As if we don’t have enough to juggle in our lives, now the power brokers of cyberspace are thinking of revamping the Internet. We’re not talking about enforcing XHTML 7.2.1.b-2(a), we’re talking about a total ground up redesign.

The reason? Security. When the system we now know as the Internet was first created, it was for sending data between trusted sources. Now that it’s a permanent, free-access fixture in the business world, all sorts of vile vermin are taking advantage of the Internet’s inherent weaknesses.

So would an overhaul be good? Yes. But here’s the dilemma: Millions of people and businesses will be shelling out billions of dollars to adapt to a new system. Can you imagine the chaos?

A Parallel in Heathcare
Allow me to draw a parallel. A few months ago I turned on the car radio and dropped into the middle of conversation with a health care expert describing the patchwork duck that is our healthcare system in the United States.

“The system is a hodgepodge mishmash that makes no sense,” she said. “If you were a visitor to this planet and saw how our nation’s health care system worked, you’d wonder how someone could design such a terrible system.”  But “design” is an assumption, she pointed out. She clarified that employer-provided healthcare simply emerged, and then got manipulated.

She explained how companies started offering health care benefits as a way to attract better employees during the nationwide wages freeze in WWII. (Perks were not frozen.) Before long, employees came to expect health care as part of an employment package.

What’s all this got to do with the Internet? Plenty. It’s difficult to change the status quo because of competing interests within the system. No matter what changes occur, some companies win and some companies lose. There’s just no way to make everybody happy.

Power Struggles Ahead
Similarly, a huge tug of war is going to occur when the powers sit down to scrap the Internet as we know it and design something that’s more secure.  Heck, just deciding who gets to sit at the table is going to be a monster battle by itself.

So what to do? I’d suggest setting aside some funds to address the issue if and when it occurs, and also keep tabs on what’s happening with the push for a revamp. But my main recommendation at this point is keep pressing ahead to maintain workplace excellence. It may be that an upheaval does occur. If you’re focused on excellence, you’ll be able to handle anything they throw at you.

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Filed in Technology, Work, Business, Opinion, Leadership, Health Care, Internet, Workplace