The ratio isn't really what's at issue because that can vary due to the business you're in. What's the bigger concern is that the IT staff overlaps that's what I draw to be the biggest problem where I work. Our system support staff is responsible for end user support, network support, telecom support and server support.
However:
Telecom support is only responsible for telephones
Network support is only responsible for networks
Server support is only responsible for servers
That's find and dandy for the other departments, but for us poor shlubs in system support we're overworked and underpaid.
The CIO of our company said once that he expected at least 900 or so end users per IT staff.
My location alone, I support around 200+ users with varying levels of support from co-workers and people on other teams. This also includes our servers, our phones, our networks.
I agree with you 100%, unfortunately the problem lies in the fact that non-IT people do not view it as a trade. Yes, there are plenty of DIYers that will do their own electrical, plumbing and PC work but that does not detract from the fact that it is a skill that requires a level of training, experience and god honest talent.
Speaking from my personal experience, and having slowly (too slowly) working up the corporate ladder glory is what you make it.
If you love what you do, and cherish the battles there's plenty of glory to be had. The issue is that everyone is different from both a support and end user perspective.
My problems can be summed up fairly readily though, and some were already clarified above.
IT Managers are usually from external sources so do not know how the business runs, as all businesses operate differently even if the same field (ie. one bank will utilize different systems from another).
IT hardware/software decisions seem to be made on the golf course with no input from staff.
Cutting costs is put priority one over everything else, even if it does not make sound business sense.
For example, our business recommends a global IT staff/end user ratio of around 300 to 1. I work in our head office building and actually had to fight my boss to be allowed to stay here when they farmed out IT to a cheaper location. End users, for the most part, do not want to deal with remote fixes. They want people to come to them and fix problems. I support around 300+ physically in one building and it's too much sometimes. Especially when companies are notorious for making you work as much as possible for the least amount of money. My job title does not include VCC support. It does not include IP Telephony support. It does not include Network support. It does not include Server build support. I do it all though, because if I didn't the business would be affected.
I know it's a lot of rambling, but it's the state of IT and it's hard to get it all together. The only hope is that the next generation of people getting into this field realize it's as much about the smarts as it is about the people.
I used to be in sales, then I became a security guard.
I eventually applied for a job in the building I was a security guard to do monitoring of servers, software and websites for a bank. I had no relevant experience on my resume, just the references from the night operators that I used to hang out with at 2am when nothing was happening.
That being said, this could be defined as an entry-level job which is going to give you far more leeway in terms of getting in.
For the most part after that, it's all about cutting your teeth and proving you know what you say you do.
As someone who has lied repeatedly on my resume (cough.. COBAL.. cough) the important think is that if you get thrown into that situation when you need to use that skill you can.
IT is very much a job of adaptability. Technology changes in a heartbeat and if you can't keep at that pace and stay ahead of it you will be eaten, doesn't matter how much schooling you have or what your resume says.
Working in IT, one of the problems I have with my blackberry is that the ability to RDP into my work enviroment is not possible on a free scale, therefore work is not persuing the opportunity.
With citrix available on an iPhone, all of a sudden, my ability to work has increased exponentially.
Now if it works properly, that's a whole other story... And I can just see our remote desktop support going "You're logging into work how now?". "You think we're going to support this?"
Probably the closest to my own personal views I've seen.
I honestly want to get an iPod. I'm jonesing to get an iPhone. But I'm not getting either in the immediate future. Why? Apple locks down their hardware (forget about the DRM issue for now).
Why would I buy a mp3 player/phone with a proprietary connection? I use a blackberry for phone and I have a creative Zen for an MP3 player. Both use USB standard connections.
Yes, Apple makes good products, but I feel for those "in the know" (ie. extremely picky, concious consumers) we want standardized equipment. I want to not have to use a crippling program to upload my music to my player, no matter how pretty it looks. Nor do I want to sync my phone with a program just to make it work.
As many people have stated, this isn't a clear cut answer.
Throwing in my 2 cents though, the problem is that many, many companies (mine included) seem to have a hard problem understanding the difference between IT and IT Management.
Too often have I seen a glut of managers/project leaders/etc. and not enough people to do the actual work that's being asked.
I would be more curious to see how many companies (mine included) that have a grossly out of proportion ratio in workers/management.
