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Replaced by Outsourcing -- What's a Geek to Do?

SafariShane asks: "Yesterday I was fired from my position as 'Network Security Analyst' from a financial institution. I was pushed out by a 3rd party vendor, who labeled me the major security risk, after performing a 'vulnerability assessment.' At the time, I thought a vulnerability assessment of our network was a good idea, but in retrospect, it occurs to me that this company, who's other product is 'Outsourced Network Monitoring and Intrusion Detection' may pull this little trick everywhere they go. Has this happened to any other network security folks out there. Does anyone know if this is a common practice, and what's a geek to do if they find out a 3rd party assessment is on the way? If this happens again at another institution, should I just start polishing my resume right away?" Here's a question I always wish I could ask managers, whenever the topic of 'outsourcing' comes up: if dealing with programmers overseas is more appealing to the bottom line, why not let your programmers work from home for 50-80% of their current in-office pay? For those of you who feel the threat of Outsourcing breathing down your neck, what are you doing to try and stay in your current job, or even in this current market?

"Here comes the obligatory South Park reference:

  1. Perform Network Vulnerability Assessment
  2. ?
  3. Profit! (Sell Outsourced product)
Looks like they came up with an actual step 2:
Label anyone who is responsible for network security as the risk, and get them fired.
I wouldn't even dream up the above situation, except that when the assessment was done, all results were hidden from me. The company presented the results not to the geeks that can interpret them, but directly to the executives that still think 'Clippy' is a great product.

I'll also note, because people will ask me anyway, if there were other problems. In my year on the job, there was only 1 network intrusion: Welchia, which was contained in twenty minutes. Anyone familiar with Welchia will know that it is no easy task. I was never reprimanded for anything. In fact, I received a 12.5% raise only two months ago for job performance.

I doubt what they did was illegal, but it's bad business at best. Here is a group of network security geeks, who get other network security geeks fired, so they can increase their bottom line.

I'd like to hear comments from folks this has happened to, and what did you do as a result?"

13 of 1,166 comments (clear)

  1. What to do? Get a new job, crybaby! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    But why do that when you can do something constructive like whine and cry about your sinecure being yanked away.

  2. What You Should Do by Pave+Low · · Score: -1, Flamebait
    stop bitching and whining about it. You were there for one year, people get fired and hired everywhere, why do you think your case is so special? I've experience this stuff first hand. The only thing you can do is get over it and move on. Staying bitter and crying to slashdot over it won't change anything or make it better.

    Stop with all your conspiracy theories over why you were fired. Shit happens, get over it.

    --
    SIG:Slashdot: indymedia for nerds.
  3. Re:One word: by GigsVT · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    What the hell kind of idiot are you?

    Do you think people have an entitlement to work in the USA? Hell fucking no. In most states, employment is at will, and can be terminated by other side for whatever reason they want (except for a few very specific reasons).

    You are a fucking idiot. If I were pro-union, I'd be pissed that someone as stupid as you was advocating my position.

    --
    I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
  4. MOD PARENT UP! by scumbucket · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Why in the hell does every post mentioning the word 'Union' get modded as Troll?

    Unions are an excellent method for oppressed workers to get their voices heard and improve their work environments.

    Sure there are crooked unions out there, but a good union works to both the benefit of the employer and employee. It sure helped out my Dad, who was a member of the UAW for 30+ years.

    --
    CMDRTACO CHECK YOUR EMAIL!
  5. Re:Fashion. by mrlpz · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    What country are you from, A$$ clown ? It won't go out of fashion until CEO's stop giving themselves the types of bonuses they are, and then crying to stockholders that the ills of the company's inability to make them MORE money than they already are, is the fault of their workforce. Never mind you that most of the bonehead moves generally dribble down from the chins of the board of directors, are shoveled by middle managers who just want to make the higher ups happy into the laps of the engineers who actually have to "make it work". That's why "work for yourself" is always going to be the bottom line answer that suits me best. Sure that was a long run on sentence. Try saying that all in one breath and keep your blood pressure down thinking about some A$$ clown thinks that it's just a "fad"...Silly clown...."fads and fashions" are for kids.

  6. No...he needs to find the salesman who did it... by FatSean · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    ...and wait outside their house in the morning and beat the living shit out of him with a bat.

    Much more satisfying and if you wear a mask nobody will know.

    --
    Blar.
  7. Re:What's good for the goose is good for the gande by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    go fuck yourself stupid

  8. Bigot by SuperMario666 · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Crappy Indian programmers are the exception, not the rule, pal. Get your head out of the sand.

  9. Stupid people at charge or not ? by Sacamela_Un_Tercio · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    If your boss fired you because some company said that you are the risk, maybe your boss is too stupid to trust some people he does not know, or maybe he was handed some money. That is allways the risk with every job: being displaced for somebody smarter. The morale in this is : you people of the 1st world are experiencing NOW what we people of the 3rd. world have been experiencing for years.

  10. Re:Workers Rights by thinkliberty · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    So why don't you start up a self sufficant commie commune? and stop crying about the captalist system isn't stopping you.

  11. Re:And then get arrested, convicted... by gagy · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    For those who don't know, this is a line from the movie "Office Space".
    Thanks for clearing that up tips. So glad you're around to explain it, otherwise I'd be completely lost in your witty humour. Honestly, about as many slashdotters haven't seen office space, as there are slashdotters with girlfriends.
    --
    -I DDoSed your mom.
  12. Re:And then get arrested, convicted... by raretek · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Anyone who dates girls who only want to watch chickflicks is one pussy-whooped chump.

    I personally would rather masterbate with a cheese grater than sit through hours of chickflicks...

    And yes, there are sexually attractive/active women out there who enjoy watching things other than sap movies. You just need to have the balls to ask them out...

    --
    Show me an effect without cause and then I'll believe in chaos.
  13. Re:What's good for the goose is good for the gande by frost22 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    If I had found some luser installing ZoneAlarm on his machine, I would have
    - re-Ghosted his machine without even asking him
    - directly complained to his manager.
    (back when I was network admin)

    So-called "personal firewalls" are useless crap.
    And lusers are not supposed to install any security related or system software without permission from IT. Period.

    --
    ...and here I stand, with all my lore, poor fool, no wiser than before.