 syslog
The obvious topic for a January column is New Year's resolutions,
so I'm resolving to answer all my email within 12 hours, organize
my paperwork in color-coded binders, label the shelves of my linen
closet and pantry with brass-edged nameplates, and bake fresh bread
every morning -- no wait, that's not me. I have no desire
to regiment my life to such a painful degree. I'm fairly content
to sift semi-regularly through the piles of paper that accumulate
on the floor of my office and occasionally order takeout rather
than cook.
Some areas of our professional lives, however, must be strictly
regulated. For example, systems administrators must conscientiously
maintain scheduled backups of critical information, enforce rigorous
security measures, and perform frequent security checks. Aside from
those responsibilities that are spelled out in job descriptions,
however, systems administrators are also bound by a firm code of
ethics. The System Administrators Guild (SAGE) has detailed this
code of ethics (in Portuguese and French along with English) on
its Web site at: http://www.usenix.org/sage/. If you've
not read it, I highly recommend you do so. Its goals, as stated
on the site, are:
- To provide a set of codified guidelines for ethical directions
that system administrators must pursue;
- To act as a reference for construction of local site-acceptable
use policies;
- To enhance the professionalism and image of the Guild and of
its individual members by promoting ethical behavior;
- To act as an "industry standard" reference of behavior
in difficult situations, as well as in common ones;
- To establish a baseline for addressing more complex issues.
You don't have to be a member of SAGE to find value in these
recommended practices. The code of ethics serves as a reminder that
the "golden rule" applies to systems administration as
much as to any other profession. We are reminded that, athough systems
administrators are in a position to access vast amounts of confidential
information, they must not misuse this information for any personal
gain. The beginning of a new year naturally leads to consideration
of past and present courses of action, and this code of ethics may
serve as a helpful guide for determining future direction.
With this January issue, we offer a poster/calendar along with
the magazine. I'm grateful to Zonker Brockmeier for providing
the poster text on intrusion detection and to the art and production
staff for working so hard to put it all together. Let me know what
you think by emailing me at: aankerholz@cmp.com. I value
your comments.
Sincerely yours,
Amber Ankerholz
Editor in Chief
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