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For a company that is so well funded and familiar with paranoid engineering, how is it that something as basic as data integrity (offline backups) isn't impleme

For a company that is so well funded and familiar with paranoid engineering, how is it that something as basic as data integrity (offline backups) isn't implemented?

tyingq 9y ago
Lots of F500 companies raid the infrastructure budget to fund application development because it drives revenue. It's rare to find one that funds infrastructure the way a software company would. Crap like 10+ year old servers, operating systems, etc, is rampant. Similar for desktops. There's pressure to hold back on Windows version upgrades because "we can't divert app team resources to test if the app runs okay on that..." Or just plain raiding the refresh budget altogether. Or, "the app/business team needs admin logins because reasons, so back off infrastructure guy". Fortunately, cloud seems to be a good solution to the mess. You're forced to deal with (at least some basic) tech debt.
- ams6110 9y ago
  I think the assessment of the risks needs to be looked at again. It may have made sense at one time to be conservative with system updates and do a lot of testing before rolling them out. In earlier days, OS updates were typically not security patches but new versions or major service packs. Behavior and APIs changed. But these days, what's worse: Dealing with some production issues due to an OS security update (really rather unlikely, and the patch infrastructure supports rolling back), or having your entire company taken offline by malware like WannaCry?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - Spooky23 9y ago
    Huh? The risks are way worse than they once were. Microsoft ships a lot more broken shit than they did in the past, plus everything is bundled in such a way that it’s easy to reinflict wounds. Wormable stuff like Wanacry is usually identified and can be addressed as an emergency. Otherwise, rolling out patches in production quicker than 30-60 days is just unwise in a big or complex environment.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Cacti 9y ago
What makes you think there are no offline backups? Did you just pull that out of your rear or what?
- nosuchthing 9y ago
  The article headline was changed from "could cripple some jet production" and now it says "but says no impact on jet production" The article was suggestive that ransomware would cripple Boeing, which wouldn't happen if they had offline backups.

For a company that is so well funded and familiar with paranoid engineering, how is it that something as basic as data integrity (offline backups) isn't implemented?

tyingq 9y ago

Lots of F500 companies raid the infrastructure budget to fund application development because it drives revenue. It's rare to find one that funds infrastructure the way a software company would. Crap like 10+ year old servers, operating systems, etc, is rampant. Similar for desktops. There's pressure to hold back on Windows version upgrades because "we can't divert app team resources to test if the app runs okay on that..." Or just plain raiding the refresh budget altogether. Or, "the app/business team needs admin logins because reasons, so back off infrastructure guy". Fortunately, cloud seems to be a good solution to the mess. You're forced to deal with (at least some basic) tech debt.

ams6110 9y ago
I think the assessment of the risks needs to be looked at again. It may have made sense at one time to be conservative with system updates and do a lot of testing before rolling them out. In earlier days, OS updates were typically not security patches but new versions or major service packs. Behavior and APIs changed. But these days, what's worse: Dealing with some production issues due to an OS security update (really rather unlikely, and the patch infrastructure supports rolling back), or having your entire company taken offline by malware like WannaCry?
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- Spooky23 9y ago
  Huh? The risks are way worse than they once were. Microsoft ships a lot more broken shit than they did in the past, plus everything is bundled in such a way that it’s easy to reinflict wounds. Wormable stuff like Wanacry is usually identified and can be addressed as an emergency. Otherwise, rolling out patches in production quicker than 30-60 days is just unwise in a big or complex environment.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Cacti 9y ago

What makes you think there are no offline backups? Did you just pull that out of your rear or what?

nosuchthing 9y ago
The article headline was changed from "could cripple some jet production" and now it says "but says no impact on jet production" The article was suggestive that ransomware would cripple Boeing, which wouldn't happen if they had offline backups.