A short tale about lazy IT staff
In my current company there is an IT department.
In the basement of our building is the datacenter.
The catch is that the only people who have access to datacenter, are the IT people. Us, developers, can't go in there. And it is the way it should be, I think. But what happens when somebody wants to make his life easier?
Two months ago I needed to have Windows 2003 Server installed on one of the datacenter servers. So, the guy who is responsible for such tasks told me that I would be waiting 3-4 days or I can do it myself. He opened the doors for me and gave me a DVD (from MSDN Library, which was OK because it was strictly for testing some things, but wasn't OK because there is no internet connection in our datacenter, read: Windows activation is not possible - but I didn't know that). The DVD was from MSDN Library, because taking a DVD from our SELECT license package involves going to other floor and opening a safe. The IT guy told me that if I needed to use the server after 60 days, we will change the CD KEY to the one from SELECT license and get rid of the activation dialog. Something smelled bad to me, but I didn't argue - after all, it is his job and he probably knows what is he saying...
OK, I installed what has to be installed and left. Fast forward 60 days. Trial period has expired.
The same IT guy says that changing CD key for MSDN product to SELECT key is not possible and that he thought that I won't need the system for more than 60 days. What??
And if I want to activate my system, I'd have to repair it using SELECT DVD. Double What????
OK, more fed up than before, I took the SELECT DVD (remember waiting 3-4 days? the same this time...), went downstairs, he let me into the datacenter, then I repaired my and my collegue's machine (which would expire the same way in 3 days) and went out of server room...
Ooops!
The doors wouldn't open. My ID card is not authorized for opening the datacenter doors, from both sides. It is quite logical. The doors back to server room won't open also. So I called my favourite IT guy from my mobile phone and asked him to let me out. 'OK, I'll be there right now'. Sure.
Fast forward 30 minutes (full of walking there-and-back in a short corridor under two surveilance cameras)
The doors open. Three security agents come. It is like Matrix, only I'm no Mr Anderson. 'Who are you?' 'What are you doing here?' 'Who let you in?' etc...
So, after short interrogation I left the datacenter, visited the IT guy to return DVD to him ('How did you get out? Security? Oh, sh**') and returned to my room. And then all the hell has broken loose. Phone calls, emails, investigation... real mess. The lazy IT guy is happy to keep his work, even though he can forget about his monthly bonus. For some time.
The moral of the story? Very short. Just do your job.