worry that "accidental defects" or "maliciously placed code" buried within a computer program could compromise the security of the Defense Dept. network and, ultimately, hurt its ability to fight wars, says Pentagon spokesman Maj. Patrick Ryder. A task force of the Defense Science Board is in the final stages of preparing a recommendation on how to deal with the fact that some of the software the military buys is produced offshore. While task force deliberations are secret, the conversations between its members and outside technology and security experts are raising concerns among tech industry groups here and abroad.

more...

The worry is that the Pentagon might enact policies forcing tech suppliers to break off pieces of their global supply chains, making it difficult to deliver the most advanced products at affordable prices. These days, computer builders, chipmakers, software publishers, and tech-services outfits all tap inexpensive programming talent in foreign countries—sometimes assembling Lego-like chunks of code from different sources. This includes not just software for computers and networks but, in some cases, programs for military aircraft, missile guidance, and battlefield management systems. Industry advocates are concerned that efforts to fence out security threats could bring a return to the days when too much of the stuff the Pentagon bought was custom-made—a practice that gave rise, infamously, to $600 toilet seats.

some feel the threat might not be as bad as some fear:

It's not clear yet if the worst fears of the industry will be realized. William Schneider Jr., the chairman of the Defense Science Board, tells BusinessWeek that while he hasn't seen the task force's conclusions, he's confident that the recommendations won't be draconian. They'll affect only the technologies where security is paramount. "Most of the software DOD uses has elements that are written overseas, and that isn't a problem," says Schneider. "The problem is in ultrasensitive defense applications where they are mission-critical and you want a high degree of confidence that nothing's wrong with the software that has been written overseas."