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Dans Macabre
Apr 24, 2004


This thread is basically for people that support systems for companies under 100 users, under 5 staff, MSPs, and people with shoestring budgets.

Dans Macabre fucked around with this message at 16:11 on Aug 8, 2016

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Dans Macabre
Apr 24, 2004


My first question is what are you liking for online backup ("as a service")

KS
Jun 10, 2003
Outrageous Lumpwad
Crashplan Pro for file servers or endpoints. Hard to beat the price.

Axcient is kinda cool for a small environment backup if you have some VMs sitting on a single host or something. They drop a local appliance in your environment and then copy backups to the cloud for offsite. If your host blows up, they can spin up your VMs in their cloud for DR, and you connect via site to site VPN. Cool stuff.

Dans Macabre
Apr 24, 2004


Yeah I'm working with about 10 servers on two ESXi hosts. I have one SQL server I need to worry about everything else is saas or flat files or I don't care about backing it up.

I've used barracuda before as well and it was okay but haven't looked at other options in a few years.

Aunt Beth
Feb 24, 2006

Baby, you're ready!
Grimey Drawer

NevergirlsOFFICIAL posted:

I want a thread where I can complain about all my small-time problems without people laughing at me for not having a 3par in my data center. How about a thread for IT people in environments of under 100 users / under 5 IT staff?

You really shouldn't be sad that you don't have any 3par equipment :smuggo:

Thanks Ants
May 21, 2004

#essereFerrari


KS posted:

Crashplan Pro for file servers or endpoints. Hard to beat the price.

Axcient is kinda cool for a small environment backup if you have some VMs sitting on a single host or something. They drop a local appliance in your environment and then copy backups to the cloud for offsite. If your host blows up, they can spin up your VMs in their cloud for DR, and you connect via site to site VPN. Cool stuff.

gently caress them for luring you in with a Pricing page that looks like this http://axcient.com/pricing/

KS
Jun 10, 2003
Outrageous Lumpwad
I consider that completely normal for every enterprise software vendor. Even the vendors like VMware or Solarwinds that provide pricing on their website, that pricing isn't accurate at all. Seems like a silly thing to complain about.

Thanks Ants
May 21, 2004

#essereFerrari


I understand MSRP vs. the actual price you pay, but if I have a limited time to scope something out and can't even get ballpark costs from a vendor (without jumping through webinar shaped hoops and hours of my time) then I'll just assume it's beyond whatever budget was allocated to the project.

If you aren't going to put prices on your website then don't have a page called 'Pricing', and have all the content on the page written as though there are prices displayed.

KS
Jun 10, 2003
Outrageous Lumpwad
Email your VAR and ask for a price for X TB. If it costs you more effort than that, ditch CDW and get a better VAR :colbert:

Fair point on the pricing page, though.

Dans Macabre
Apr 24, 2004


KS posted:

I consider that completely normal for every enterprise software vendor. Even the vendors like VMware or Solarwinds that provide pricing on their website, that pricing isn't accurate at all. Seems like a silly thing to complain about.

yeah but why even call it "pricing" instead of what it really is, "feature comparison"

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy
This thread looks like fun.

My small IT shop wants everyone to get some Microsoft certifications. My boss wants to buy the $1000 yearly plan for CBT nuggets for each of us. But he wants each of us to sign a 2 year contract to do it. Thoughts? Worth it? I don't see myself leaving anytime soon.

Dans Macabre
Apr 24, 2004


I wouldn't sign it. IMHO if they can't offer enough incentive to keep you after you get your cert, they need to solve that problem. Your boss should do something like "get your cert and you'll get X bonus/salary increase" along with of course continued pro dev.

Vulture Culture
Jul 14, 2003

I was never enjoying it. I only eat it for the nutrients.

Beefstorm posted:

This thread looks like fun.

My small IT shop wants everyone to get some Microsoft certifications. My boss wants to buy the $1000 yearly plan for CBT nuggets for each of us. But he wants each of us to sign a 2 year contract to do it. Thoughts? Worth it? I don't see myself leaving anytime soon.
What are the actual stipulations of the contract?

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

Vulture Culture posted:

What are the actual stipulations of the contract?

Haven't seen it yet. Haven't signed anything yet. But this is good info to know about a contract.

Super-NintendoUser
Jan 16, 2004

COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES
Soiled Meat

NevergirlsOFFICIAL posted:

I wouldn't sign it. IMHO if they can't offer enough incentive to keep you after you get your cert, they need to solve that problem. Your boss should do something like "get your cert and you'll get X bonus/salary increase" along with of course continued pro dev.

