Im in the same situation, managing several systems that in previous companies may have had their own department. As things get installed or purchased, I really lean on VARs to pass knowledge and documentation. And moving forward, I found that a free subscription to Tech Republic has been very useful for staying with the latest trends. They send more than a little email every day, but they always link to good articles, new ideas, videos and blogs for IT Managers and staff. Every morning I have messages in my inbox with their newest stuff. If possible, take some time every day, while on the clock, to read and follow up on some tech sites. It benefits you and company.
All fair points. But some less than others. Maybe NFS would have been a better choice, but I'm not going to apologize for making that decision. And there are Mac clients for various virus and spam blocking systems.
But this is not Google. There is no reason to purchase Parallels and Mac/AD integration tools so someone can run email and Powerpoint on a differnt OS. Those work pretty well on a PC with Windows. Bringing a Mac or Linux flavor into the mix does not improve the situation, it only adds more administrative overhead.
There are already soutions in place for the users to do the number one thing the network does in a company; provide access to and redundancy of data. Choice is a great option where users will manage their own issues. But that does not happen at most companies. IT is relied on to tie together the disparate elements of communication and reliability, and sometimes that means standardization. Is Windows the standard? Does IT change the game for the change? IS there a number one solution? What is it?
Have I made all of the right choices? Maybe, maybe not. But to ask my original question/issue a little more plainly: What are you doing with your Mac that you are not able to do with your XP PC? You indicated it "didn't cut it" and I'm curious how?
I am sick of everyone's smarmy afterglow about their switch to Mac after all the "terrible" experiences with PCs and Windows. It's always the same one sided comparison, " I can't believe how other-worldly the Mac experience is compared to Vista." Of course, carving your name in stone with a hammer and chisel is better than Vista. But as a network admin, I have better control and flexibilty with PCs and AD than any Mac I have handled, and I started my IT career on Macs. The latest OS for Mac is very pretty and whiz-bang, but getting integration into a predominantly Windows environment requires additional software purchases, extra configuration issues and more time/money overhead. Yes... you can access an smb share on Windows from a Mac, after you turn of digital signing and reduce your domain's security level. Nice touch. Every Mac Lover I encounter has the same story, "I use it at home and it's so easy. I must use it in the office!" Douchebag! Looking at porn at home and synchronzing data from your laptop to a domain share for redundancy while having access to Group Policy management are NOT the same thing.
And the next person who shows me how awesome Time Machine is has a three word answer from me: Volume Shadow Copy. Windows Server has had this feature since 2003. And with a few mouse click and GPO push (read: automatic) of one app, all machines in my company can pull up network data from any time without use of backup tapes. And any company worth its salt has good virus protection, spam blocking and border security in place. Now here comes the Mac which can make use of none of those office level features. 5% market share does not good anti- virus make. When there are enough of them out there, and bored German teenagers get busy, then let's talk about how secure Macs are.
You win with Vista... it sucks and blows. You're not getting an argument from me there. But XP SP2, which now has support until 2014 from MS, just works. Apple knows how to make things pretty, but they always seem to do it after other OS and PC manufacturers take the hard road.
P.S.: Hey Apple, you didn't invent the MP3 player. My Creative was rockin' long before anyone said the phrase iPod.
I am firm believer in science and generally disregard religion as anything but a comfort zone and crutch for others not up to the task to view a bigger picture than a human-centric point of view on Life, the Universe and Everything. Astrology falls right in line with this, simply using older religious references to ascribe meaning to the movements and alignments of planets, attempting to easily write off how things work. Scientific methodoloy give us a direct analysis of "how" things work in the world.
All that being said... no line of reasoning or faith give us "why" things work. Intelligent design is another phrase for "too lazy to read", but we are one hell of a beautiful accident. And for all of the amazing leaps in analysis of the Universe and its origins, peering through distance and time to see the early formative years of our large home, no one can fully explain or understand a Big Bang. I'm not suggesting it is God, but the Big Bang Theory is just as much a matter of faith as, "Let there be light..." It simplifies our understanding to a degree and gives us a jumping off point to follow up on the how again.
Is science merely an analytical religion?
