Businesses and government agencies get used to the idea that IT fixes everything, so when it comes to a business plan, it's ALL IT's responsibility. When management finally comes to its senses and actually builds a business plan, IT is called in and everyone in IT wonders, "Why are we here?".
I was the medical librarian, not IT, but Logistics once called me because the Procurement Center on our Army post had sent a request for paperwork and they couldn't identify it. I called the number on the request, explained it had been sent to the hospital by mistake, and asked for the number of the actual recepient. Got it, called them, got their fax number, and sent them the request. My reward? Any similar requests that couldn't be identified were sent to me. No, it was NOT in my job description.
My Friend REALLY loves it when "Someone from Microsoft calls them telling them a Virus has been detected on their Windows System"... He has fun screwing with them because 1) he's IN IT and has been for decades and 2) absolutely every system he has uses Linux...the only time he ever runs a Windows program is in Emulation and since he works for Canada Customs, their Firewalls are rather robust so even IF they did somehow get a Virus, there is no way in HELL "Microsoft" would ever be able to see it... 😄😁😆😅😂🤣
Reminds me about a story, where a rookie police cadet who was told to fax some data to another station. Was shown how to put paper into it and press send, but didn't understand, that having been scanned, was sent electronically to the receiving machine. Each time the the paper came out he put it back in again. Eventually there was a phone call was made to tell him to desist sending as their end was inundated with repeat sendings. That was in the 1980s uk.
My Army hospital was really bad about classes in how to use the computers or even supplying manuals (1990s-2002). The LAN engineer got quite annoyed with me for not understanding what he said, until I explained to him that it was as if I had been taught to drive a car without ever being taught the correct names for anything, such as the ignition. (We later bonded over our mutual love of the original "Star Trek".)
As On Site Tech Support, most of my nearly 1000 people, will spend up to a few hours or days trying to catch me at my desks rather than call the help desk. I once took a week off and saw work notes to the tone of "Pending - User will wait until local is back". We do have other local techs, just that they don't come to my sites unless I'm off - and my users decided waiting for me was going to make them happier.
It's quaint you think only small companies have shitty networks when you look under the hood. Governments, ISPs, banks and more have decades old programs working their most important and basic functions. That shiny website on the front end just hides all the duct tape and gum keeping things together hiding behind it. (I say this having worked for both a government and an ISP with programs and interfaces from the 90s at the latest.
I mean only this year in Japan they stopped using floppy disk in governmental buildings. So some of them found the solution to go 100% back to stored on paper.
Back in the mid-nineties, I was going on vacation. I was asked to create a guide to the library's desktop computer in case any patient wanted to use it while I was gone. I created a guide that not only included the terms, but what to look for on the screen (exampie: the object shaped like a shield), in case they didn't know.
Story 2 Comments: Oh my gosh dude. Its not even old companies. There are newer small companies can be practically exposed and have improper information and would rather have other "important" things be handled first as opposed to have all the information in front of them, then sometimes have a person that is closest to an IT person because they have enough knowledge on tech that refuses to believe that stuff costs so much to both upgrade and setup.
For the small company IT state, it depends on if they have a good MSP or IT consultant on contract, if not they often are exactly the sort of mess you are imagining, occasionally someone internally will actually know enough to keep things in a good place, but more often not, but an MSP or IT consultant who knows what they are doing and with enough budget and remit to handle pro active tasks, not just break/fix, well, they are your IT team, and by being a pro IT team handling multiple companies they can be cheaper than hiring full time internal IT for a small business, when businesses realize they need to care, it can be very well managed even for small organizations.
Hey Rob. Your comment about small company network admins is true, but ask yourself how brutal small organizations are. Like a church who's sits is still on angelfire, run entirely by volunteers who document nothing. I have heard (but cannot prove) that it's safer to browse adult content because those sites are up to date as compared to someone with a kid brother who thinks wordpress is too expensive!
@KarmaStoriesPodcast Yep. The terrible HTML, beeps and 8 bit music samples... The blink command! All lost, aside from the heartiest web surfer! Oh and site visit counters! Especially the ones that didn't fudge the numbers and it turns out in 2024 you are visitor #6!
if your microwave is frozen use the defrost mode. Also on the first thing who cares if you can not connect to your costumers when there is a gas/fire alarm. just get out. there is no reason or rime to stay. That costumer is not in the building and if they are they also need to get out. your own safety is direct in danger.
For the new editing monitor, get a music stand for your table. That was the solution of our IT as they got us TFT displays and we lost the clipboard that was mounted on the big CRT.
3rd story, I got a new phone a few months ago and I had to go online just figure out how to turn off my phone. The power button, nope that was linked to an AI, and even when I asked to turn off my phone it refused and would only re-boot. I totally understand when people call IT and have ask how to turn off a device. I'm not in the Apple eco-space but from what my friend who is says she can't turn off any of her Apple products, they can only be put into sleep mode.