At my small company the boss told me that for every test in the MCSE track we took and past they'd give us a 3% raise or something, he figured we'd each just do one or two. The other guy I work with had some medical leave after for the next three weeks and studied up and then took like five of the tests. He got his 15% raise and I got an email saying that the deal was off the table.

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

SIR FAT JONY IVES posted:

At my small company the boss told me that for every test in the MCSE track we took and past they'd give us a 3% raise or something, he figured we'd each just do one or two. The other guy I work with had some medical leave after for the next three weeks and studied up and then took like five of the tests. He got his 15% raise and I got an email saying that the deal was off the table.

I feel like that he fairly earned his 15% though. If anything, he probably gained a lot of knowledge that more than covers his 15%.

Super-NintendoUser
Jan 16, 2004

COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES
Soiled Meat

Beefstorm posted:

I feel like that he fairly earned his 15% though. If anything, he probably gained a lot of knowledge that more than covers his 15%.

Yeah, I'm totally cool with him taking all the tests in two weeks, but it ruined the deal for me. The boss didn't figure we'd do them that quickly. He just got lucky and tore his achilles tendon the next day so he was laid up for a couple weeks and had a few days to sit and read the books and then quickly take the tests.

chocolateTHUNDER
Jul 19, 2008

GIVE ME ALL YOUR FREE AGENTS

ALL OF THEM
The contract thing sounds lovely, because I could imagine if you decide to not sign it you'll get some weird looks/grumbles too.

Vulture Culture
Jul 14, 2003

I was never enjoying it. I only eat it for the nutrients.
The first rule of contracts is that a well-written contract should be beneficial to all signing parties in equal measure.

If the contract is a value-add for you that is accompanied by a raise or similar incentive, you should weigh it against your career goals, your experience, and how you feel about the company (and any future managers you might have while you're under that contract). For entry- to mid-level candidates, those certifications can be a big boost to your hireability when you do decide to move on. We really can't provide any advice without even basic information on what the contract says about penalties for early termination.

On the other hand, if this is a new requirement for continued employment with your company, or if you have founded concerns that not signing it will create a hostile work environment, that may be illegal in your state and you should check with your department of labor, attorney, and other employee advocates before signing.

Dans Macabre
Apr 24, 2004


How are you handling contact sharing for external contacts? We have a bunch of external contacts and external distribution lists that we want to access from iphone as well as Outlook. Currently we're on public folders + Exchange 2013.

Two options I'm considering:

- Move from public folders to GAL, and allow specific users to manage the recipients so I don't have to. Cons: workflow change, users can't view contacts as contact cards

- Move from public folders to a shared mailbox, give everyone the password to that mailbox, and have them add it as a second exchange account on their phones (yuck) this would also mean anyone would be able to edit it

Not able to pay :20bux: for a third party unless it's amazing.

TehRedWheelbarrow
Mar 16, 2011



Fan of Britches
I know it sounds surprising, but backing up 16 petabytes of information usually requires somewhere around 16 PB.

This utterly useful fact is brought to you by dotheneedful.com and mybossdonwannaspendmoney.org

Proud Christian Mom
Dec 20, 2006
READING COMPREHENSION IS HARD

SneakyFrog posted:

I know it sounds surprising, but backing up 16 petabytes of information usually requires somewhere around 16 PB.

This utterly useful fact is brought to you by dotheneedful.com and mybossdonwannaspendmoney.org

i can think of plenty of ways to generate 16 PB but how does that intertwine with 'small shop administrator' because that has me curious

Super-NintendoUser
Jan 16, 2004

COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES
Soiled Meat

go3 posted:

i can think of plenty of ways to generate 16 PB but how does that intertwine with 'small shop administrator' because that has me curious

Video editing?

Erwin
Feb 17, 2006

SIR FAT JONY IVES posted:

At my small company the boss told me that for every test in the MCSE track we took and past they'd give us a 3% raise or something, he figured we'd each just do one or two. The other guy I work with had some medical leave after for the next three weeks and studied up and then took like five of the tests. He got his 15% raise and I got an email saying that the deal was off the table.

That guy should have spread the certs out to compound the 3% raises.

Super-NintendoUser
Jan 16, 2004

COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES
Soiled Meat

Erwin posted:

That guy should have spread the certs out to compound the 3% raises.

Yeah, but you see I've discussed this company before, so it was important to do it before they forgot they made the offer.

Gorson
Aug 29, 2014

Not sure where else to go with this.

I work for a small Mom n Pop IT shop doing work for business clients. Yesterday, we had some strange behavior going on a client's server. It turned out that someone had RDP'd into it using an old account with a weak password. Well, this person did not cover their tracks and left a web browser window up with many tabs open. Most of these tabs were dating sites. The intruder was phishing for information from these women, and by the looks of it, he was doing pretty well for himself. One of the tabs was an email, evidently sent to himself, with information from one of the women he was targeting including name, address, routing info, bank, username, password, and security questions and answers. It is not entirely clear from this email if this is legit information and how he got it, but it would appear to me he is sending himself that information to an email account for archive purposes.

