You didn't notice thousands of dollars of unexpected transactions on your bank statements? How rich are you?

That's how I picture Americans - if there's something you don't like, shoot it.

@thanksajdotcom said:

"I understand 2014/2015 doesn't look good, but I was born into a religious cult and this was the period during which I escaped. I am now trying to put my life back together." It seems like a sound idea. Thoughts?

I don't like that. I'd never mention "religious cult" in any job application. I also don't like the term "trying to put my life back together", as that implies your life isn't currently together. It might be true, but surely you want to give the impression that the past is the past and you are now completely over it and perfect?

"Travel and personal development" is better. I'm not convinced by it, but something bland along those lines is definitely the right approach IMV.

Came across this shop whilst on holiday in Shropshire earlier this week and thought of this thread:

@ajstringham said:

I had watched his house for him while he was out-of-state

QA=Quality Assurance

I still can't believe how much you slag off your employer on a public forum (and on your blog). I think it's only a matter of time before you get caught and fired.

Dear Carnival Boy

I've used up all of my 5GB iCloud storage. My phone is full of work photos that I need backing up. Please resolve.

Regards

A. User

AFAIK, there is no corporate iCloud option, is there? So my options are:

1. Logon on to his iCloud account and use a company credit card to buy an annual iCloud plan for his personal use.
2. Get him to do it, using his own credit card, and reclaim on expenses.
3. Use an alternative backup system.

On my own phone, I've tried using OneDrive to backup my photos. It started ok. Then hung. Now the app just crashes everytime I open it. Par for the course, with Microsoft apps. I need something reliable, that works in the background.

I'm thinking about using Google Drive. Any good?

The problem is, iCloud is very good. It's reliable and I like the fact that when their phone breaks, I can just restore from iCloud onto their new device and they're away.

Advice please.

A member of my IT tech support team is moving to another part of the country. Rather than losing him, I'm hoping to let him work remotely, with the occasional on-site visit if required (maybe once or twice a month).

Although my company has lots of home and remote workers already, this is the first time I'll have managed one. Do you have any tips on how to make the arrangement as productive and pleasant as possible, in terms of how to manage him, what tools to use to communicate with him (eg slack), and how to keep him motivated and feeling part of the team. I know a number of you work from home, and some of you manage staff remotely (eg @Minion-Queen )

I'm looking forward to it as it'll give us a chance to really utilise a few online tools like Slack, Trello etc etc that are currently under-used because the team is sitting directly opposite each other and so often finds it easier to just open their mouths and talk.

@scottalanmiller said:

People ask me before using them and they don't even need to do that because I license them for certain use.

< considers where to post picture of @scottalanmiller in his pink, fluffy unicorn costume >

One thing I would like to do is have 6 weeks summer holiday when my kids are off and go travelling. But my company doesn't really like anyone taking more than 2 weeks off in a row, and we only have 5 weeks in total for the year.

When I was a kid, my dad was a University lecturer, so had 2 months over summer, and we'd travel round Europe for 4 or 5 weeks every year. Time of my life. Although he seemed to find both the cost and his annoying kids fairly stressful at times....

I'm not lashing our or upset in any way. I've told you two facts about me, that I work for a Microsoft ISV and the I don't own a personal laptop. From that, you've drawn a huge number of untrue assumptions, such as I'm not really IT, I don't need to do any training, I'm not a good employee, I don't care about my career, and I have a European mindset.

I find these assumptions stupid, lazy and ignorant and so there's no basis on which I can continue engage with them. You're free to say whatever you like, but I don't have to reply. I mean what more are you expecting from me? Some kind of epiphany? Really?

@scottalanmiller said in SAMIT: Should You Provide Equipment for Work from Home Staff?:

What do you do outside of MS and ERP? Why make your team broad, if the company doesn't consider doing anything outside of the immediate scope per your other description? It's interesting to be so focused yet have a broad idea of learning.

I work for an ISV, not a VAR, but I don't get hung up on descriptions - we're a software house basically. Microsoft's business applications are extremely broad - ERP, CRM, Power BI, Power Apps - it's as broad as you want to make it, no-one could become an expert in everything, you have to specialise to a degree.

But look, we're getting in ad hominem replies now. I don't see the relevance. I get that this is primarily a forum for US MSPs and I'm a European ERP specialist, but I'm just offering my perspective. But when it gets to the level of replies (IRJ, not you) that say I'm not really IT, or that I don't need any training because I can fall back on Microsoft, or I don't have the commitment of "real" IT people then it's getting pointless.

And it's depressing to hear an American think that Europeans don't have the right "mindset", have it easier, and don't unlock their full potential. I don't really have any interest in engaging with that level of ignorance of other countries.

So I'll call it quits.

@scottalanmiller said in SAMIT: Should You Provide Equipment for Work from Home Staff?:

My main point is that people should have laptops of their own when being hired.

