Corporate IT gone bad. Vent thread. (1 Viewer)

[Saint77]

I charge by the hour, they can fool around with simple tasks all they want. It really doesn't bother me unless I have a packed schedule for the day.

but yeah, your right, its really easy to run into some really dumb **** on a job by job basis.I hate dealing with medium to larger corp environments myself.


OTOH, its job security.

 

[bonnjer]

How is it that these bigger companies have IT guys who have a hard time finding the power button on the computer?

 

[Galbreath34]

You don't cut costs on developers, analysts or your money makers' salaries. Something gets cut when you try to thin down, and it's cheaper to hire basic reading skills folks desperate to get into IT for dirt cheap and hand them 3 or 4 scripts to use all day long. They see the bottom line number, not the broader impact of having those high paid people stuck on the phone for 1/4 day salary dealing with numbnuts.

 

[Tapxe]

Google "the web server is down"

 

[All The Way]

Trust me when I say it's much more frustrating when it's the other way around...

Both are bad, but it's turruhble when someone paid to do support knows less than their customer/clients/callers.

+1

 

[Galbreath34]

Anyone who appreciates the OP, and the topic should know BOFH, if they don't already. The days of yore when the roles were entirely reversed. Some wickedly funny crap. I love it when they ask for more disk space I mean the old stuff from the 90s. I'd post a link, but it's the kind of fitting that you go find it if you want to read it

 

[Taurus]

Say "ShibboLEET" like Shibboleth (Google it if you don't know it), but LEET for hacker.

If you know at least two programming languages, and you're on phone support, it's 'cause you're an unreliable slacker.

The problem with a lot of IT issues in big companies is that
A: They MUST use a change/service request system. There's too much going on not to keep track of it somehow.
Alas, we get to
B: Most of the people filling out CCRs haven't the foggiest damn clue about computers. None. There should just be a checkbox that says "Me want make worky gooder."

 

[Danleco]

I LOVE IT humor.

http://www.humorbin.com/showitem.asp?item=777

A little taste:


A Week In The Life Of Tech Support

Note: I work in tech support. The people I work with DO NOT advise anyone to perform any of the tasks listed her nor they treat people in this manner. Additionally, they do they abuse equipment as indicated on this page. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Monday

8:05 AM

User called to say they forgot password. Told them to use password retrieval utility called FDISK. Blissfully ignorant, they thank me and hang up. God, we let these people vote and drive, too?

8:12 AM

Accounting called to say they couldn't access expense reports database. Gave them Standard Sys Admin Answer #112, "Well, it works for me." Let them rant and rave while I unplugged my coffee maker from the UPS and plugged their server back in. Suggested they try it again. One more happy customer...

8:14 AM

User from 8:05 call said they received error message "Error accessing Drive 0." Told them it was an OS problem. Transferred them to microsupport.

11:00 AM

Relatively quiet for last few hours. Decide to plug support phone back in so I can call my girlfriend. Says parents are coming into town this weekend. Put her on hold and transferred her to janitorial closet down in basement. What is she thinking? The "Myst" and "Doom" nationals are this weekend!

11:34 AM

Another user calls (do they ever learn?). Says they want ACL changed on HR performance review database so that nobody but HR can access database. Tell them no problem. Hang up. Change ACL. Add @MailSend so performance reviews are sent to */US.

12:00 PM

Lunch

3:30 PM

Return from lunch.

3:55 PM

Wake up from nap. Bad dream makes me cranky. Bounce servers for no reason. Return to napping.

4:23 PM

Yet another user calls. Wants to know how to change fonts on form. Ask them what chip set they're using. Tell them to call back when they find out.

4:55 PM

Decide to run "Create Save/Replication Conflicts" macro so next shift has something to do.

