TECHNOLOGY & SECURITY BizEdJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005 VeriSign’s Stratton Sclavos On Track to Build a Better Internet Web Designs That Work Cyber Specialists Guard the Ivory Tower SPECIAL FOCUS: BizEd TECHNOLOGY Cont& SECURITY ents 36 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005 VOLUME IV, ISSUE 2 42 64 24 DEPARTMENTS FEATURES 6 From the Editors 18 21st-Century Engineer 36 An Ethical Education VeriSign’s Stratton Sclavos builds Archie Carroll studies the way 8 Headlines the infrastructure that will take students learn about ethics in the commerce into the next century. business school classroom—and how 46 Technology improved delivery methods can strengthen those lessons. Your Turn 24 Knights in Cyber Armor 52 As b-school networks face attacks from faceless marauders, IT 54 Bookshelf 42 The ROI on the MBA specialists defend the ivory tower. The MBA has come under attack for 56 Calendar offering low value. Two professors 30 Web Works crunch the numbers to refute the 58 Classifieds How to design the most effective charges. business school Web sites to suit 64 Spotlight today’s sophisticated surfers. Cover photo: Robert Houser BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005 1 Fromthe Editors Guarding the Castle Keep An author I know compares the process of writing fiction to the task of hacking his way through the jungle. Once he has chopped his way through dense overgrowth to the central clear- ing of water and light, he retraces his steps and makes the way smooth for the travel- ers who follow behind him. Writing magazine articles, I’ve found, is a similar but more complex process, partic- ularly if I’ve interviewed dozens of people and gathered information from a variety of sources. Then writing seems like clearing out an overgrown garden, yank- ing down vines, shoveling out excess, and pruning, pruning, pruning, till I’m left with one sculpted rose. I was certainly feeling that way as I put together the article “Knights in Cyber Armor,” which required me to organize massive amounts of informa- tion. This time, the imagery in my head was more technological than horti- cultural, as the twisting vines morphed into bulky cables and the bright blos- soms twining around the trellis were replaced by bright console lights blink- ing around the mainframe. Still a lot of clutter to clear out, still a lot of bits and bytes to organize! I assumed that many CIOs and IT specialists sometimes felt like garden- ers themselves as they continually fought through a thicket of information to find the perfect solution to their cybersecurity needs. But the ones I talked to seem to be operating on a different botanical principle. Many of them view themselves more as the caretakers tending the mile-high thorn bushes surrounding Sleeping Beauty’s castle. They spend all their energy cultivating a ring of defenses that guard the ivory tower from potential marauders—hackers, spammers, virus creators—while the innocents remain inside, peaceful, oblivious, and safe. It’s a role that makes perfect sense to Stratton Sclavos, CEO of VeriSign Inc., which offers security and authentication services for the online world. He thinks constantly about the best ways to keep data protected, from pro- viding products and services that safeguard computer systems to promoting education about how individuals can connect safely to their networks. He knows that the villains trying to breach the tower’s defenses will only become more sophisticated with time—which means the ring of virtual thorns must become practically impenetrable. Metaphors aside, cybersecurity is a complicated but critical component of b-school success. Without it, anyone can breach the castle keep and steal the treasure inside. And that treasure is not some simple rose, but the beating heart of the university’s data center—worth protecting with every hedge and knight on campus. Iz BILL BASCOM 6 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005 Headlines Letter to the President bert F. Johnson Professor of Inter - walked into the voting booth better national Management. “There were informed, that would have been The re-election of George W. Bush is likely promises of tax cuts without serious more than we could have hoped to ensure a continuation of econom- discussions of the implications of tax for,” says Moss. “How they voted ic policies that are troubling to many cuts. We realized we have a lot of would be up to them.” business school professors across alumni who hold important posi- When drafting the letter, the America. A month before last year’s tions and who ought to be thinking authors attempted to lay out in neu- election, a group of professors at about economic issues, if for no tral terms the current state of the Harvard Business School in Boston, other reason than to understand economy and what factors