The difference between the web experience at the office and outside has just become a chasm.

I sent an email today to a client with four text attachments – not only did the firewall block it but stripped attachments off and destroyed them. The firewall is so extreme that it is getting all but impossible to send information in.

I was setting up a conference call with another client last week. It was a UK, US and Canadian call. I suggested Skype. But we could not use it because one of the parties, a university would not allow it. They also ban Twitter and Facebook.

Many I know have to go home to get much work done.

I have a friend who is working in the security arena for the Olympics. They were all given really heavy duty laptops. Great I thought, they can be in touch at any time at any place if there is a problem. But the problem is that the security is set so tight that the laptops only work when docked at the office.

So in the outside world – the cloud – iPads – a world of amazing connections and content – a world of conversations and sharing where all the tools that make life better can be applied.

In your office – a 3 year old Dell box – Windows XP – Word or worse Word perfect – and a firewall that wont allow anything.

And you want to join the 2.0 world too?

Oh I forgot – an HR and an IT department that makes the Gestapo look like nuns

Jon has put the fox among the chickens – what is all this control about?

More soon on HR and IT and how their grip on the culture of your workplace is so toxic.