Month Two Review

The month two review seemed like such a hopeless prospect last month (post). Though tension still looms, things have calmed some in the office. It's become apparent that at least half of the friction between my boss and I is due to his inability to communicate with humans. That understanding doesn't generate harmony but it helps to know his intentions aren't always meant to antagonize. For example, a scheduled web demo I set up to review a competitor product to the one we use now was called off by him. His intention, stated poorly, was to make sure I did not overburden myself. Because he insisted on cancellation before asking me the purpose of the demo, he diminished my role as IT Manager even if little malice was intended. Hence friction (post).

While the laundry list of accomplishments last month don't appear this month there are a few big successes. Much of this month went into prepping and testing for the migration and though the prepping has yet to be done, it has begun with the cleaning of network folders. A large part of this is communicating with the staff and getting them to understand. Therefore an email was sent briefly explaining the migration process, purpose, and staff's role in the overall project.

Using software called ShowSize (site), I printed lists of folders and subfolders, about two levels down, in size order to visually depict which folders need the most attention by the user. This helps tremendously because staff don't have to randomly go through every folder, saving them time, and they attack the very source of the problem, guaranteeing a significant reduction in stored data. I offer three options: 1) If the files are regularly used, leave them there. 2) If the files will never be needed, please delete them. 3) If some files need to be permanently archived, send me the list and I will move them off the network and on to a CD. Quotas have not been set so these options fit their comfort level and since I make myself available to their inquiries the users have shown their willingness to work with me.

Eventually I will explain my goals for uniform drive mappings, network folder names, usernames, and complex passwords. Change is always hard. There will be complaining but I feel if an IT Manager can be firm, limit the impact on the user, be receptive to suggestions, and show/convince them of the benefits, staff will minimize grumbling. With the spam filter implementation and an email service that has been more dependable, I think I have earned the clout needed for staff cooperation.

Migration equipment was finalized and ordered (post). Much of it has came in and the servers are schedule to arrive on Monday. This is when the fun begins. Sadly I stuck with Symantec Backup Exec. My disdain for Symantec is no secret (post). While their sales staff is great (of course), their support is a notch above IBS (info). Techsoup delivered but I did experience a couple of hiccups, as expected. Only one Windows server title is allowed for purchase through TechSoup so I purchased another Windows 2003 Standard license with Microsoft charity licensing through CDW. Though still a tremendous bargain, my intentions of getting 6 licenses went out the door. Additionally our purchase of Acrobat Standard through TechSoup was refused by Adobe for no clear reason.

My greatest accomplishment was implementing the SpamStopsHere spam filter (post). The setup monopolized a couple of weeks. Though it is not perfect (a little too strong due to a custom filter I created to thwart image-based spam), with the commenter's suggestion to use SMTPtracker (post) I anticipate catching 95% of junk mail. I hesitate to install SMTPtracker now because it needs .NET 1.1 on the server. Despite the reduced burden from the lower levels of spam and improved stability from patches and a defrag, the Exchange box still seems on the edge. I will set it up on the new server.

I look forward to the migration, which hopefully will happen at the end of this month. Though more comfortable about the work situation, it still feels like my long-term prospects here are poor. I hope to set up this non-profit so it is updated and stable enough to run without major overhauls for a few years. If I can create the proper foundation now, that should be quite possible. Then, at least, I can leave having accomplished something.