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To: Turbopilot
"Real-life experiences" do not in fact cover everything that potentially could happen.

I work in risk management. RM does not try to cover everything that could potentially happen. That would be foolish and impossible and time-consuming. Assessing risk takes some wisdom and a clear knowledge of what is going on the world, not what you are afraid "might" happen.

31 posted on 03/21/2007 2:22:22 PM PDT by Silly (http://www.paulklenk.us)
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To: Silly
Ok, then, from a risk management perspective, I see three variables: the likelihood of negative consequences from a risk, the cost to protect against that risk, and the worst-case scenario of those relative consequences. In this case, the risk being discussed is a security breach on a Mac.

Likelihood: I'll say low. This is not based on personal experience, but upon what I've read; I'm taking the word of Mac people themselves here. If you like, I'll even say "very low". "Impossible" isn't a word used in assessing risk, from what I remember, especially when it applies to the possibility of an error in millions of lines of code written and updated by many people over years.

Cost to protect: Relatively low. As I mentioned, I found Mac software in a quick search that adds up to $110 (don't know if that's a one-time cost or has to be renewed every year). In comparison, I pay $60/year for my business PCs and $0/year for my home-only PCs. But for business I consider $110 low.

Worst-case scenario: Extremely high. Potential loss of data leading to extensive downtime to rebuild, and potential theft of data.

So by that analysis, I could pay a relatively small amount to protect against the small chance of suffering an incredibly high cost. I cannot imagine why it would not make sense for me to do so. In comparison, I pay much more than $110/year for my car insurance, and while the likelihood of a car crash may be higher, I would much rather have to buy a new car than have my business data lost or stolen.

So tell me, how is that analysis wrong from a risk management perspective?

33 posted on 03/21/2007 2:42:53 PM PDT by Turbopilot (iumop ap!sdn w,I 'aw dlaH)
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