have Massachusetts, composed an open how these issues affect their busi- brought it to this state, and then let letter to the president expressing nesses. And we wanted to reach readers draw their own conclusions. their concerns about his fiscal some of them and cause them to do But to the authors, the conclusions approach. The letter ultimately was some serious analysis.” are obvious. Harvard Business signed by 169 professors at business The letter certainly drew atten- School’s famous case study method schools around the U.S. before it tion. A couple of weeks before the teaches that there are many alterna- was mailed to the President election, the Web site had tive right answers, Wells notes. “But on October 5. had more than 50,000 hits, there are certain answers that are flat Among its concerns, the while the letter had been wrong, and we think the current eco- letter notes that “real GDP reproduced or referenced on nomic policy is flat wrong,” he says. growth during your term is countless other sites. The It remains to be seen if President the lowest of any presidential letter also was covered by Bush’s strategies will change after his term in recent memory. Total media outlets such as The re-election—in response to this letter non-farm employment has New York Times and CNBC. or other factors. It seems clear, how- contracted and the unem- SHAWN THEW/AP WIDE WORLD Students, too, were most ever, that America’s business school ployment rate has increased. Bank - supportive, sending notes and e-mails professors will be closely watching ruptcies are up sharply, as is our to register their approval—but the the president’s economic policies dependence on foreign capital to authors emphasize that the letter had during his second term in office. finance an exploding current account no role in their classrooms. deficit. All three major stock indexes “This is a personal activity that Women and the Workplace are lower now than at the time of wouldn’t enter into the classroom your inauguration. The percentage of discussion,” says David A. Moss, The attitudes that men and women hold Americans in poverty has increased, John G. McLean Professor of about the workplace are explored in real median income has declined, and Business Administration. However, a new survey conducted by the Com - income inequality has grown. The he thinks it’s valuable for students to mittee of 200 (C200), an organiza- data make clear that your policy of see their professors standing up in tion of leading women business own- slashing taxes—primarily for those at support of a cause they believe in. ers and corporate decision makers. the upper reaches of the income dis- “One of the responsibilities of every C200 Report: MBA and Early Career tribution—has not worked.” The academic is to engage in public Women on Business is part of C200’s entire text of the letter can be found debate whenever there’s an issue rel- “Pipeline” research, a series of surveys at www.openlettertothepresident.org, evant to his or her work,” he says. that explore attitudes about business as can an addendum of names of “Clearly, we as academics are sup- on the part of women at various people who wanted to sign the letter ported by the public, and we owe stages of life. The survey of 933 after the signing period was closed. that in return.” MBA students and 807 MBA gradu- HBS professors decided to write Neither Wells nor Moss expected ates was conducted for C200 by the the letter because “we were discour- the letter to have an impact on the Center for Women’s Business aged about the level of discussion of outcome of the election—although Research. Among the findings: economic policy in the election cam- they hoped it would make voters I Business students and graduates hold paign,” says Louis T. Wells Jr., Her - think. “If a large number of people low opinions about major corporations, both 8 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005 OF THOSE WITH MBAS, 56.8 PERCENT OF WOMEN ARE LIKELY TO BE DISSATISFIED WITH THEIR JOB’S CAPACITY TO “MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE,” COMPARED TO 44.5 PERCENT OF MEN. in terms of their ethics and the way they work; 57.6 percent feel well-paid; treat employees. and 56.3 percent feel satisfied. The survey shows that many Nonetheless, 41.4 percent of the MBAs from top schools are skeptical women say they are not excited about the honesty and ethics of about their work, while 67.2 percent Amer i can business, while women are of the men with MBAs say they are. even more skeptical than men. Perhaps this is because 63.9 percent Among students, 66.9 percent of of women MBAs do not believe their women and 56.8 percent of men dis- work contributes to society in a valu- agree with the claim that American able way, compared to 55.8 percent business is “honest and ethical”; of men MBAs who feel that way.