The best admin - invisible admin

Today, throughout the world, there is a clear tendency towards the virtualization of many life, business and other processes. As a person close to the IT field, I like this trend very, very much. Personally for myself, I see in this completely new opportunities for work, new perspectives and a banal comfort from the fact that I can work wherever there is internet. Though on the beach in Sharm-Al-Sheikh. Work tools - laptop and portable fridge with beer.

Surprisingly, but today I can already regard it not as the dream of all admins about a bright future, but as a very real task for the coming year.

Because this thought made possible the pilot project HelpMeIn (everyone can get acquainted with it on the site of the same name). The project is still open, I invite everyone to cooperate. Any help, criticism, advice, in general, all constructive thoughts are welcome.

So, the main objectives of the project:
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1. In practice, introduce a new work format for the incoming administrator, prove that the idea has the right to life and remote technical support is not inferior to the traditional one.

2. To make a powerful on-line service out of the pilot project that brings good profit.

From this we will make a start.

How it works?

Thanks to such services as LogMeIn, it became possible to get remote access for computer administration without much difficulty, without using anything other than a regular browser. The client only needs to be informed that he is not working and indicate a convenient time for him to complete the task (for example, at night when there is no one in the office). Convenient, isn't it?

For example, to make a regular system administrator work at night, you need to put a lot of effort and even more finance. Such they are capricious.

Setting up software, virus treatment, all kinds of prevention, assistance in the work and training of company employees, etc. etc. All this and much more can and should be done remotely without interrupting the company's main workflow. The system has long been tested, run-in, does not require equipment costs. All you need is an Internet channel with 128 kilobits per second. And this is no longer a problem.

Fortunately for me, there were brave people who went to the experiment. Agreed like this: I try to perform all tasks to the maximum remotely. Departure to the office only in case of emergency. And oddly enough, the semiannual practice of such service speaks for itself unequivocally - the customer is satisfied. As a result, in these offices I appear 2 times a month: visually once to see if everything is in order, and a second time at a salary. What and all I wish)

When can it not work?

The answer is probably obvious - if the problem is in the gland. Not so long ago, I received a letter with quite reasonable and justified criticism.

I quote:

“The work of the system administrator is not only to install updates on office computers, but also to provide ongoing assistance to staff. For example, a sysadmin is sitting in her office, and here Masha comes to him and says: “The printer doesn’t print at me :(.” What does the sysadmin do? He gets up and goes to her computer. Suddenly he discovers that the cleaner Tatiana Anatolyevna when once again, the vacuum cleaner’s office, the printer’s wire hit, and he moved away. The sysadmin smiles, connects the printer and, miracle, everything works :) I went, drank coffee, put the update and continued to play Zumu until the next state of emergency. ”

The situation, of course, not easy. Cleaners - the second, after viruses, a serious threat to office equipment. But this is already a question of a managerial nature. When I start working with a new client, I announce such situations in advance, warning about the consequences of pouring a bucket of water on the server or hitting it with a mop. Therefore, one of the conditions of work is a complete ban for cleaners to approach computers.

Laughing with laughter, but the situation clearly shows that cause and effect should not be confused. The pulled out cord is a consequence of the negligence of the sysadmin, who did not strengthen it properly and the lack of instrumentation of this very cleaner. All this can be foreseen. If the specialist when receiving a company pays special attention to all these issues, then such problems, in principle, should not arise.

A separate question is equipment malfunction due to deterioration, power surges, etc. There is no way to avoid this. But with regular prevention, monitoring system logs and other simple actions (which are often ignored for some reason), all these problems can be identified before a serious failure occurs and work stops.

As you know, the best admin is someone whom no one has ever seen. But to the sysadmin described in the letter, profitable emergency. Management sees for which he receives money. The impression of its indispensability, a kind of magic wand, which can solve any problem. The key phrase here is “Went, drank coffee, put the update and then played Zumu until the next state of emergency” ... And in fact, he just spends the company’s money. And in vain translates coffee.

HelpMeIn service implies a diametrically opposite approach. We want to earn not on an emergency, but on their absence. And when a client asks himself what he pays money for, he will receive a detailed written and video report on the work done. Yes, and the employee serving this company will be motivated precisely to "invisibility." The fewer problems his clients have, the more bonuses he gets.

And in conclusion, I can say without undue modesty that the catch phrase about the invisible-admin with our help will very soon become a reality in all its senses and manifestations

Attention, this article was first published in a personal blog, but after the emergence of important issues and a lot of criticism, it was decided to post it on a public blog. An apology to those who have already read this service announcement.