The Perfect Virus principle #16: Team Isolation

As indicated in my post of Monday, 11/22/2010, I am extrapolating Jeff Walker's Principles for the Perfect Application into a discussion of The Perfect Virus. Since Jeff's monograph on the subject did not anticipate stealth or suicide mechanisms, any errors or lapses into stupidity are solely my additions and should not reflect poorly on what I consider to be the biggest single contribution to software application design since the invention of computers. And Jeff, thanks for giving me permission to do surgery on your baby.

THE PRINCIPLE OF TEAM ISOLATION:  The Perfect Virus dashboard (described in Prosumption, principle #11) provides each team, indeed each team member (although we will cover this in more detail in principle #20, Individuality) with an effective, independent workplace.

Team Isolation recognizes the vastly different roles, methods, and goals of platoons, squads, divisions and armies fighting either a cyber privateer action or a full-blown cyber war. Not only will their dashboards look different, but the operational rules of engagement will also vastly differ. For illustration only, some of the functional roles include:

1. Intelligence gathering will probably concentrate on penetrating the source-code management systems of major software suppliers, hardware vendors, and subsystems vendors (and their suppliers, I might add). Virtually undetectable trap doors can be inserted into some surprisingly mainstream systems of you "roach" the supply chain.
2. Setting up your own command and control network for communication of everything from genetic memory fragments of deceased advance soldiers (see Mutation Control, principle #6) to Oversight (principle #1) of your "dead man's switch" mechanisms to the inventorying of really unique emerging teachnologies uncovered by Seamless Migration (principle #5) reports as well as one-of-a-kind assets discovered by Black Box Portability (principle #7) to cataloguing of newly failed Stealth (principle #14) tactics indicative of enemy defense success.
3. Reconnaissance in force forays directed at critically important and super-hardened sites.
4. Management of the "Parley Request Dashboard" outlined in Draft 01 of The Cyber Privateer Code, since failure to properly respond and (if necessary) undo damage or make financial restitution could not only cost the parent organization its charter but indeed its very existence. The importance of this role is suggested by my nomination of Nancy M. Harvey to my Cyber Privateer Fantasy team, to head up compliance.
5. Counter-attack tripwire notifications that you've failed the Stealth protocol and the enemy is hot on your trail.
6. The CTO/Architect dashboard for the system architect to apply creativity and genius to continuing R&D for The Perfect Virus (see my nomination of Jeffrey L. Walker to my Cyber Privateer Fantasy team; Jeff is probably the only man on the planet who could build this architecture in a timeframe measured in seasons and not eons, because he's the only person on the planet who has actually built a Self Aware architecture).
7. The Chain-of-Command dashboards in all their specialized glory, including what I call…
8. The Larry Ellison Dashboard where the entire organization may be managed by the Top Dog Privateer (see the first nomination to my Cyber Privateer Fantasy League). From my own personal experience with Larry, he is fully capable of doing just about anybody's job (well, except for Jeff Walker, who Larry admits is probably smarter than even the great LJE) in any organization better than that person can do the job. He needs specific rules and trip-wire notifications when a group is running amok, so he can parachute into the mess and clean it up with extreme prejudice. 

Thus, Team Isolation is really a business process requirement. Even if a lone wolf genius manages to secure himself (or herself) a valid Letter of Marque and Reprisal from a major government (hey Australia, history is still waiting to be made), that lone wolf will probably find it helpful to construct several different dashboards for the several functions necessary to make lots and lots of money (and to keep that  money).