Long story short, we did some research based on a few key pieces of information in the email and believe we have tracked this gentleman down. I have his Facebook page, "hacking" website, Twitter account, and full name and location (city). I have IP addresses leading to his home country but have no way of verifying those are legit or proxies. What should I do with this information? I'm not into counter-terrorism and I don't have the time or desire to further this investigation myself. Turn the information into local police? FBI? Do nothing?

KennyTheFish
Jan 13, 2004

Gorson posted:

Turn the information into local police? FBI? Do nothing?

Call your local PD and ask them who is appropriate to hand off to. Working in IT for an MSP it is probably a good idea to establish a working relationship with them anyway (breakins, fires, rogue employees, could be in your future).

Dans Macabre
Apr 24, 2004


I'd give all the info to your client and have them contact the police. You don't need to initiate that conversation.

TehRedWheelbarrow
Mar 16, 2011



Fan of Britches

go3 posted:

i can think of plenty of ways to generate 16 PB but how does that intertwine with 'small shop administrator' because that has me curious

Sorry,

I work for a smallish shop definitely, we just have huge data requirements. We do laser scanners and photogrammetry stuff, instruments that collect a couple TBs an hour.

Gorson posted:



Long story short, we did some research based on a few key pieces of information in the email and believe we have tracked this gentleman down. I have his Facebook page, "hacking" website, Twitter account, and full name and location (city). I have IP addresses leading to his home country but have no way of verifying those are legit or proxies. What should I do with this information? I'm not into counter-terrorism and I don't have the time or desire to further this investigation myself. Turn the information into local police? FBI? Do nothing?

Err on the side of CYA, and safety.

Hand it off. at the very least its a federal crime, that you don't want your workplace associated with.

TehRedWheelbarrow fucked around with this message at 12:42 on Jun 12, 2015

Gorson
Aug 29, 2014

We've decided to give it to the local detective. If they want to run it up the chain, they can. This guy's a pretty small fish but if he's scamming routing information from someone he is racking up some fed charges, who knows maybe someone already has a case on him and our evidence could help. Thanks for the advice everyone.

MJP
Jun 17, 2007

Are you looking at me Senpai?

Grimey Drawer
Yay, small IT, or "AD auditing software costs $1500? No way, too expensive. Now go quote out four new laptops because we want our people at %clientsite% to look hi-tech with 2-in-1s!"

Super Slash
Feb 20, 2006

You rang ?

Gorson posted:

Turn the information into local police? FBI? Do nothing?

Well this thread escalated quickly; I was just going to complain about a new person who can't figure out how to use our phones, and consistently puts calls on loud speaker for the first few hellos then to headset mode.

Oh and absolutely every last crumb of equipment must be re-used, I should run the concept of spares by them sometime.

Mo_Steel
Mar 7, 2008

Let's Clock Into The Sunset Together

Fun Shoe

Super Slash posted:

Well this thread escalated quickly; I was just going to complain about a new person who can't figure out how to use our phones, and consistently puts calls on loud speaker for the first few hellos then to headset mode.

Oh and absolutely every last crumb of equipment must be re-used, I should run the concept of spares by them sometime.

I hate nothing more than this. I'm so glad my new boss is on-board with the notion of getting rid of poo poo, because we have a ton of worthless crap we don't need. We have ~100 PCs company wide, and probably 400 extra mice / keyboards in varying refurbished states, plus modems, switches, routers, monitors, 128 mb sticks of memory, power strips that were probably bought in a gas station in the 1990s, etc. etc. Our end-users don't want reused poo poo we recovered from a closed store, and I don't want to get called every other weak because the replacement we put in was used and went bad too. Budget a little more for replacements and throw this poo poo out and save the difference in labor costs and happier end-users.

TehRedWheelbarrow
Mar 16, 2011



Fan of Britches

Super Slash posted:

Well this thread escalated quickly; I was just going to complain about a new person who can't figure out how to use our phones, and consistently puts calls on loud speaker for the first few hellos then to headset mode.

Oh and absolutely every last crumb of equipment must be re-used, I should run the concept of spares by them sometime.

or the page-all button.

absolutely the worst people.

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

NevergirlsOFFICIAL posted:

...under 5 IT staff?

So, if we have 6 IT staff, banned from thread?