Are north american wops willing to trade in their Razr's for iPhones? If they are, are from word of mouth at work they are, then Apple can easily reach that 1 million figure.
LOL
you're not buying a blackberry for internet access though. You're buying it for their BES/BIS ability to PUSH email services reliably, which no other OS/carrier can provide on other systems. If such were the case, you would see companies purchasing Treo's, Q's or blackjacks in droves. Unfortunately, no company has come out with a viable alternative to BES/BIS.
... On the flip side, they'll get businesses to buy some too. Enterprises will stick with Blackberries because they use Exchange and like the security aspects of the device, but there are plenty of mid-level managers with purchase authority to spend $500-600.
No offense, but business managers are not going to purchase this as a work device unless the business manager has purchasing power over IT and/or IT in the company is retarded and/or the person the device for doesn't need it for anything business related.
Seriousness here people. Think about it. There's a reason BES software is "industry standard" now. Nothing compares remotely to the fact that Blackberry has a PUSH email service that's airtight.
On top of that, a virtual keyboard is not going to replace the typing ability of a full qwerty keyboard.
Then there's familiarity of the blackberry device. Then there's the "industry standard" thing again.
If corporate/government offices are blackberries in a large majority, why would they all of a sudden start getting an unproven device with more holes than a seive security wise? Christ, we don't allow a bberry Pearl on our BES, are they going to allow an MP3/camera/USB device on a large scale network? NO. so it's a phone. why would a purchasing manager buy a 500$ phone for their employee when they can get a 40$ nokia phone?
Apple will break approximately 0% of the business phone/pda/blackberry market. Take that as a fact.
Which, as you know has no relevance on this topic, I can't imagine why one would want to move out of their country.
Granted, Canada hasn't gotten too bad over the years (We'll see in 10 more). If you don't live in the "belly of the beast" as it were, how do you expect to affect change? It's a catch-22. Bitch about the country all you want, but move and you're doing nothing to stop that country becoming what it is. If anything, you're aiding and abetting the country in getting worse. Continue living in it, and bitch and become active. That's how you affect change.
Empires collapse from within. If you're an American and want to move away because the going get's tough then IMHO, you're weak of character. Running away from problems doesn't make them go away.
I'm not disagreeing that PayPal is far different from a bank as it doesn't allow Loans, Savings Accounts, etc. The thing is, that it still does provide the basics. It charges interest. It withholds money. It can hold money just like a chequing account. They can also transfer to and from PayPal accounts.
The problem I'm saying is that it's very much a "wild west" situation with PayPal right now. Although one can risk them not taking advantage of you and your money one can't guarantee that it's not going to happen. Just like banks, Paypal is bound to be operating on a "profit before people" mode of business. Banks, luckily, are monitored by government agencies to make sure everything is on the "up and up". PayPal, however, is not.
But to all those people using PayPal what do you really expect?
Here you have a company that is acting very much like a bank. It allows you to hold a balance. It allows you to perform wire transfers. It allows you to debit and credit your accounts.
The difference is, that it's not a bank. It's not mandated by the same rules that the government has imposed on banks. Hence, you're gonna get screwed. Why? There's not rules and regulations to stop them from breaking laws that in any other financial institution are... well... laws.
If you're using PayPal you have no one but yourself to blame. Sure, everything may be hunky dory now, but you're really playing with fire until they get locked down with rules.
"I would say write to your Congresscritters and let them know that you want these screwed up pieces of junk out of our polling locations, but like I said, I know I'm preaching to the Slashdot choir, and you won't do it. >:-( But realistically, just know that until you do, we can look forward to many, many more articles about this kind of thing."
- Sad to say that you're right on this, and you know what? I'm going to be one of those guilty parties that your jabbing against here. It seems to be a sore societal fact that people don't really care until they're personally affected and even then, it has to be something that is a gross injustice before anyone really cares.
Look, for example, at how much had already been done before Aparthied was ended in Africa, or slavery in America. Things always seem to need that "tipping point" before anyone really gives a damn.
Again, I'm included in this list.
Here's to the effort put into getting this age group to vote. It's been tried numerous times though. Rock the vote was the most recent. Voter turnouts continue to plummet and obviously something is not being done to change this.
