Where's the Steve Jobs of IT Security?

Computerworld — The world of information security needs a Steve Jobs.

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Despite our best efforts, IT security hasn't had anything like the string of successes that Steve Jobs saw during his amazing career. None of the successes that we've had have been quite so profound as, say, the iPod or iPhone. Can we apply some of the thinking that resulted in those iconic devices to our IT security world?

It would be pretty difficult to find another business leader who could match Jobs' track record. We're talking about the man who not only co-founded Apple but later returned when the company was on the ropes and engineered not just a recovery but unparalleled successes. Through the years, he was invigorating and downright jaw-dropping to watch.

How does that relate to the world of IT security? Well, let's dig a bit deeper into Jobs' biggest successes a bit.

Just to name a few, he led the introductions of the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and the MacBook Air. Not one of these was entirely new in its class. There were already MP3 players available; there were smartphones; there were tablet PCs; there were ultralight laptops.

But, under Jobs, Apple made consumers want these products like no other. For example, a huge chunk of the market has declared that it doesn't want tablet PCs -- it wants iPads. And somehow, other MP3 players just aren't iPods.

So, just what is the special sauce that makes these iThingies more desirable to huge masses than their counterparts? Was it Steve's amazing keynote speeches? Was it the "Think Different" billboards and ads? Was it Steve's fashion sense?

All of these things may have contributed to the allure, but there's more. One thing that I feel has been a key differentiator of Apple products is their user interfaces. Apple's reputation is that its products just work, right? You may not buy into that notion, but a lot of people do.

And my own experience has been that I've had far fewer IT-related woes after switching my company infrastructure to all-Apple than I ever had with Windows or Linux systems. For the most part, it's been easy-peasy. I'm not saying that Apple products are perfect, but by being uncompromising on user interfaces, they have truly made my life easier.

So, after hearing the sad news about Steve's death, I wondered what sorts of lessons we can learn from his legacy in the IT security world. Here are a few to ponder:

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