IT Manager & Excel

[Felix Atagong]

Now who is the cretin?
For years I have been putting a daily back-up tape in our local server in Belgium that is 'managed' from the UK and only when the tapemachine broke down I looked at the log files... to find out that no back-up tapes had been made for over 6 months.
So I called Compaq with our Softpac (or whatever it is called) license number, to hear that the contract had not been renewed... 24 days before.
I called the IT guy in the UK and asked why the annual contract had not been renewed... Well, he replied, Compaq didn't tell me it was coming to an end, did they?
Anyway Compaq replaced the tape (very expensive) and I asked the UK to make sure that the tape would do the back-ups again on a daily basis (theoretically I may not touch that machine). That was now over a month ago...
So what did I do? I downloaded the freeware EZBack-It-Up and make a back-up from the server on my PC, hoping that both machines will never crash (or burn) at the same time... and that the IT guy will not spot it in the UK (he won't, unless he reads this forum as well).

 

[dscheste]

Just the most recent pearls:

- Lost entire mailbox of the CEO (some +800 company)
- 3 days for re-imaging only 1 PC, I mean re-imaging, 3 days of constant install and erase.

I believe it is more of an diagnose or physical condition, the more you have internal drive to limit other people's abilities and potentials, the more it'ish you become. Said, but this has been my experience.

 

[Legacy 21301]

Has it occurred to anyone that most organisations probably try to employ IT personnel who have a similar level of intelligence as the average user, so that communication is easier?

Of course, this makes it very difficult for all of the "smarter-than-the-average" users posting to this thread.

 

[Cbrine]

Ponsey,
Are you an IT person, or are you ponselizing?

 

[Legacy 21301]

Cburine,

I'm not "an IT person" - would probably not be able to satisfy the necessary standards of competence - merely a passer-by making some observations.

The posts in this thread present an enlightening record of the incompetence of "IT persons" generally.

Some might say that since the criticisms have been made by one side only, they might contain some bias in favour of the writers, but I would never suggest such a thing.

 

[Glaswegian]

We have an IT department........that has nothing whatsoever to do with any of our office PCs. THAT bit is outsourced. So, if you have a fault with a PC, you call the Helpdesk, who very kindly give you a reference number. Then you wait for up to 8 hours for the external company to send someone to fix it.

I recently arranged for a memory upgrade for some PCs in another town (a long story why I was involved but never mind) and the fee, per PC was £40. That is £40 to open the case and insert a memory chip. I offerred to do it for a quarter of that, in cash, but no-one took me up.

I do, however, admire the way the external company setup PCs. Most in our area are a good few years old, but they arrive pre-configured with the C drive partitioned at 2Gb and the rest as the D drive. So once you've had installed, Office, Notes and all the other bits and pieces you need, there's no room left! Virtually all our Depts files are on a server (it's supposed to be backed up in 2 other locations...mmmmm).

Ah, the joys of work..........

 

[Legacy 21301]

We have an IT department........that has nothing whatsoever to do with any of our office PCs. THAT bit is outsourced. So, if you have a fault with a PC, you call the Helpdesk, who very kindly give you a reference number. Then you wait for up to 8 hours for the external company to send someone to fix it.

So it's a sort of Special Help IT department.

 

[Glaswegian]

You might say that Ponsy, I could not possibly comment.

 

[Legacy 21301]

Your reply conveys that you know I've already written it and you can safely assume that I've also already said it.

(House of Cards, etc. - good series, wasn't it?)

 

[Smitty]

Some might say that since the criticisms have been made by one side only, they might contain some bias in favour of the writers, but I would never suggest such a thing.

Which is why I posted the link to "Sharky's" columns regarding IT department woes with users.

Smitty