Actually, the failure of Edsel was in the marketing, timing and naming, not with the product itself. Some classic cars owners cherish their Edsels to this day. Vista was marketed very well and even a long time IT goon such as myself was intrigued with moving to a new OS in November 2006. But the dream quickly died when I realized Vista was more like a Pinto, likely to combust if you run the heater while going faster than 45 MPH.
My recommendation: give yourself more than you need. You might be able to get away with two network ports per desk now, but a year down the road, it will be a bottleneck. Spend the money on extra network ports, extra FULL 20A circuits with extra outlets for equipment (pulling CAT5 and 20A circuits after the walls are dry is costly), extra AC and redundant cooling (aren't we always grumbling about the lack of AC), make the space bigger than you need for better air flow and storage for the number of boxes you will suddenly be inundated with. Give yourself a space to design and build in: a lab table with space for an old server or two and a whiteboard for thinking out loud. We invested in CopyCams so people here could write on whiteboards and then record it for viewing electronically later.
Have good network layout plans. I guarantee that before you're done, you will have at least 25% more network drops than originally planned; the CEO wants a port in the board room for a printer, you'll want a place to put WiFi APs through out the office, we need a phone or a printer here. Be prepared for that expense.
It is the anonymous nature of the web that give people the false sense of strength and protection that lets them lash out with fear of consequence. But in reality,the web is often a "pay-it-forward" kind of place. You don't care about buring someone on a usenet group or a chan while someone else doesn't care that you don't want your passwords and private data stolen. I think most people are a little too scared to put themselves out there for what they are: uninformed. Be willing to learn a new idea or a new perspective and you'll be less inclined to flame and troll. And always be willing to teach and pass on knowledge. Everyone who reads this had a time when they never knew what Slashdot was.
Commute to Manhattan every day. I see mothers hang their baby carriages over the curbs while buses pass inches in front of them. People lean over subway platforms with their backs to on-coming trains. Everyday I see people step into the street without so much as a glance at the light. Over my life time, I have seen the "me first" attitude of people all around me swell to ridiculous proportions. It's a city full of people in a hurry to get somewhere and then not care about the where they are when they get there. Do you think banning music and messaging at crosswalks is going to help?
I'm a little confused by the whole concept of capitalism being used as a reason for these kinds of extreme bonus packages. Not only is capitalism not the reason these few think they deserve so much, but what they represent isn't even that economic system. I've always though of capitalism as being driven by someone with insight and innovation making a great product, a new service, or at least shaking up the the old system. Marketing folk used to use the term "disruption".
The poor can't move up because the wealth making structure that make great thinkers and innovators valuable don't exist anymore. The young enterpreneur trying to break out into business isn't facing his own creative limitations anymore; he's facing licensing restrictions, safety concerns, environmental impact, patent infringements; all placed their by people with money and political power to keep them up and other away from what they have.
Maybe I'm being naive, but I don't consider what CEOs and other big bonus makers as capitalism anymore. It's wealth reorganization, value shifting and cronyism. Capitalism as we know it nearly doesn't exist anymore.
I don't remember if you said where you live in your question, but I'm a member of the Freelancer's Union/Working Today in NYC. They have varying levels of coverage for medical, dental, life and disability insurance. For about $400 a month, I get all four of those needs met. If you are outside of New York, it still may pay to contact them since they have links for gathering new members to get the same coverage in other states. They may also provide contact info for state specific insurance carries/ "unions" elsewhere.
http://www.workingtoday.org/ Working Today
In order to comply with 17a-4 regulations, my company purchased EmailXtender from Legato(EMC). 55 users have generated over 45G of e-mail over the course of 7-8 years with abusers hitting 2-3G personal limits. Then they complained about not being able to synchronize offline folders. Duh! EX connects with your Exchange environment (5.5-2003) and will "shortcut" e-mail based on a rule set you create. Mail older than X days will be moved to the EX server and a 0K shortcut placed on the Exchange server. Made our Store drop from 40+G to about 7G. You need a hefty storage environment to keep the old mail separate, but EX can handle that using SQL, and it makes Exchange much more efficient.