Yeah, it's a minor point and my replies are minor, but we've dragged it on for a week without getting anywhere

Like I said, I've never owned a laptop in my working life. But I've also been lucky in that I've never been unemployed, so always had a laptop. Like many IT people, my laptop is almost like a fifth limb, an extension of my body, something I carry around like a child's comfort blanket, something that brings me out in cold sweats if it ever stops working. It's the most important inanimate object in my life, the first thing I pack when going on holiday (I'm sounding quite sad now).

But, but, but. I simply don't see the need for two laptops in my life. If I didn't have a work laptop, like say, I was unemployed, then of course, I would have my own. But that's never happened. I just don't see the benefit of having two devices in my house and I don't understand what you think I could do differently if I had two devices. What is it I can't do on just one device?

@IRJ said in SAMIT: Should You Provide Equipment for Work from Home Staff?:

You mentioned you'd fire a client for not using Microsoft products. That seems more like a sales engineer position to me. You don't really need any training because you can always fall back on Microsoft for support.

Ha, if only. I implement Microsoft ERP systems. If a client decides to migrate to, say, SAP or Oracle, then they will fire me, as I'm a Microsoft specialist. I don't fire them.

Microsoft don't provide support for ERP, we're on our own. They only do bug fixes. Basically, I am Microsoft support.

I work quite a bit with US clients and I think you'll find there isn't that much difference between the US and Europe these days in terms of mindset.

@scottalanmiller said in SAMIT: Should You Provide Equipment for Work from Home Staff?:

It goes almost without saying that the things we value you'd hate as an employee.

Try me

We aren't a "here is the thing that you do" kind of company. We cross train, we constantly do new things, we take on different technology all of the time, everyone spends their days advising non-IT on approaches, options, looking for improvements to process, and so forth

We do all of those things to. I still don't know why you'd think we don't.

As usual, you've just jumped to conclusions about someone based on a spurious metric (they don't own a PC).

@scottalanmiller said in SAMIT: Should You Provide Equipment for Work from Home Staff?:

if your employer decided to let you go, you'd be without a computer and if you want to get to serious job hunting or skill expansion to prepare for your next position you'd be in the position of not being ready to hit the ground running, have to buy a computer in a rush at the worst possible time, and having to do so at a time when most people would be moving into an austerity budget.

So I should buy a laptop now, even though I don't need one, just in case my employer decided to let me go?

@scottalanmiller said in SAMIT: Should You Provide Equipment for Work from Home Staff?:

So that's a great example of things I worry about with my team. If the team only really knows one thing here are a few business risks...

Your business risks are all valid, but this is why when I was running an internal IT department I would encourage my team to learn and explore other potential technologies. If we were running SQL Server, look into other databases. If the servers are all Windows, put a Linux sandbox in. This was all part of learning and developing the team, and keeping their passion for IT. Never stand still.

But the key point here is that this was all part of their job. Learning other technologies was part of their job, for precisely the reason you've mentioned - risk management. And all that learning was done on their work laptops.

@scottalanmiller said in SAMIT: Should You Provide Equipment for Work from Home Staff?:

think you are mixing the concepts of people we'd hire vs. those we continue to employ. 100% I want people who learn on their own when we hire them, which is why they need a computer at home already. Like I keep saying, I generally recommend providing tools to employees, but much less likely to potential employees.
An employee whose laptop dies and needs a replacement, we provide those.

I think it's odd to distinguish between the two. By your criteria you wouldn't now employ your own team if they applied for their own position?

@scottalanmiller said in SAMIT: Should You Provide Equipment for Work from Home Staff?:

In your example I'm sure MS' ERP products are working fine. They might even be the best choice. But will they always be the best choice?

Well, I work for a Microsoft partner, so if my clients decide Microsoft is no longer the best choice they're not going to remain as my client.

@scottalanmiller said in SAMIT: Should You Provide Equipment for Work from Home Staff?:

I'm not asking (at all, I make no request) them to spend that time learning things instead of being with family or whatever, but we hire creative, interesting people that we hope are taking an interest in... things. IT sure, development maybe, other hobbies and so forth. People who are pushing themselves to grow. IT is business, and business is broad. Essentially all knowledge benefits business eventually.

Weren't you literally arguing that anyone who doesn't study IT that is unrelated to the IT in their day job, in their own time, on their own laptop, is not a "GOOD" employee and you wouldn't want to hire them?

Most of my team have interesting hobbies - archery, hunting, pottery, house renovating, scout leadership, and most of them study and learn in their own time. But that study is all related to our day jobs - Microsoft business applications. No-one is learning Linux (for example) for fun as far as I know. My simple argument is that I am fine with that and don't consider any of my team BAD employees as a result. It appears you do.