Retarded IT managers making our jobs harder...

Ucof

Ucof

Ucof

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Joined
27 Feb 2009
Posts
1,250
Location
Wales.
If you didn't already know, I work for a very well know IT outsourcing company. I work on the team who support the staff who work for the well known under-the-earth train company in our fine capital.

Their IT manager today decided that our SMS (remote access) and \C$ access is too wide a security gap and all our permissions have been removed.

This means we cannot fix any user problems ourselves, and now have to talk the user through everything, leading to conversations of:

Us: "Along the top is "Tools". Can you click on that please?"
Them: "It's not there."
Us: "Are you sure? It should be next to "View" on the left hand side of the screen at the top."
Them: "There's nothing that says "Tools" there!"
Us: "No, really there is."
Them: "NO THERE.... oh wait, there it is."
Us: /facepalm

The only things we can now do is Password resets and Account unlocks via AD. Everything else must be passed to the desktop support team (the ones who goto the PCs), thus incresing their workload SIGNIFICANTLY, and reducing ours to pretty much nothing. :(

Lame.
 
Doubt it, though will test it tomorrow.
I think they have changed the permissions so that we cannot access any parts of the PCs in anyway whatsoever.

:(
 
Put it in writing with facts and figures. Make sure you can properly quantify how many users are having to wait longer to have their issues resolved then before.

I would also speak to the desktop support team (who must be being run ragged) and speak the users (who can't be pleased they're having to wait for someone to come out).
 
There are plenty ways of providing remote assistance to PCs without opening up any security holes.

VNC server with a secure password and a confirmation prompt is one
 
iaind said:
There are plenty ways of providing remote assistance to PCs without opening up any security holes.

VNC server with a secure password and a confirmation prompt is one
Click to expand...

From the sounds of it it's not a security issue from a technical point of view, just more to do with roles/person security and policy.

Does sound like a ballache, however looking at it from the other point of view being the helpdesk how much are you guys expected to do? What's in the job spec etc as I know some places that are trying to make their service desks more customer focused and less techy. So apart from really basic stuff that they want you try over the phone the company want the service desk to focus on quality call logging, and not with being tied up on the phone for too long fixing things, to supposedly give a better experience for the user.

Not sure I agree as surely to keep the customer happy they want their problem fixing asap :p
 
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Time for a new job? Seems they've taken any semblance of responsibility from under your feet, and as a result made your job exruciatingly boring!

Ev0 said:
Put a donk on it
Click to expand...

Those video's are amazing, in a look at our society go down the pan - Live! kind of way :p
 
They arent readying to sack us. They still have a years contract with the company I work for, for IT helpdesk services. Their IT security chap is just a plum.

I just tried MSTSCing onto a computer, then realised, that's now good for 95% of the calls we get.
We need to be able to use the PC whilst the user is loged on in order to show them how to do stuff, or reconfigure Outlook, or set up proxies etc.

VNC cant be used as we can't simply install it to peoples PCs, and as said, we alrady hav a secure connection in place via the Terminal server, so its not that there is a security breach.

To be honest, we can now only not access half the PCs (well, one of the 2 groups we support". The other half we can work on as usual. Its just frustrating having these things you need to do the job properly taken away from you.
 
You could always ask the users to send you a remote support invitation

With some users though, that may take a while :)
 
lol. good point.


At the moment, we are just logging any calls that we are no longer able to do, and then sending them off to our manager who will then compile a list and send them to the IT bloke at the other company.
 
I worked in outsourcing for a few years. Don't worry, the manager will soon give up when he sees the sudden jump in the support bill due to calls taking 5 times as long to complete.
 
iaind said:
You could always ask the users to send you a remote support invitation

With some users though, that may take a while :)
Click to expand...

Or you can initiate the remote support request from your end, much easier :)

This will then give you the ability to remote them whilst they are logged on, and if need be take control of there cursor etc
 
The company pay per call, not by time needed to fix them.
Also, the company I work for are much more interested in quality fixes, rather than quantity of calls taken.
 
Ucof said:
The company pay per call, not by time needed to fix them.
Also, the company I work for are much more interested in quality fixes, rather than quantity of calls taken.
Click to expand...

Well you need to get the account manager for that client to have a word and explain how difficult this guy is making your job.
 
...or he is simply trying to be seen as activly improving their network's security with no regard to the support that the users will recieve.

To be honest, I'd much rather be able to fix the problem myself and have more work to do, than take the easy route and log 'n' pass :(
 
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