IT Gospel vs. the facts (also, human nature)

In an article titled “Please do not change your password”, the Boston Globe talks about all the various things that IT departments force you to do that is a complete waste of time, like constantly changing your password. It’s an interesting read, but I wanted to just mention that not only are those policies a waste of time, but even the IT department knows it. If you think the guys that are enforcing those rules are, in fact, following themselves, well, you’re wrong. They are tasked with enforcing “industry standards” (code for: if everyone else is doing it, we can’t be fired for doing it, too), but they know it’s stupid. And they have the power and know-how to bypass the automated enforcement that they themselves implemented. So they do.

That very annoying discrepancy between what they do and have to enforce is one of the many reasons that I’m glad I’ve never worked in IT, by the way. Even in my current job, I’m technically in the IT department, but we don’t do any of the traditional IT things. That’s good for my sanity.