Slashdot Mirror
Im in the same situation, managing several systems that in previous companies may have had their own department. As things get installed or purchased, I really lean on VARs to pass knowledge and documentation. And moving forward, I found that a free subscription to Tech Republic has been very useful for staying with the latest trends. They send more than a little email every day, but they always link to good articles, new ideas, videos and blogs for IT Managers and staff. Every morning I have messages in my inbox with their newest stuff. If possible, take some time every day, while on the clock, to read and follow up on some tech sites. It benefits you and company.
All fair points. But some less than others. Maybe NFS would have been a better choice, but I'm not going to apologize for making that decision. And there are Mac clients for various virus and spam blocking systems. But this is not Google. There is no reason to purchase Parallels and Mac/AD integration tools so someone can run email and Powerpoint on a differnt OS. Those work pretty well on a PC with Windows. Bringing a Mac or Linux flavor into the mix does not improve the situation, it only adds more administrative overhead. There are already soutions in place for the users to do the number one thing the network does in a company; provide access to and redundancy of data. Choice is a great option where users will manage their own issues. But that does not happen at most companies. IT is relied on to tie together the disparate elements of communication and reliability, and sometimes that means standardization. Is Windows the standard? Does IT change the game for the change? IS there a number one solution? What is it? Have I made all of the right choices? Maybe, maybe not. But to ask my original question/issue a little more plainly: What are you doing with your Mac that you are not able to do with your XP PC? You indicated it "didn't cut it" and I'm curious how?
I am sick of everyone's smarmy afterglow about their switch to Mac after all the "terrible" experiences with PCs and Windows. It's always the same one sided comparison, " I can't believe how other-worldly the Mac experience is compared to Vista." Of course, carving your name in stone with a hammer and chisel is better than Vista. But as a network admin, I have better control and flexibilty with PCs and AD than any Mac I have handled, and I started my IT career on Macs. The latest OS for Mac is very pretty and whiz-bang, but getting integration into a predominantly Windows environment requires additional software purchases, extra configuration issues and more time/money overhead. Yes... you can access an smb share on Windows from a Mac, after you turn of digital signing and reduce your domain's security level. Nice touch. Every Mac Lover I encounter has the same story, "I use it at home and it's so easy. I must use it in the office!" Douchebag! Looking at porn at home and synchronzing data from your laptop to a domain share for redundancy while having access to Group Policy management are NOT the same thing.
And the next person who shows me how awesome Time Machine is has a three word answer from me: Volume Shadow Copy. Windows Server has had this feature since 2003. And with a few mouse click and GPO push (read: automatic) of one app, all machines in my company can pull up network data from any time without use of backup tapes. And any company worth its salt has good virus protection, spam blocking and border security in place. Now here comes the Mac which can make use of none of those office level features. 5% market share does not good anti- virus make. When there are enough of them out there, and bored German teenagers get busy, then let's talk about how secure Macs are.
You win with Vista... it sucks and blows. You're not getting an argument from me there. But XP SP2, which now has support until 2014 from MS, just works. Apple knows how to make things pretty, but they always seem to do it after other OS and PC manufacturers take the hard road.
P.S.: Hey Apple, you didn't invent the MP3 player. My Creative was rockin' long before anyone said the phrase iPod.
I am firm believer in science and generally disregard religion as anything but a comfort zone and crutch for others not up to the task to view a bigger picture than a human-centric point of view on Life, the Universe and Everything. Astrology falls right in line with this, simply using older religious references to ascribe meaning to the movements and alignments of planets, attempting to easily write off how things work. Scientific methodoloy give us a direct analysis of "how" things work in the world. All that being said... no line of reasoning or faith give us "why" things work. Intelligent design is another phrase for "too lazy to read", but we are one hell of a beautiful accident. And for all of the amazing leaps in analysis of the Universe and its origins, peering through distance and time to see the early formative years of our large home, no one can fully explain or understand a Big Bang. I'm not suggesting it is God, but the Big Bang Theory is just as much a matter of faith as, "Let there be light..." It simplifies our understanding to a degree and gives us a jumping off point to follow up on the how again. Is science merely an analytical religion?
