ABSTRACT
WBEM is perhaps the most misleading title since “Miss Universe.” I believe that only terrestrial competitors have ever taken part in the Miss Universe competition and I spend a measurable part of my life explaining to colleagues that WBEM has nothing to do with the World Wide Web∗ and can be applied to the management of systems unrelated to enterprises (meaning companies). Much of my work is with carriers, the owners of long-distance telecommunications networks. Such networks have to meet stringent availability requirements and, within this world, “enterprise grade” is contrasted with “carrier grade,” the enterprise epithet implying lower quality.
