Best admin - stealth admin
Today, the tendency towards virtualization of many vital, business and other processes is clearly traced around the world. As a person close to the IT sector, I really like this trend. For myself, I see completely new opportunities for work in this, new perspectives and banal comfort from the fact that I can work wherever there is Internet. At least on the beach in Sharm al-Sheikh. Work tools - laptop and portable beer fridge.
Surprisingly, but today I can already regard this not as the dream of all admins about a bright future, but as a very real task for the coming year.
Because this thought made the pilot project HelpMeIn possible .(everyone can see it on the website of the same name). The project is still open, I invite everyone to cooperate. Any help, criticism, advice, in general, all constructive thoughts are welcome.
So, the main objectives of the project:
1. In practice, introduce a new format for the work of the incoming administrator, to prove that the idea has the right to life and remote technical support is in no way inferior to the traditional one.
2. Make a powerful on-line service from the pilot project that brings good profit.
From this we will build on.
How it works?
Thanks to services like LogMeInit became possible to easily obtain remote access to administer a computer without using anything but a regular browser. The client should only inform that he does not work and indicate a convenient time for him to complete the task (for example, at night when there is no one in the office). Convenient, isn't it?
For example, to get an ordinary system administrator to work at night, you need to make a lot of effort and even more finance. Such they are moody.
Setting up software, virus treatment, all kinds of prevention, assistance in the work and training of company employees, etc. etc. All this and much more can and should be done remotely, without interrupting the main business process of the company. The system has been tested for a long time, run-in, does not require equipment costs. All that is needed is an Internet channel with 128 kilobits per second. And this is no longer a problem.
Fortunately for me, there were courageous people who went to the experiment. We agreed as follows: I try to complete all tasks to the maximum remotely. Departure to the office only in emergency cases. And strangely enough, the semi-annual practice of such a service speaks for itself unequivocally - the customer is satisfied. As a result, I appear in these offices 2 times a month: once a visually see if everything is in order, and a second time for a salary. What I wish to everyone)
When it may not work?
The answer is probably obvious - if the problem is in the hardware. Not so long ago I received a letter with quite reasonable and justified criticism.
I quote:
“The work of the system administrator is not only to install updates on office computers, but also to constantly help staff. For example, a system administrator sits in his office, and then Masha comes to him and says: “My printer does not print :(.” What is the system administrator doing? He gets up and goes to her computer. Suddenly he discovers that the cleaning lady Tatyana Anatolyevna, when once again vacuumed the office, touched the printer’s wire, and he left. The system administrator smiles, connects the printer and, miraculously, everything works :) I went, drank coffee, put in an update and then played Zumu until the next state of emergency "
The situation, of course, is not simple. Cleaners - the second, after viruses, a serious threat to office equipment. But this is already a question, rather, of a managerial nature. When I start working with a new client, I voice these situations in advance, warning about the consequences of pouring a bucket of water on the server or hitting it with a mop. Therefore, one of the working conditions is a complete ban for cleaners to approach computers.
Laughter, laughter, but the situation clearly shows that one should not confuse cause and effect. The pulled out cord is a consequence of the negligence of the system administrator, who did not strengthen it properly and the lack of instruction of this same cleaning lady. All this can be foreseen. If a specialist, when hiring a company, pays special attention to all these points, then, in principle, such problems should not arise.
A separate issue is equipment malfunction due to deterioration, power surges, etc. This cannot be avoided. But with regular prevention, monitoring of system logs and other simple actions (which are often ignored for some reason), all these problems can be identified before a serious failure occurs and work stops.
As you know, the best admin is the one whom no one has ever seen. But to the system administrator described in the letter, state of emergency is beneficial. Management sees what he gets paid for. One gets the impression of his indispensability, a kind of magic wand that can solve any problem. The key phrase here is “I went, drank some coffee, installed an update and then continues to play Zumu until the next state of emergency” ... But in fact, he simply spends the company's money. And in vain translates coffee.
HelpMeIn service implies a diametrically opposite approach. We want to earn not on emergency, but on their absence. And when the client wonders what he pays the money for, he will receive a detailed written and video report on the work done. And the employee serving this company will be motivated specifically for “invisibility”. The less problems his customers have, the greater bonuses he receives.
And in conclusion, I can say without excessive modesty that the catch phrase about the invisible admin with our help will very soon become a reality in all its senses and manifestations.
Attention, this article was first published in a personal blog, but after important questions and a lot of criticism , decided to post it on a public blog. Apology to those who have already read this service announcement