Getting gamers to put their voice in their vote isn't guaranteed to work. There is a disconnect between youth and voting and the underlying issues aren't being addressed.
Slashdot Mirror
The ratio isn't really what's at issue because that can vary due to the business you're in. What's the bigger concern is that the IT staff overlaps that's what I draw to be the biggest problem where I work. Our system support staff is responsible for end user support, network support, telecom support and server support. However: Telecom support is only responsible for telephones Network support is only responsible for networks Server support is only responsible for servers That's find and dandy for the other departments, but for us poor shlubs in system support we're overworked and underpaid. The CIO of our company said once that he expected at least 900 or so end users per IT staff. My location alone, I support around 200+ users with varying levels of support from co-workers and people on other teams. This also includes our servers, our phones, our networks.
I agree with you 100%, unfortunately the problem lies in the fact that non-IT people do not view it as a trade. Yes, there are plenty of DIYers that will do their own electrical, plumbing and PC work but that does not detract from the fact that it is a skill that requires a level of training, experience and god honest talent.
Speaking from my personal experience, and having slowly (too slowly) working up the corporate ladder glory is what you make it. If you love what you do, and cherish the battles there's plenty of glory to be had. The issue is that everyone is different from both a support and end user perspective. My problems can be summed up fairly readily though, and some were already clarified above. IT Managers are usually from external sources so do not know how the business runs, as all businesses operate differently even if the same field (ie. one bank will utilize different systems from another). IT hardware/software decisions seem to be made on the golf course with no input from staff. Cutting costs is put priority one over everything else, even if it does not make sound business sense. For example, our business recommends a global IT staff/end user ratio of around 300 to 1. I work in our head office building and actually had to fight my boss to be allowed to stay here when they farmed out IT to a cheaper location. End users, for the most part, do not want to deal with remote fixes. They want people to come to them and fix problems. I support around 300+ physically in one building and it's too much sometimes. Especially when companies are notorious for making you work as much as possible for the least amount of money. My job title does not include VCC support. It does not include IP Telephony support. It does not include Network support. It does not include Server build support. I do it all though, because if I didn't the business would be affected. I know it's a lot of rambling, but it's the state of IT and it's hard to get it all together. The only hope is that the next generation of people getting into this field realize it's as much about the smarts as it is about the people.
I used to be in sales, then I became a security guard.
I eventually applied for a job in the building I was a security guard to do monitoring of servers, software and websites for a bank. I had no relevant experience on my resume, just the references from the night operators that I used to hang out with at 2am when nothing was happening.
That being said, this could be defined as an entry-level job which is going to give you far more leeway in terms of getting in.
For the most part after that, it's all about cutting your teeth and proving you know what you say you do.
As someone who has lied repeatedly on my resume (cough.. COBAL.. cough) the important think is that if you get thrown into that situation when you need to use that skill you can.
IT is very much a job of adaptability. Technology changes in a heartbeat and if you can't keep at that pace and stay ahead of it you will be eaten, doesn't matter how much schooling you have or what your resume says.
Working in IT, one of the problems I have with my blackberry is that the ability to RDP into my work enviroment is not possible on a free scale, therefore work is not persuing the opportunity. With citrix available on an iPhone, all of a sudden, my ability to work has increased exponentially. Now if it works properly, that's a whole other story... And I can just see our remote desktop support going "You're logging into work how now?". "You think we're going to support this?"
Probably the closest to my own personal views I've seen. I honestly want to get an iPod. I'm jonesing to get an iPhone. But I'm not getting either in the immediate future. Why? Apple locks down their hardware (forget about the DRM issue for now). Why would I buy a mp3 player/phone with a proprietary connection? I use a blackberry for phone and I have a creative Zen for an MP3 player. Both use USB standard connections. Yes, Apple makes good products, but I feel for those "in the know" (ie. extremely picky, concious consumers) we want standardized equipment. I want to not have to use a crippling program to upload my music to my player, no matter how pretty it looks. Nor do I want to sync my phone with a program just to make it work.
As many people have stated, this isn't a clear cut answer. Throwing in my 2 cents though, the problem is that many, many companies (mine included) seem to have a hard problem understanding the difference between IT and IT Management. Too often have I seen a glut of managers/project leaders/etc. and not enough people to do the actual work that's being asked. I would be more curious to see how many companies (mine included) that have a grossly out of proportion ratio in workers/management.