As a tech person, if I'm calling in for tech support, this is after of already rebooted it. So the tax support person asking me to check if it's plugged in, ask if it's been rebooted, etc. I don't need any of that. It's already been done.
@KarmaStoriesPodcast Absolutely, and that's why while I am at home, I may wonder around a little bit at the beginning of calling support. I've got to wait for them to ask the generic questions, answer that I've already done that, so that they can actually troubleshoot whatever it is.
Fun detail about turning it off and on again. Windows 10 broke some of the functionality with fast startup. I have a customer who's desktop would lose the usb connectivity, ok, shutting it down and powering it back up should reset the hardware... Nope. Driver crashed and windows saves the state. Thankfully I had read a white paper on fast startup so I had them try a restart, bingo, success.
I'm genuinely concerned sometimes about the network where I work, hoping that there's some kind of VPN or IP filtering in place for WAN. I suspect that otherwise, everything has access to everything within the company if you know the IP address and most things seem to be static.
When that meeting for continuity plan comes, welcome it as long as they give you the power and budget to make it happen, anymore an awful lot of business continuity is tied to the IT systems and if they will give you the budget and policy control power required that's great for getting your systems to a better place, if they want you to magic it up without any budget or policy power to make it work, then yeah no thanks, it sounds lime thry went in without planning, but if they give you a chance at a big budget increase and policy power increase, which is a lot easier to push through right after a major scare or actual major impact in my experience, take it, then you get budget, ability to implement those policies you need implemented continuity plan or not, and if it does happen again you get to be the heroes when everyone else is running around lime their head has been cut off.
My grandmother no longer feels bad when she asks me for computer help
My late mother once called me to ask how to open her email. I was surprised when I succeeded.
Businesses and government agencies get used to the idea that IT fixes everything, so when it comes to a business plan, it's ALL IT's responsibility.
When management finally comes to its senses and actually builds a business plan, IT is called in and everyone in IT wonders, "Why are we here?".
I was the medical librarian, not IT, but Logistics once called me because the Procurement Center on our Army post had sent a request for paperwork and they couldn't identify it. I called the number on the request, explained it had been sent to the hospital by mistake, and asked for the number of the actual recepient. Got it, called them, got their fax number, and sent them the request. My reward? Any similar requests that couldn't be identified were sent to me. No, it was NOT in my job description.
@@annnichols3091Hey, Army, my Captain mom taught us to NEVER VOLUNTEER FOR ANYTHING!
Office cats... Adorable mischief...
My Friend REALLY loves it when "Someone from Microsoft calls them telling them a Virus has been detected on their Windows System"...
He has fun screwing with them because 1) he's IN IT and has been for decades and 2) absolutely every system he has uses Linux...the only time he ever runs a Windows program is in Emulation and since he works for Canada Customs, their Firewalls are rather robust so even IF they did somehow get a Virus, there is no way in HELL "Microsoft" would ever be able to see it...
😄😁😆😅😂🤣
Reminds me about a story, where a rookie police cadet who was told to fax some data to another station. Was shown how to put paper into it and press send, but didn't understand, that having been scanned, was sent electronically to the receiving machine. Each time the the paper came out he put it back in again. Eventually there was a phone call was made to tell him to desist sending as their end was inundated with repeat sendings. That was in the 1980s uk.
Where am I supposed to put all my sticky notes... with all my passwords on them?
Under the keyboard.
@@raxin9320Too inconvenient - stick them on the frame of the monitor...
Remember boys and girl's nerds make the digital world go round so don't poke the bear
My Army hospital was really bad about classes in how to use the computers or even supplying manuals (1990s-2002). The LAN engineer got quite annoyed with me for not understanding what he said, until I explained to him that it was as if I had been taught to drive a car without ever being taught the correct names for anything, such as the ignition. (We later bonded over our mutual love of the original "Star Trek".)
Rob, you made me laugh out loud at the sticky note comment. Thank you that.
I love the microwave story, so great
As On Site Tech Support, most of my nearly 1000 people, will spend up to a few hours or days trying to catch me at my desks rather than call the help desk. I once took a week off and saw work notes to the tone of "Pending - User will wait until local is back". We do have other local techs, just that they don't come to my sites unless I'm off - and my users decided waiting for me was going to make them happier.
It's quaint you think only small companies have shitty networks when you look under the hood.
Governments, ISPs, banks and more have decades old programs working their most important and basic functions. That shiny website on the front end just hides all the duct tape and gum keeping things together hiding behind it. (I say this having worked for both a government and an ISP with programs and interfaces from the 90s at the latest.
I mean only this year in Japan they stopped using floppy disk in governmental buildings. So some of them found the solution to go 100% back to stored on paper.
