An IT administrator’s job is never done! Having to deal with hardware, software, employees whose computers have mysteriously shut down and an over demanding boss is all in a day’s work for the average IT admin. But the Christmas season brings with it wishes and special treats, so here’s a compilation of some of the things that will be on every IT administrator’s wish list for 2009.

Show me the money!

Nobody likes working on a shoestring budget but with the financial turmoil that is surrounding the corporate industry budgets are being slashed and spending is being kept to a minimum. Often the first budget to be slashed is that of the IT department because the requests from that department are always pretty costly and are all those gadgets and software installations really needed? The answer is an assumed ‘No’ so bye to budgets.

The problem lies in the assumption that certain IT fixtures are not needed because they are not actually doing anything but simply preventing harm that may be done to the system. Whilst, in fact, no harm may be done to the system, in the case that it does fixing the breach is going to cost a lot more than its preventive measures would have. It would also be an unplanned expense which could lead to other budgetary problems. So CEOs, CIOs and CFOs, don’t scrimp on your IT budgets – allocate a healthy sum for the security of your system because if that gets attacked the whole company will suffer. Ultimately the old adage rings true, ‘prevention is cheaper than fixing the breach’!

Wish: Enough money to do the job effectively

You don’t listen when I speak

Every IT admin’s mantra revolves around security – how to achieve it and maintain it. They know what to look out for and how to avoid scams and hacks, and they impart their knowledge with the rest of the company so that everyone can be responsible for their machine and minimize the risk of infection. So they warn people about unsolicited mail and email attachments, malicious links and dubious sites.

But nobody seems to listen to them any more. Management only reacts when the administrator wants more money or when they want him/her to spend less. And if security cannot be tied in with the word ‘savings’ adminstrators are wasting their time.

Wish: Senior managers who equate ‘safe’ with security and not a box in which to stash their Christmas bonus

You don’t listen when I speak - 2

If everyone followed the rules then the administrator’s life would be a notch simpler. However theory is hardly ever put into practice so emails are opened without regard to the subject line and unmonitored online browsing happens whilst drinking your morning coffee and catching up on the latest gossip. So the administrator’s security strategies are effectively ignored by all. If management has no clue what basic security is all about, how can a poor admin expect the rest of the company to understand the concept?

Wish: Obedient employees who do what they are supposed to do, when they should do it (and not do what passes through their heads).

What would you do if I sang out of tune?

The Beatles were probably not thinking of IT administrators when they sang ‘With a little help from my friends’ but they could have easily dedicated that song to them and it would have been very appropriate. An IT administrator’s job requires time and patience – time to sort out problems and patience with the people who are often the cause of said problems. Knowing that they have the support and helping hand of line managers to ensure that IT policies and procedures are followed is a motivating factor. It is also important for the security of the company’s network and system. Time is unfortunately an issue that cannot be physically controlled; however, it can be managed and staff can be educated about the time constraints that surround certain IT-related tasks which are out of the admin’s hand – so no amount of cajoling and complaining is going to change that! Ultimately a helping hand from all would go a long way to making things run much more smoothly.

Wish: Someone sympathetic to their cause

Speak geek to me

Most employees see the IT department as ‘those technical people who use strange words and can speak to computers’. Now that is somewhat true, but only because the average employee doesn’t know much about their machine apart from being able to locate the power button! If employees were tech savvy and were a bit more involved in their computers than just the power button experience, then most IT administrators would be able to spend their aforementioned precious time on projects and not front line assistance, helping people who can’t understand where the cursor got to! We’re not saying that IT admins don’t want to help – they’re a supportive bunch and are willing to lend a hand – but it would simply make the day a lot easier if the requests weren’t so plentiful – and users stopped asking why the cup holder is not working any more!

Wish: Employees who know the difference between a DVD tray and a cup holder; but not too smart to bypass the security policies.

I dream of Jeannie

Because this is a wish list, and imaginations are allowed to run wild, it’s a good idea to go the whole hog and ask for the impossible. A year of no patches, no crashes, no problems! An OS with no problems would complete the list perfectly. Does it sound like a year of vacation? Probably, and I think most IT administrators would relish the idea… even if it just remains a wish!

Wish: A secure, stable, bugless, feature-rich, user-friendly operating system

Unless you’re a fairy godmother or Albus Dumbeldore and make wishes come true with a deft swish of your mouse, the next best thing to help your IT admin would be to lend an ear to his or her problems and try to understand a bit more how the box in front of you works.

---- David Kelleher - GFI - www.gfi.com