Mark Burgess is Associate Professor at Oslo University College, Norway and is well known for his scientific approach to system administration. He is the author of the configuration software cfengine, and of several books related to computing systems, including Principles of Network and System Administration.

Within a decade the dream of pervasive computing will be a reality. Computers will be built into almost every device. Houses will be designed like computing ecologies, wired throughout. Surfaces will be interactive and wireless communication will bind us to this infra-structure. What scientific and technological principles will be required to remain in control of this scenario, and what its security implications?