Texas' inmate roster software will give you a stroke.
Very beautiful cat resented the time owner was spending NOT looking at HER!
Back in the mid-nineties, I was going on vacation. I was asked to create a guide to the library's desktop computer in case any patient wanted to use it while I was gone. I created a guide that not only included the terms, but what to look for on the screen (exampie: the object shaped like a shield), in case they didn't know.
Story 2 Comments: Oh my gosh dude. Its not even old companies. There are newer small companies can be practically exposed and have improper information and would rather have other "important" things be handled first as opposed to have all the information in front of them, then sometimes have a person that is closest to an IT person because they have enough knowledge on tech that refuses to believe that stuff costs so much to both upgrade and setup.
For the small company IT state, it depends on if they have a good MSP or IT consultant on contract, if not they often are exactly the sort of mess you are imagining, occasionally someone internally will actually know enough to keep things in a good place, but more often not, but an MSP or IT consultant who knows what they are doing and with enough budget and remit to handle pro active tasks, not just break/fix, well, they are your IT team, and by being a pro IT team handling multiple companies they can be cheaper than hiring full time internal IT for a small business, when businesses realize they need to care, it can be very well managed even for small organizations.
Hey Rob. Your comment about small company network admins is true, but ask yourself how brutal small organizations are. Like a church who's sits is still on angelfire, run entirely by volunteers who document nothing. I have heard (but cannot prove) that it's safer to browse adult content because those sites are up to date as compared to someone with a kid brother who thinks wordpress is too expensive!
I still love finding those old early 90's angelfire and geocities type websites. Really rings my nostalgia bell :)
@KarmaStoriesPodcast Yep. The terrible HTML, beeps and 8 bit music samples... The blink command! All lost, aside from the heartiest web surfer!
Oh and site visit counters! Especially the ones that didn't fudge the numbers and it turns out in 2024 you are visitor #6!
if your microwave is frozen use the defrost mode.
Also on the first thing who cares if you can not connect to your costumers when there is a gas/fire alarm. just get out. there is no reason or rime to stay. That costumer is not in the building and if they are they also need to get out. your own safety is direct in danger.
For the new editing monitor, get a music stand for your table. That was the solution of our IT as they got us TFT displays and we lost the clipboard that was mounted on the big CRT.
Rob!!! A new video is always a highlight of my day.
I love these tech support stories! ❤️❤️
More proof that cats are the worst pets! At least you can teach the dog not to destroy more property than it’s worth.
3rd story, I got a new phone a few months ago and I had to go online just figure out how to turn off my phone. The power button, nope that was linked to an AI, and even when I asked to turn off my phone it refused and would only re-boot. I totally understand when people call IT and have ask how to turn off a device. I'm not in the Apple eco-space but from what my friend who is says she can't turn off any of her Apple products, they can only be put into sleep mode.
As a tech person, if I'm calling in for tech support, this is after of already rebooted it. So the tax support person asking me to check if it's plugged in, ask if it's been rebooted, etc. I don't need any of that. It's already been done.
But as a tech person, you also understand they have procedures they need to follow and they're simple questions to answer.
@KarmaStoriesPodcast Absolutely, and that's why while I am at home, I may wonder around a little bit at the beginning of calling support. I've got to wait for them to ask the generic questions, answer that I've already done that, so that they can actually troubleshoot whatever it is.
Good afternoon Rob 👍 Enjoying the cool weather. Have a delightful day 👋🤗
Have a great day everyone 👋🤗
You as well!
@@KarmaStoriesPodcast 👍👋🤗
Great stories
Fun detail about turning it off and on again. Windows 10 broke some of the functionality with fast startup. I have a customer who's desktop would lose the usb connectivity, ok, shutting it down and powering it back up should reset the hardware... Nope. Driver crashed and windows saves the state. Thankfully I had read a white paper on fast startup so I had them try a restart, bingo, success.
Good afternoon
I'm genuinely concerned sometimes about the network where I work, hoping that there's some kind of VPN or IP filtering in place for WAN.
I suspect that otherwise, everything has access to everything within the company if you know the IP address and most things seem to be static.
❤❤❤❤
When that meeting for continuity plan comes, welcome it as long as they give you the power and budget to make it happen, anymore an awful lot of business continuity is tied to the IT systems and if they will give you the budget and policy control power required that's great for getting your systems to a better place, if they want you to magic it up without any budget or policy power to make it work, then yeah no thanks, it sounds lime thry went in without planning, but if they give you a chance at a big budget increase and policy power increase, which is a lot easier to push through right after a major scare or actual major impact in my experience, take it, then you get budget, ability to implement those policies you need implemented continuity plan or not, and if it does happen again you get to be the heroes when everyone else is running around lime their head has been cut off.