Actually, the failure of Edsel was in the marketing, timing and naming, not with the product itself. Some classic cars owners cherish their Edsels to this day. Vista was marketed very well and even a long time IT goon such as myself was intrigued with moving to a new OS in November 2006. But the dream quickly died when I realized Vista was more like a Pinto, likely to combust if you run the heater while going faster than 45 MPH.
My recommendation: give yourself more than you need. You might be able to get away with two network ports per desk now, but a year down the road, it will be a bottleneck. Spend the money on extra network ports, extra FULL 20A circuits with extra outlets for equipment (pulling CAT5 and 20A circuits after the walls are dry is costly), extra AC and redundant cooling (aren't we always grumbling about the lack of AC), make the space bigger than you need for better air flow and storage for the number of boxes you will suddenly be inundated with. Give yourself a space to design and build in: a lab table with space for an old server or two and a whiteboard for thinking out loud. We invested in CopyCams so people here could write on whiteboards and then record it for viewing electronically later.
Have good network layout plans. I guarantee that before you're done, you will have at least 25% more network drops than originally planned; the CEO wants a port in the board room for a printer, you'll want a place to put WiFi APs through out the office, we need a phone or a printer here. Be prepared for that expense.
Be prepared for growth.
It is the anonymous nature of the web that give people the false sense of strength and protection that lets them lash out with fear of consequence. But in reality,the web is often a "pay-it-forward" kind of place. You don't care about buring someone on a usenet group or a chan while someone else doesn't care that you don't want your passwords and private data stolen. I think most people are a little too scared to put themselves out there for what they are: uninformed. Be willing to learn a new idea or a new perspective and you'll be less inclined to flame and troll. And always be willing to teach and pass on knowledge. Everyone who reads this had a time when they never knew what Slashdot was.
Commute to Manhattan every day. I see mothers hang their baby carriages over the curbs while buses pass inches in front of them. People lean over subway platforms with their backs to on-coming trains. Everyday I see people step into the street without so much as a glance at the light. Over my life time, I have seen the "me first" attitude of people all around me swell to ridiculous proportions. It's a city full of people in a hurry to get somewhere and then not care about the where they are when they get there. Do you think banning music and messaging at crosswalks is going to help?
I'm a little confused by the whole concept of capitalism being used as a reason for these kinds of extreme bonus packages. Not only is capitalism not the reason these few think they deserve so much, but what they represent isn't even that economic system. I've always though of capitalism as being driven by someone with insight and innovation making a great product, a new service, or at least shaking up the the old system. Marketing folk used to use the term "disruption".
The poor can't move up because the wealth making structure that make great thinkers and innovators valuable don't exist anymore. The young enterpreneur trying to break out into business isn't facing his own creative limitations anymore; he's facing licensing restrictions, safety concerns, environmental impact, patent infringements; all placed their by people with money and political power to keep them up and other away from what they have.
Maybe I'm being naive, but I don't consider what CEOs and other big bonus makers as capitalism anymore. It's wealth reorganization, value shifting and cronyism. Capitalism as we know it nearly doesn't exist anymore.
I don't remember if you said where you live in your question, but I'm a member of the Freelancer's Union/Working Today in NYC. They have varying levels of coverage for medical, dental, life and disability insurance. For about $400 a month, I get all four of those needs met. If you are outside of New York, it still may pay to contact them since they have links for gathering new members to get the same coverage in other states. They may also provide contact info for state specific insurance carries/ "unions" elsewhere. http://www.workingtoday.org/ Working Today
In order to comply with 17a-4 regulations, my company purchased EmailXtender from Legato(EMC). 55 users have generated over 45G of e-mail over the course of 7-8 years with abusers hitting 2-3G personal limits. Then they complained about not being able to synchronize offline folders. Duh! EX connects with your Exchange environment (5.5-2003) and will "shortcut" e-mail based on a rule set you create. Mail older than X days will be moved to the EX server and a 0K shortcut placed on the Exchange server. Made our Store drop from 40+G to about 7G. You need a hefty storage environment to keep the old mail separate, but EX can handle that using SQL, and it makes Exchange much more efficient.