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New Virginia IT Systems Lack Network Backup
1sockchuck writes "Virginia's new state IT system is experiencing downtime in key services because of a mind-boggling oversight: the state apparently neglected to require network backup in a 10-year, $2.3 billion outsourcing deal with Northrop Grumman. The issue is causing serious downtime for state services. This fall the Virginia DMV has suffered 12 system outages spanning a total of more than 100 hours, and downtime hampered the state transportation department when a state of emergency was declared during the Nov. 11 Northeaster."
In my experience, it is rare for a customer, even with professional IT staff, to properly specify their needs when it comes to technology. Why did Northrop, which presumably has experience in government systems, not design backups?
Palm trees and 8
During the first six months of the year, state Department of Transportation workers faced 101 significant IT outages totaling 4,677 hours: an average of more than 46 hours per outage. One took 360 hours to fix.
That's 27 weeks of downtime in the space of 26 weeks, which raises a much more important question than why there's no network redundancy and that question is: What kind of fucking morons have they got running their systems?
But I thought the magic pixie dust of free enterprise would make outsourcing something to the private sector cheaper, more efficient, and better in every possible way?
Actually, there are plenty of backup systems in Star Trek. Of course, a few of them fail in every episode to avoid having every episode end with a "Yay for Starfleet engineers!" after five minutes.
In fact, for some systems they apparently have up to four backups which all manage to fail magically at the same time *cough*transporters*cough*.
/Mikael
Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
Northrop Grumman outsources part of it's own IT as well and it does not own some of it's systems they rent them or at least they did 1-2 years ago.
Bureaucracy is bureaucracy. Government involvement doesn't mean ineptitude, and the free market doesn't gurantee competence. Whether private or public, ineptitude as well as competence abounds.
Free Martian Whores!
The article does not mention "backups" as in tape drives and off-site storage.
The article does mention lack of redundancy at the network carrier level.
My guess is that Northrop Grumman designed a network around single circuits connecting offices to data centers, and did not design the network to tolerate WAN link failures.
A stupid oversight for sure, but nothing that can't be easily remedied by ordering redundant WAN circuits from your telco of choice. Redundant routing gear would also be smart.
For all that are blaming government for this - they outsourced the design and implementation to a private company. That company screwed the pooch in design and implementation. Shame on both parties for not recognizing the risk of WAN failure.
-ted
"During the first six months of the year, state Department of Transportation workers faced 101 significant IT outages totaling 4,677 hours: an average of more than 46 hours per outage. One took 360 hours to fix."
wait, 4,677 hours? how could that be? There were 181 days in the first 6 months of this year, that's only 4,344 hours.. there was more downtime on the system than days in it's operational life! (did someone /0 here?)
Outsourced, no thanks... I think I'd rather dig up a Univac I to do work on, at least it would be more reliable
But private ineptitude tends to be a self-correcting problem.
And this helps me after my health records (or credit card numbers or whatever) have been leaked... how?
One inept company goes bankrupt, another takes its place, and the damage is already done irregardless.
as free market fundamentalists
it is a hallmark of the triumph of your fear over your intellect that you think that's what i am advocating for
examples of fear triumphing over intellect:
"gay marriage should be legal"
reaction:
"why do you think pedophiles should be allowed to marry boys and bestiality practioners to marry animals?"
#2:
"marijuana should be legal"
reaction:
"why do you want to legalize methamphetamine and heroin?"
#3:
"the government needs to regulate the market in order for it to be stable"
reaction:
"why do you want communist central planning"
do you see the hysteria at work in these examples?
in the future, i suggest you react to what i am actually saying, rather than projecting your irrational fears onto what i am saying, and reacting to that in hysteria
fact: an unregulated marketplace bubbles and pops due to nothing but simple human psychology, and naturally degenerates into a few powerful players dominating everyone else. without regulation, there is no such thing as a "free" market. a stable free market of equals, without regulation by some entity, is something that has never existed in the history of humanity. its a myth cooked up by libertarian fundamentalists, their garden of eden. its a fantasy of blindness in direct contradiction to obvious well-established human behavior:
1. people will take advantage of others, take advantage of natural imperfections in the market, and establish domination and exploitation of later arrivals to the marketplace
2. people will react in panic and fear at rumors, and destroy the market on nothing but emotion: calm rational decisions does not dominate the market
do you care to defy these simple obvious truths?
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
1. people will take advantage of others, take advantage of natural imperfections in the market, and establish domination and exploitation of later arrivals to the marketplace
2. people will react in panic and fear at rumors, and destroy the market on nothing but emotion: calm rational decisions does not dominate the market
do you deny either simple obvious truth?
how do you fight #1, and #2 then?
answer: you need the government to regulate it. duh
an unregulated marketplace bubbles and pops due to nothing but simple human psychology, and naturally degenerates into a few powerful players dominating everyone else. without regulation, there is no such thing as a "free" market. a stable free market of equals, without regulation by some entity, is something that has never existed in the history of humanity. its a myth cooked up by libertarian fundamentalists, their garden of eden. its a fantasy of blindness in direct contradiction to obvious well-established human behavior
this has been today's intellectual charity offering for you. do try to take advantage of the offering, and accept the fucking obvious for once in your life about this subject matter
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
with someone who has seriously embraces an absurd premise: that markets left to their own devices are stable and egalitarian
markets left to their own devices bubble and pop, and are manipulated and dominated by entrenched insiders
to not understand this is equivalent to someone refusing to accept that that the sun rises and sets or that the tides go up and down. how can you have a rational discussion with someone who refuses to see and accept obvious factual aspects of the reality they live in?
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it