With the launch of Live Mesh, Microsoft's Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie is looking to bring collaboration and synchronization to every device that can connect to the Web. While that may bode well for the user trying to keep their MP3s or digital photos in order, the very concept should strike fear in the corporate IT security officer's heart!

From the 10,000-foot view, Live Mesh looks like the antithesis to network access control and endpoint security. Drill down a little further and what the technology will do becomes even scarier. The idea behind the product/service is to make it easy to share information between Web-connected devices and Web-connected users, but for it to really work, some technology that allows it to communicate through firewalls and security devices must be implemented. Kind of like how Skype and several IM clients are able to penetrate firewalls and other network security measures. Therein lies the problem.

Corporate IT security has been throwing money at solutions in what seems to be a losing battle to prevent services such as Skype from infiltrating their networks by upgrading firewalls and client security packages.

The difference here is that Skype and IM clients must be instructed to transmit files or information. It is not an automatic process and those users that share sensitive files with others have to have an active hand in the process. Live Mesh, on the other hand, is designed to automate much of that sharing process. Just imagine, if a hacker finds a way to infiltrate the live mesh synchronization process and gain access to critical files, or worse yet, embed spyware or malware, the damage could grow at an exponential rate.

The even bigger problem for today's IT pros will be keeping Live Mesh out. The services ability to eliminate the hassles associated with unsynchronized data will be too enticing to be ignored. What's more, the easier it is for users to manage their own data, the easier it becomes for those supporting the users. Perhaps, if Microsoft can step away from the view that "it is fun to share" and incorporates higher levels of security, Live Mesh could become a legitimate business tool.

Either way, the channel will win here. Solution providers will profit by selling the technology to control Live Mesh or they will profit from selling solutions built around Live Mesh. It's going to be interesting to see how this all plays out--who will win, the security-minded or the collaboration-minded.