 

[dabestbank]

We had a client we did a big upgrade project for. My part of the Project was to upgrade the HMI Graphic Interface for the operators. The installation was scheduled for 6 separate installs with each install lasting two weeks. After the first install all I had to do was edit a few scripts and test some of the graphics maybe two hours worth of work. The plant insisted I be there for the whole duration of each install. Basically I spent two weeks on each install sitting around waiting for all the construction and testing to finish so I could do my two hours worth of work on the last day of the installation. I was bored out of my mind but kept telling myself they are paying me 16 hours a day plus all expenses to sit around a wait on other people.

 

[p0sted]

I had a good one last week. I am IT at a local site, part of a global corporation. I have a server I have been directed to upgrade form 2000 to 2003. Simple enough request. To accomplish this, i have to submit a request for a PO for the cost of Server 7, Which has to go before a committee with members in Omaha, Tennessee, and Buffalo. If approved, it gets sent back to the local site manager. Once he signs off on it I will get approval, but i don't get to install server 7, I actually install 2003 from the disk I've had the whole time, but now i list it in the software inventory as a server DOWNGRADE.

You can see why I don't ask why anymore.

 

[BullDawg]

Actual email exchange I had with one of our IT guys this week.
*****************************************************
From: Tony the IT guy
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 1:16 PM
To: BullDawg
Subject: Anti-Virus


I need to reinstall our anti-virus software on your machine when you have a chance. This process will require a reboot, so when you are at a good stopping point could you give me a call to do this? It should take 15-20 minutes and it's not an emergency, so just any time/day you have a chance (maybe before you go to lunch) is fine.

Thanks,
Tony
******************************************************************

From: BullDawg
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 1:22 PM
To: Tony the IT guy
Subject: RE: Anti-Virus


Is this going to be functional AV or more of the same?
******************************************************************
From: Tony the IT guy
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 1:23 PM
To: BullDawg
Subject: RE: Anti-Virus


Still the same crappy one. For some reason yours isn't getting definition updates properly.
******************************************************************
From: BullDawg
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 1:24 PM
To: Tony the IT guy
Subject: RE: Anti-Virus


Considering I'm one of the few that hasn't been hit by a virus around here can we just call it even?
******************************************************************
From: Tony the IT guy
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 1:25 PM
To: BullDawg
Subject: RE: Anti-Virus


Ha! I'll let you slide. With any luck, {insert name of new company here} will have a better A-V product for us to use.

 

[RussTKD]

I have a user here who always has issues with calendar items disappearing off her boss's calendar. We did some extensive troubleshooting, and found it was only her that had this issue, but couldn't find the source of it. So as a test, we put a second computer at her desk, had her log into it as her boss, and manage the boss's calendar there, and took that calendar off of her Outlook.

Lo and behold, no more calendar items were disappearing.

After about a month of that, she realized she was the problem, and made an effort to not screw up her boss's calendar again, so we pulled the second machine.

Fast forward 18 months, her boss got promoted, and she got moved with her boss to a different location (where I now support her directly). And two weeks ago, another random item disappeared from the boss's calendar.

I changed her permissions on her boss's calendar so she can't delete items any longer.

Oddly enough, stuff hasn't disappeared since then.

 

[bonnjer]

We had a client we did a big upgrade project for. My part of the Project was to upgrade the HMI Graphic Interface for the operators. The installation was scheduled for 6 separate installs with each install lasting two weeks. After the first install all I had to do was edit a few scripts and test some of the graphics maybe two hours worth of work. The plant insisted I be there for the whole duration of each install. Basically I spent two weeks on each install sitting around waiting for all the construction and testing to finish so I could do my two hours worth of work on the last day of the installation. I was bored out of my mind but kept telling myself they are paying me 16 hours a day plus all expenses to sit around a wait on other people.

Wow, that was one heck of a gig. Nicely done!

 

[SWJJ]

Shouldn't the sales team have coordinated with IT to have an IP address for you prior to your installation?

 

[V Chip]

Good God, ain't noone heard of DHCP?