Slashdot Mirror
One Terrible Job: IT Manager
editingwhiz writes "I suppose we've always suspected this to be true, but IT Manager's Journal reports that a recent email survey by the authors of a new book called 'Crap Jobs' says that IT managers have the U.K's third-worst job -- ranking just below phone sex operator (No. 1) and ferry cabin cleaner (No. 2). Hmmm. Do you agree?" (ITMJ, like Slashdot, is part of OSTG.) Maybe it's better in the U.S.?
The number one problem with IT support is that without users you have no problems...you also don't have a job. So minimize the user threat to the machines.
:)
If you want to keep all of your users in line, be a network Nazi. Use a web proxy and email the usage summaries to department heads. Mail a full summary to the top dog. The top dog will barely glance at it, but if the department heads know it's getting to him they'll definately look...no... stare at it. The result: nobody does anything because they think they're being watched. And trust me, their mind is very limited to cavorting about the internet...and that really is the source of 50% of your problems.
Don't worry proxy settings can be pushed via Group Policy before you close port 80 and 443...etc
Our users' whimsical flights of fancy with various spyware/you name it sites has gone down 99%. And I have the logs to prove it.
As an added bonus, block every outbound port(you should be doing this anyway) except for long-fought battles over services they really need. Even then, limit it to an IP range and put DHCP reservations in to make sure only certain consoles can do anything. Log everything, email to managers as described above.
Don't limit yourself to PCs. Many phone systems have a serial interface that dumps extension used, number dialed, duration of call, number of rings before answer... the list goes on. Use your imagination!
If you've learned anything from M$ or the Bush administration FUD controls people. Issue emails with dire consequences for the most simple idiot user habit. Tie in a $ amount and you're a golden boy.
Congratulations, now you can sit back and tidy up that resume, you may not need it but who the hell wants to be an IT janitor/paramedic/scientist/philosopher/guerilla warrior forever?
That was a joke, but seriously try the reports. I did and I'm so much happier. "software push of spyware removal tools? why? they're too scared to click accept! muwhahhah"