Actuaries Wanted!
By Bob Kaehms
Have you been injured--hit by the Open Source bug and unable to recover your losses? If so, phone 1-800-Su-Linux*. Our representatives at Freemen, Wantum, and Wampum can help. We take the risk out of rogue software and go to bat for YOU, because we know the pain you feel! Don't delay, call today!
The Open Source movement needs a good insurance company, or litigation infrastructure, to help protect the rights of the corporation. What an opportunity! The Lloyd's of Open Source. Although third-party support systems such as Cygnus and Red Hat already exist, a company that actually insures Open Source development could prove interesting.
If this sounds far fetched, consider a recent press release found in the mailbox of the Web Techniques editors:
The Sullivan Group Announces New Internet Insurance Program!
The Sullivan Group today announced the availability of WiSPTM, a Website and Insurance Security Program insurance policy designed by Internet specialists for e-commerce and marketing.
Purporting to protect against security risks, the release states:
"Even websites with state-of-the-art security tools remain woefully under-protected against the effects of invasion by hackers and disgruntled employees. To meet the particular needs for coverage, based on a companyıs size and amount of business done over the internet, WISP features two types of policies: Breach of Security Insurance, and Crime and Intranet Insurance."
Before I discuss a fictitious third category, "Website Development and Maintenance Insurance," let me clarify that firms such as the Sullivan Group are not ambulance chasers.
