Rich Menga is PCMech's video guy, an author and part-time host of PCMech LIVE.What’s one (of the many) reasons why Google employees love what they do? It’s because they can run any operating system they want and any software they want. I’m not kidding.
If an employee @ Google wants to run Windows, fine. Mac? No problem. Linux? Sure, why not? Messengers, music programs, and the like? Go ahead.
Some people (particularly IT folk) would say this is absolute security suicide. The CIO of the Goog doesn’t think so. The result? Employees are responsible for their own mistakes and even if they mess up, they can still get in-house help.
My opinion on this? I think it’s genius and a proper way to do business. Go Google.
I thought about this and wondered what it would be like if PCMech ran like traditional IT does.
Here’s what I came up with.
If PCMech operated by "traditional" corporate IT spec:
- We wouldn’t be using WordPress as the publishing engine. Instead we’d be using some ridiculously expensive multi-thousand dollar "solution" that couldn’t do the job as well.
- We’d be forced to use that "solution’s" way of publishing. Use Windows Live Writer (another freebie)? Ha! Not productive enough, dammit!
- Dave would not be allowed to use Macs. Windows only. And it’d have to be Windows 2000. On a computer that’s 3 years old (Hey! Wait ’til the end-of-life cycle before the refresh!!)
- Neither or us would be allowed to use Mozilla Firefox. We’d be forced to use Internet Explorer. Version 6.
- Our e-mail would be required to be on an Exchange server with spam filters that don’t work. On request to IT to have the spam fixed, they’d respond with "We’ll get to it eventually; don’t you know how to use Message Rules in Outlook? Hm?"
- Ventrilo would be outright disallowed to use.
- Instant messengers - of any kind - would be disallowed for use.
- One word: Websense (make sure to see the chart on that link).
In short: Nothing would ever get done.
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3/18/2008 1:56 pm
This might work well with a company full of geeks but as soon as you start dealing with computer illiterate(not is a bad way) people this will not work. Google is a unique company whose company culture can’t be transfer so easily to other industries and corporations. PCmech has very very few employees compared to Google and you are all technically proficient I would assume. Google is one of the few companies that can do this.
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3/19/2008 2:45 am
I fully agree with the closing statement. Too much restrictions hinders the creativity and quality of the work that are needed to be done. I am lucky enough to be employed in a company that lets their employee work on their own way (as long as you get the job done efficiently and in good quality). For those companies that think otherwise… well, they might as well hire robots..
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