Re: [privacy] 26 IRS Tapes Missing in Kansas City

["Brian Loe" <knobdy () gmail com>]

On 1/22/07, Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu <Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu> wrote:

> You've obviously been spoiled in your IT career.

Not really, but I don't spend much time in IT shops who aren't
interested in making our mutual lives easier.

> In all too many places, IT isn't seen as something you want to spend *more*
> money on.  If you're the hypothetical manager of that social services agency,
> you may have a budget of $7.65M for the year, and you don't see how hiring a
> 4th IT person is going to provide better service to the community than hiring
> another case worker, and you don't have money for both.  Which are you going
> to choose?

The caseworker. In the place you describe its obvious that the manager
could get rid of most of his IT staff and not hurt or improve his
position. At the least, he can drop the guy that hasn't figured out
how to encrypt a hard drive and hire someone that can.

> And the chances are that if any of your 3 current IT people had an actual
> workable Grand Vision on how adding a 4th IT person would allow sufficient
> leaps in productivity for all the current case workers that it would be better
> than another case case worker, they wouldn't be sticking around in an underpaid
> job at the social services agency....

Most of the IT people I know in those positions (and I know several)
are there toward the end of their careers and like living the easy,
low noise environment of a job with low expectations.

> And there's very few consultants that will come in and straighten that sort
> of mess out totally pro bono, so they don't get hired out of that tight budget
> either.

I've never heard of a consultant doing ANYTHING pro bono - the only
reason that word/phrase exists is because law firms are often required
to do it by law/bar.

> Feel free to go out and fix the problem.  Let us know how it goes.

Luckily I don't have that responsibility - and the people who do you
stand up or get out. That way my personal information isn't shared
with the rest of the friggin world at every turn.
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