Mo_Steel posted:

I hate nothing more than this. I'm so glad my new boss is on-board with the notion of getting rid of poo poo, because we have a ton of worthless crap we don't need. We have ~100 PCs company wide, and probably 400 extra mice / keyboards in varying refurbished states, plus modems, switches, routers, monitors, 128 mb sticks of memory, power strips that were probably bought in a gas station in the 1990s, etc. etc. Our end-users don't want reused poo poo we recovered from a closed store, and I don't want to get called every other weak because the replacement we put in was used and went bad too. Budget a little more for replacements and throw this poo poo out and save the difference in labor costs and happier end-users.

My reality ATM. I just opened my desk drawer (I don't think I have ever opened them) to find a sealed box ValueRAM 128MB 133MHz SDRAM stick. Not only purchased...but never used.

Super-NintendoUser
Jan 16, 2004

COWABUNGERDER COMPADRES
Soiled Meat

Beefstorm posted:

So, if we have 6 IT staff, banned from thread?


My reality ATM. I just opened my desk drawer (I don't think I have ever opened them) to find a sealed box ValueRAM 128MB 133MHz SDRAM stick. Not only purchased...but never used.

At my awful consulting job that comes up all the time (I need to stop living in the past) we had a storage room just full of garbage. My boss was always telling us to sort it out and start Ebaying it, and that he'd give us 5% of anything we sell. Good deal, so I took a week we were slow and went through everything. I put everything in boxes with clear labels of what it was and generated an excel sheet of all the stuff, with links to similar eBay auctions. I stack it all around the storage room, in piles related to what it is, memory, HDs, cables, whatever. We don't have enough shelf space for all of it, when it was unboxed and just in piles, it all fit crammed on the shelf, but I planned on Ebaying it a few days later.

I'm out of office for a couple days. While I was gone, the boss goes downstairs and FLIPS OUT and starts yelling that I made a HUGE MESS OF THE ROOM AND I"M AN IDIOT. He goes downstairs and starts tearing the boxes open. WHY IS EVERYTHING IN BOXES WHAT ARE THESE LABELS and throws everything in big piles and tells my manager to unbox it all and put it back on the shelves so he can see everything.

Of course, if at 2am he needs an old 150W non-atx power supply, he doesn't want to be bothered to have to find a box labeled POWER SUPPLIES and look through it, he'd rather just dig around a shelf.

I got reamed for disorganizing the room, and I never bothered to do it again.

Dans Macabre
Apr 24, 2004


Beefstorm posted:

So, if we have 6 IT staff, banned from thread?


webmaster doesn't count :smug:

TehRedWheelbarrow
Mar 16, 2011



Fan of Britches

NevergirlsOFFICIAL posted:

webmaster doesn't count :smug:

or MIS people.

or "social media manager" people of ANY KIND.

ah.

and let it be said, for the first time in this thread surprisingly, gently caress PRINTERS.

Basically I'm babysitting my nephew Thurs-Mon, while my sister and her husband attend conferences out of state. So i get to be cool uncle, and let him do all the things his parents dont let him do, cementing my place in his brain as the "coolest guy ever" I took PTO for it and stuff.

I just pulled a 16 hour nightmare drama recovering a RAID6 40 TB volume, ("What do you mean its going to take 340 hours to recover from? This is HIGH-TECH AND IMPORTANT") and called it quits at one after coming in at 5 (the 16 hour was yesterday for anyone who cares.)

As a foreshadowing thingy, imagine on my way out the sharp MFD service guy is pulling into the parking lot, to repair the copier function on the sharp.

are you feeling this?


So, I get a phone call not even an hour later.




*update*

So. Went in early this morning to diagnose the issue.

Ethernet cable unplugged.

Thanks Printer guy.

TehRedWheelbarrow fucked around with this message at 13:08 on Jun 18, 2015

Sheep
Jul 24, 2003
"Oh you want $2000 to replace the D-Link consumer APs with two Merakis because the clients are furious that our wireless never works? Not in the budget, maybe next year!

Hey while we're here, the CFO and HR Director need new laptops. What? No you can't use the same cheap Lenovo model we give everyone else. Get them the most whizbang fanciest model HP sells - i7, 16gb of RAM, SSD, ultra HD touchscreen, the works. It's only like $4000 and their perfectly usable current generation laptops just don't cut it for using Outlook and Chrome. Thanks!"

:rolleyes:

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GOOCHY
Sep 17, 2003

In an interstellar burst I'm back to save the universe!

Beefstorm posted:

This thread looks like fun.

My small IT shop wants everyone to get some Microsoft certifications. My boss wants to buy the $1000 yearly plan for CBT nuggets for each of us. But he wants each of us to sign a 2 year contract to do it. Thoughts? Worth it? I don't see myself leaving anytime soon.

$1000 to lock myself down for two years? No thanks.

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