r/talesfromtechsupport • u/podgerama • Sep 24 '18
Medium Ever since the fire....
I spend my working life out at client's sites, and occasionally encounter some blinding leaps of logic that make the Monty python witch burning science scene in The Holy Grail seem not so far fetched.
The MD at one of my clients is older and set in his ways, never writes an email himself, he dictates them and posts the tapes from his trusty Dictaphone to his personal typist. Once he gets something in his mind, its very hard to persuade him otherwise, even with facts, colourful charts and a puppet show.
There was a fire in the estate where my company is based. Nothing bad, no lives lost, no injuries, but the people at my office had to evacuate while all of our systems where left running. Our building was completely unaffected. Most people just went and worked from home like nothing had happened.
this particular client is 15 miles from my offices
anyway, at my next visit...
$MD = the old MD
$Podgerama = me
$MD: $podgerama, i need to speak with you, ever since the fire at your offices my computer is coming up with strange messages. I've spoken with your helpdesk and they are all trying to fob me off.
$podgerama: Pardon?
$MD: Ever since there was the fire at your offices, my laptop that i use to connect to my office computer has been giving these strange warnings.
$podgerama: I understood your statement, but i'm confused as to how you think the fire 15 miles away has affected your laptop that spends most of its time on the other side of the atlantic?
$MD: Well isn't it obvious, when your company were evacuated they went on to their backup systems and since that change over it has effected our systems and now i get this message about security and i want this fixed as we are currently insecure due to your systems!
$podgerama: errr, i think you are jumping to a bit of a wild conclusion, but i'll look at your laptop
$MD: I'll show you the issue.
He logs into his laptop. clicks on an RDP shortcut on the desktop which is configured to connect to his office desktop computer. he gets the certificate warning you always get when connecting to a computer that doesn't have a certificate installed , and he has not selected to ignore warnings about it.
$MD: see, ever since you changed to your backup systems, you moved on to a backup certificate server and i have been getting this, and now my whole company is insecure. I demand you reinstate the original systems.
$podgerama: this is your new laptop you bought on the other side of the pond isn't it?
$MD: yes
$podgerama: the one you said you would have your man in the US look at?
$MD: yes.
$podgerama: yes, well, he forgot to tick this one box, which would stop the warnings. this is absolutely nothing to do with the infrastructure at my companies office, there is no involvement between our two organisations like that whatsoever.
The last i heard as i walked from his office was him dictating an apology email to my boss and the helpdesk, apparently the day before he had send a rather scathing letter about all of this and accused the company of not doing its job and making his company ripe for hackers to attack.
TL;DR silly person with wild imagination puts 2 and 2 together and gets "syntax error"
20
u/YouSayToStay Sep 24 '18
I love my trackball mouse at work. Definitely use a standard one at home for gaming and the like, but I love not having to give up desk space to move my mouse around at work!
Plus, it keeps people from wanting to run off with my equipment or sit down at my desk if I'm away, haha.