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I agree with you that they can, but I think the point of this essay is that startups can't solve these problems on their own, using only technology and chutzpah

I agree with you that they can, but I think the point of this essay is that startups can't solve these problems on their own, using only technology and chutzpah. In order to solve "health care recordkeeping" you have to get governments and large companies on board with the process. You can lead a horse to water, and all that. There are going to need to be a lot of people at the table, and for the most part a startup isn't going to have the political juice to make it happen.

ams6110 15y ago
You will never succeed if your plan is to get government "on board" with the process. What needs to happen is to get government OUT of the process.
- coopdog 15y ago
  Government may be incompetent, inefficient and slow, but at least they won't cut corners on security. For sharing tweets or something a startup can get the infrastructure done pretty quick, for something more serious (eg tax info) you really want a proper security team and proper insurance and legal advice. VC's and advisors need to provide a platform to give startups those tools. For security using Google AppEngine or the Amazon cloud, combined with automated penetration testing tools, combined with some kind of cheap application security testing (does it exist yet?) might get enough of the way there, but would you really trust something so flimsy, run by two kids out of college who are working it out as they go, with your serious data?
  - ams6110 15y ago
    You don't appear to know how security really operates in federal government software. They hire Booz-Allen-Hamilton for millions of dollars to come in with 200 consultants and produce a massive report declaring their software meets all "certification and accreditation" requirements. This document then goes on a shelf somewhere and government workers continue to email all kinds of PI data around in Word and Excel attachments because the software is so obtuse it's the only way they can actually get anything done.

ams6110 15y ago

You will never succeed if your plan is to get government "on board" with the process. What needs to happen is to get government OUT of the process.

coopdog 15y ago
Government may be incompetent, inefficient and slow, but at least they won't cut corners on security. For sharing tweets or something a startup can get the infrastructure done pretty quick, for something more serious (eg tax info) you really want a proper security team and proper insurance and legal advice. VC's and advisors need to provide a platform to give startups those tools. For security using Google AppEngine or the Amazon cloud, combined with automated penetration testing tools, combined with some kind of cheap application security testing (does it exist yet?) might get enough of the way there, but would you really trust something so flimsy, run by two kids out of college who are working it out as they go, with your serious data?
- ams6110 15y ago
  You don't appear to know how security really operates in federal government software. They hire Booz-Allen-Hamilton for millions of dollars to come in with 200 consultants and produce a massive report declaring their software meets all "certification and accreditation" requirements. This document then goes on a shelf somewhere and government workers continue to email all kinds of PI data around in Word and Excel attachments because the software is so obtuse it's the only way they can actually get anything done.