Rational Survivability

(I’ve done this once before, but if it was good once…)

The CISO on trial for his condemnation of Cloud:

Jessep: You want answers about securing the Cloud?
Kaffee : I think I’m entitled to them.
Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Jessep: You can’t handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has firewalls. And those firewalls have to be guarded by men with rules. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You crow for Cloud and weep for my obstruction of Web2.0 and you curse my railing against SOA. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that my wishing for Cloud’s death, while tragic, will probably save breaches. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves breaches…You don’t want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that Cloud. You need me on that Cloud.
We use words like policy, trust, federation…we use these words as the backbone to a life spent securing something. You use ’em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very draconian enforcement I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I’d rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a firewall console and make an ACL change. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to!
Kaffee: Did you order the Cloud dead?
Jessep: (quietly) I did the job you sent me to do.
Kaffee: Did you order the Cloud dead?
Jessep: You’re goddamn right I did!!

/Hoff