Are north american wops willing to trade in their Razr's for iPhones? If they are, are from word of mouth at work they are, then Apple can easily reach that 1 million figure. LOL
you're not buying a blackberry for internet access though. You're buying it for their BES/BIS ability to PUSH email services reliably, which no other OS/carrier can provide on other systems. If such were the case, you would see companies purchasing Treo's, Q's or blackjacks in droves. Unfortunately, no company has come out with a viable alternative to BES/BIS.
No offense, but business managers are not going to purchase this as a work device unless the business manager has purchasing power over IT and/or IT in the company is retarded and/or the person the device for doesn't need it for anything business related.
Seriousness here people. Think about it. There's a reason BES software is "industry standard" now. Nothing compares remotely to the fact that Blackberry has a PUSH email service that's airtight.
On top of that, a virtual keyboard is not going to replace the typing ability of a full qwerty keyboard.
Then there's familiarity of the blackberry device. Then there's the "industry standard" thing again.
If corporate/government offices are blackberries in a large majority, why would they all of a sudden start getting an unproven device with more holes than a seive security wise? Christ, we don't allow a bberry Pearl on our BES, are they going to allow an MP3/camera/USB device on a large scale network? NO. so it's a phone. why would a purchasing manager buy a 500$ phone for their employee when they can get a 40$ nokia phone?
Apple will break approximately 0% of the business phone/pda/blackberry market. Take that as a fact.
Which, as you know has no relevance on this topic, I can't imagine why one would want to move out of their country.
Granted, Canada hasn't gotten too bad over the years (We'll see in 10 more). If you don't live in the "belly of the beast" as it were, how do you expect to affect change? It's a catch-22. Bitch about the country all you want, but move and you're doing nothing to stop that country becoming what it is. If anything, you're aiding and abetting the country in getting worse. Continue living in it, and bitch and become active. That's how you affect change.
Empires collapse from within. If you're an American and want to move away because the going get's tough then IMHO, you're weak of character. Running away from problems doesn't make them go away.
I'm not disagreeing that PayPal is far different from a bank as it doesn't allow Loans, Savings Accounts, etc. The thing is, that it still does provide the basics. It charges interest. It withholds money. It can hold money just like a chequing account. They can also transfer to and from PayPal accounts.
The problem I'm saying is that it's very much a "wild west" situation with PayPal right now. Although one can risk them not taking advantage of you and your money one can't guarantee that it's not going to happen. Just like banks, Paypal is bound to be operating on a "profit before people" mode of business. Banks, luckily, are monitored by government agencies to make sure everything is on the "up and up". PayPal, however, is not.
But to all those people using PayPal what do you really expect? Here you have a company that is acting very much like a bank. It allows you to hold a balance. It allows you to perform wire transfers. It allows you to debit and credit your accounts. The difference is, that it's not a bank. It's not mandated by the same rules that the government has imposed on banks. Hence, you're gonna get screwed. Why? There's not rules and regulations to stop them from breaking laws that in any other financial institution are... well... laws. If you're using PayPal you have no one but yourself to blame. Sure, everything may be hunky dory now, but you're really playing with fire until they get locked down with rules.
"I would say write to your Congresscritters and let them know that you want these screwed up pieces of junk out of our polling locations, but like I said, I know I'm preaching to the Slashdot choir, and you won't do it. >:-( But realistically, just know that until you do, we can look forward to many, many more articles about this kind of thing." - Sad to say that you're right on this, and you know what? I'm going to be one of those guilty parties that your jabbing against here. It seems to be a sore societal fact that people don't really care until they're personally affected and even then, it has to be something that is a gross injustice before anyone really cares. Look, for example, at how much had already been done before Aparthied was ended in Africa, or slavery in America. Things always seem to need that "tipping point" before anyone really gives a damn. Again, I'm included in this list.
Here's to the effort put into getting this age group to vote. It's been tried numerous times though. Rock the vote was the most recent. Voter turnouts continue to plummet and obviously something is not being done to change this.
Getting gamers to put their voice in their vote isn't guaranteed to work. There is a disconnect between youth and voting and the underlying issues aren't being addressed.