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Don't Network Administrators Require Privacy?
An anonymous reader writes to tell us that Recently their company has decided to move the IT staff out of their offices to make room for the Service Department. The move has placed the IT staff in cubicles that all face inward and lack, obviously, the ability to lock their doors at night. This is, to them, an obvious breach in security and privacy for what may be sensitive network information. Have any other Slashdot readers dealt with this sort of problem before? If so, what specific information was best suited to rectify these security concerns?
Seriously, boo hoo. I don't mean to be a jerk, but BFD. Virtually every cubicle I've ever seen has drawers and cabinets that lock, and if you're a network admin you probably have a laptop anyways right? If you read your disaster recovery or even security plan (if you've got one) you'll probably find that all staff who have laptops are supposed to bring them home.
Could someone look over your shoulder? I guess... but there are people out there (like say, me, or employees at any other benefits outsourcing company) that have access to literally thousands or even millions of people's date of birth, SSN, etc etc. We get along just fine, so will you.
I mean, sucks you lost your office... I remember mine, it was nice.
Actuaries - making accountants look interesting since 1949
That's all it takes to secure it, provided your building is reasonably secure... as I would *hope* that anything that required locks and not just passwords would be in a secure data center elsewhere. I guess you could request a safe or something if cabinents were insufficent.
It seems like the larger issue is being evicted for the "Service Department". They're the ones that should be in cubes, but that's another story.
I happen to be a network admin who sits out in the open.
It's not that big of a deal, but I guess I don't sit there looking at confidential passwords all day long!
I do, however, always lock my computer when I get up (xscreensaver...ctrlaltdel). That seems sufficient to me.
Oh! And I don't leave sensitive information sitting out on my desk, either.
Everything I need to know about copyrights I learned from Slashdot.
It's not true. under HIPAA Privacy regulations, your computers just can't be easily seen by people passing by. Technically, you shouldn't probably be accessing the information anyway but if you do you just are not supposed to have the screen that someone walking by can see.
HIPAA Security regulations should take care of the rest of the issues from the computer being in an open area.
Yes, there are two different parts to HIPAA (Privacy and Security).
I should know, I'm the HIPAA Officer at my job......DON'T DO IT!
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You should get one of those mirrors that sticks onto your monitor so you can see somebody coming. You should have a hotkey or hotcorner for locking your screen. You should encrypt the senentive data on your workstation and the keys should never exist on your machine... they should exist on a usb keychain or wallet cd.
Since your workstation is now accessible to all... that last bit about keys is imperitive.
As for physical security... if something is so sensitive that it must be locked in your office perhaps it should be locked in a vault or cage instead. A teenager could kick in an office door and gain access to the sensitive bits. And if it's that important... maybe it shouldn't be up to one person to keep track of it. If the information is dangerous if it gets out... then maybe what you need for this stuff is more like an armory and less like a bunch of offices secured with cheesy locks.
And in general... I hope you got a bonus and raise for this. Otherwise it's a pretty lame demotion. Instead of adjusting the security policiy to reflect your new surroundings... I'd be spending that time looking for a new job. This was a power struggle and your boss was too much of a pussy to defend your position.. so fire them. Go get a new boss someplace else or go into business for yourself.
Well, I work for a national laboratory, and we DO give our IT people their own private office with locking door.
I don't know, but it works for me.
What company gives regular IT people their own offices?
Microsoft.
Reinvent the wheel only at either a lower cost, greater effectiveness, or your own personal enrichment and satisfaction.
I think everyone has offices at the main Apple campus. Even the admin. assistants and IT.
2if your job involves any codeing then your productivity will go way down hill in an open plan type space ... (far to much noise)
... I had a similar battle early this year some of the above helped.
As has already been discussed your physical security is now wide open, walk off with that HD that has the boss's info backed up on it?
Software disks install No's stuff that your company now pays thousands for are much more accessible to the light fingered.
Good luck with hanging on to your office
Do you have the slightest idea what you're talking about? The code compliance for every single new "room" alone would kill it. Let alone all the building costs. Maybe, just maybe for new construction you can possibly justify it somehow, but I doubt it. There's no way you can retrofit it.
That material they use to make cubes is expensive.
It's not that expensive. I know what it will cost to have Spacefitters come in and install a brand new 6x10 cube. Two guys come out and put it together, proably making 15 bucks an hour. It takes them an hour at most to build it and wire it. I also know what it will cost to have all the appropriate contractors come in to build out a new network closet (equivalent to a small office). At least four different types of contractors (the builder, the electrician, the plumber and the painter). All of these guys are union, and that labor rate is twice or more that of Spacefitters. It will also take a couple days to have a usable closet. You may have one or two of those guys on your facilities staff, but it's doubtful, the cost of keeping licensed staff is pretty high and most places use contractors. Even then you're only cutting the labor markup, your biggest benefit would be tightening up the scheduling. The difference is in the thousands of dollars per unit.