I.T. Department - No Longer Support Group????

[infiniteMPG]

oh dear, now i work for an electric utility and I cringe when the

engineering group calls for assistance. Most of them (not all) treat us like
we are idiots and try to tell us how to fix whatever it is we are fixing for
them. Makes me wonder why they bothered to call us in the first place!

I "WAS" I.T. Manager here back in the 90's so I see both ends of the
picture and I have seen that situation, too. We have a good team in
engineering and all we want is the tools to do our jobs. We have
ended up working 'around' the computers and not 'on' them. It would
make us happy as h3ll if we could setup and maintain our own
workstations and have I.T. just provide us some storage space for our
files. But.....

 

[infiniteMPG]

Have you considered speaking with your boss about this? Human Resources?

Yes. The department head sides with management which makes this even
more difficult. Other department heads we've had (and we've had a
few) stood up for the engineers and fought to make sure we have the
tools and the environment to excel. Now we're told to work around the
situations and deal with it. It's a difficult situation as our
corporate HQ is overseas and they dictate how we do some things but
now that is being used as an excuse for I.T. to do whatever they want
and say they were told to. We ask for policy and we get BS.

We'd play by any rules, just tell us what they are!

 

[infiniteMPG]

It's a thankless job, and not one I'd ever want to have.

As I said in an earlier reply, I "was" I.T. Manager here years ago, I
know the ropes. The issue here isn't fixing a problem, the issue here
is fixing 'not' a prolem. We have not had a virus, maleware, or
corruption problem in engineering. When we do have an application
issue and we approach I.T. they pass us off on the software vendor or
a support group as they are the ones who don't know our engineering
software at all. We have to fix our own problems. When they do try
to help it shuts down a workstation for a couples days and then the
solution is to format the hard drive and start over. Gee, why didn't
we think of that?

Yup... it's noty 1987 anymore.... but it's not 1984 either.

 

[infiniteMPG]

Nowhere in there is it allowable to treat my end user as the enemy. They are my job. They pay my bills.

Great attitude I wish our I.T. folks had. That would be much better
then having to go in and bang on the server room door to get them to
turn the bass down on their sound system when they're watching movies
because it's shaking the walls, and then being told they're too busy
to help us with a malfunctioning mouse.

 

[Detlev Dreyer]

In those companies where the bean-counters ran things, access to the
computer or assistance was unknown.

http://testbeitrag.te.ohost.de/mica/2005/week49/arbeit35_erbsenzaehler.jpg

SCNR

 

[PA Bear]

Yes. The department head sides with management which makes this even
more difficult. Other department heads we've had (and we've had a
few) stood up for the engineers and fought to make sure we have the
tools and the environment to excel. Now we're told to work around the
situations and deal with it. It's a difficult situation as our
corporate HQ is overseas and they dictate how we do some things but
now that is being used as an excuse for I.T. to do whatever they want
and say they were told to. We ask for policy and we get BS.

We'd play by any rules, just tell us what they are!

Start looking for a new job.

 

[Gordon]

A general non-tech question as I seem to of missed a shift. The I.T.
Department used to be a support group to assist people to do their
jobs more efficiently and advance to company. They seem to of now
shifted to being a controlling group that has more power and control
then the people that actual produce the products of the company. Not
so long ago a question would be posed to the I.T. Department and they
would assist as much as possible and help people work more efficiently
and get people the tolls they needed to make the company profitable.
These exchanges were closed with "thank you's" and people feeling they
helped and were helped. Times were good and people wore smiles.

Now people fear asking for computer help, and when a question for
assistance does get posed it's responded to as if it's a bother and an
annoyance. People are treated like they are ignorant and the I.T.
staff usually acts upon the request when they feel like it. It seems
that I.T. have lost track of the fact that their existance is to
provide tools and support so the people who create the products that
the business makes can continue to do so and do so as efficiently as
possible. It's almost as if the crossing guard decided that his job
was to control traffic rather then protect the kids crossing the
street.

Is this unique to us or is this a common condition thoughout the
business world? I used the laugh at the skits on SNL with Nick Burns,
Your Company's Computer Guy, but it's come to be..... sad but true.

You've encountered the scenario where the IT dept thinks that the
Organisation exists to serve the IT dept, not the other way around.

seen it many times in my role as a Systems accountant.
It seems to come about when you have senior management that are afraid
of the IT dept, usually because they don't (or won't) understand what IT
is about...

 

[Gordon]

A dog who's heritage dates back to the Roman Empire,

Nope, a ROCKweiler dates from the Stone Age!

 

[Gerry]

Did do they do those rock paintings in the caves in Germany or was it
France Gordon?


~~~~


Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Gordon]

Did do they do those rock paintings in the caves in Germany or was it
France Gordon?

France by the performance last night - and recently!