Misc. Ramblings

I can understand the move, in other states, to outsource all of Information Technology (IT), especially since when any problems come up the typical response is to call in help from outside.

Internet access, here at work, has always been less than reliable. If it isn't the DNS, it's the firewall. If it isn't the firewall it's the gateway. If it isn't the gateway it's the router. If it isn't the router it's something else. All of which was installed and configured by consultants because our IT is not qualified and, what may be worse, doesn't seem to want to learn.

Moreover, literally every time we've requested information from the databases they run we get these long lists of reasons why we don't want to use their data. They give all kinds of reasons about how that data are not captured, or if it is captured it isn't reliable. Their solution? We should sit in court and gather our own data.

Sometimes, even if it ain't broke, you have to fix it. That is, if there is a department that should embrace change it is IT. The computer revolution is about nothing, if it isn't about change. Change in how we work. Change in how we play. Change in how we interact with one another. But as a user, I can say the common response from them is we don't want to change anything because we don't know how it works.

Not anticipating change is not an option. If you are in IT you must be proactive and boldly go where no one has gone before. You must test new technologies while they are still in beta so you will be ready when the time comes to decide whether to go or not go. You must become the experts so you can do the job of supporting the people that depend on you.

If IT isn't adding value greater than its costs, what is it good for? I wish I could say our IT people were the salt of the earth. And maybe I shouldn't complain because I don't know what conditions they have to work under. But what good is all the Internet hardware if they don't know how to run and maintain them? What good are the databases if we can't get reliable information out of them? How valuable are people who aren't ready for change and instead are major obstacles to moving forward? Think about it.

Aloha!