Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with it

Help me break in to network security

frwagon — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:08:28 -0800

IT Tech guy seeking more information on how to get deep into network security. So, I have a fundamental understanding of most aspects of computer systems and networking, et cetera.. and know basic network and system security... but I'd like to really understand it - eventually, the kind of understanding that a security consultant might have. I know this will be a long process, with lots of work, research, and study, and i'm good with that. . . I just don't know where to begin. Any advice on documents, places to start fiddling, white papers to read..?

How do I find a part time IT/Help desk Job in Colorado?

BoldStepDesign — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:39:21 -0800

How do I find a part time IT/Help desk Job in Colorado? I need something that pays $15-20 an hour and 15-20 hours per week. How can I find such a job? Suggestions please

Enterprise KVM-over-IP that doesn't suck?

larsks — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:20:20 -0800

Looking for a good KVM-over-IP solution, specifically one that allows me to use a standard RDP client for access to hosts rather than a proprietary solution. We currently have an IBM Remote Console Manager (warning: PDF). Advantages: supports up to 256 servers (with only 1U of space required for the KVM), uses CAT5 wiring, supports USB and PS/2. Disadvantages: remote access requires a proprietary application that is TERRIBLE, thus eliminating most of the advantages of a remote KVM solution.

I am looking for a solution that will allow us to use (ideally) RDP (aka Microsoft Remote Desktop) or (less ideally, because of no support for remote storage) VNC to access remote consoles. Extra bonus (a) if the device provides USB mass storage emulation for network access to client-side storage devices and (b) if it allows multiple remote users to connect simultaneously. It really needs to use CAT5 wiring (because I do not want to rewrite the datacenter for it).

I don't know if such a beast exists. The primary goal here is convenient, cross-platform (Windows, OS X, Linux) access without requiring proprietary applications or browser plugins. I'm open to alternative suggestions if you're using something you're especially happy with.

Thanks for your help!

Our IT department needs computerized help

joshrholloway — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:26:12 -0800

What is the best and most intuitive PC/Mac inventory management/software distribution solution available for a small business with around 250 users and six IT guys? I am a Tier I/II technician in a small business with about 250 users and six IT guys. The company is growing quickly, and we have decided it's probably time to introduce some sort of system(s) that will let us remotely monitor, inventory, and distribute software packages to the systems in the building. We are looking for something that is intuitive for me, who will probably be using it the most, and for the administrators and IT manager. We have looked at a couple different solutions, but we have not really dug deep into any option because there are so many choices and we're too busy with day-to-day activities. (As a reference, we have taken a quick look at LANrev, GLPI, and OCS Inventory.)

Our ideal solution would allow us to easily and efficiently do at least the following things:

1. The ability to remotely monitor any system on the network. We want to be able to see if it's online, all of the hardware installed on it, the drivers it's using, the software it has installed, etc. We would love something that can remotely provide us with the wealth of info that something like SIW can show.

2. The ability to set up automated software distribution policies based on groups.

3. The ability to push out a single software package to a single system on-demand with as few steps as possible. (LANrev could do this, but it involved setting up system and software groups and it felt pretty convoluted.)

4. We are mostly PCs running Windows XP, but we have about a dozen or so Macs as well. We are ideally looking for a solution that will work for both without having to jump between two different systems.

5. Reasonable price for a small business. Our decision-makers are not frugal, per se, but they are extremely critical when spending money and want to make sure they're getting their money's worth for whatever we buy.

I have used Apple Remote Desktop a bit, and I was very impressed with how it worked and everything one could do with it. If there was some cross-platform solution out there that was similar to the way that system works in ease of use and functionality, it would be perfect.

So the bottom-line question is that I am looking for recommendations of systems that would meet our needs as outlined above. The best opinions would be from people in similar situations who have actually used these systems hands-on. If there's anything I left out in terms of important information, please let me know.

Microeconomics undrstand of a computer replacement schedule?

Kickstart70 — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:09:44 -0800

I work in IT in an industry that is currently suffering (forestry in Canada), because of that, the current computer replacement schedule (of approx 2500 computers) has moved from a 3 or 4 year schedule to 5-7 years. I am also *just* starting a course in microeconomics. I'd like to learn, and at the same time create a graph and information to understand and be able to explain the opportunity cost of this move. As well, I'd like (if what I learn proves it) provide convincing evidence of the worthwhileness of keeping closer to the original replacement schedule. And, I admit, I want to make myself look good :)

Where do I start? Is there an available resource that already covers this issue?

Thanks in advance!

Directory of IT Security Managers in Energy/Oil/Electric Industry?

Kellyu — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:43:06 -0800

Is there a directory or directories of C-Level contacts, e.g., the Director of IT, Director of Security or and other high level managers with security for major companies within Electric Utilities, Gas Utilities, Oil & Gas Pipelines, Oil and Gas Refining, and Oil and Gas Drilling and Exploration? Would prefer something free, but would be willing to consider proprietary sources.

word of.. oh look a shiney thing

SirStan — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:35:24 -0800

How does one develop a thriving side-consulting gig in IT? I have been doing consulting work for ~8 years privately and professionally. A couple of years ago I left the day-to-day business consulting show for a job as a glorified Network Administrator.

I would like to pickup a few side clients, but am a bit clueless what I am doing wrong. I currently have three businesses that I know casually through friends, one paid, two have dangled the idea of having work done by me -- but it never goes anywhere.

The paid jobs I do -- people seem EXTREMELY happy with the work I do (Specifically referencing the detail in documentation, the follow through, the promptness, the billing detail) -- but this never seems to translate into word of mouth "hey, our guy is great".

I posted to CRAIGSLIST locally and have done a couple of $30/fix jobs for home people (grawr stab me in the face) hoping for that to possibly translate into larger jobs -- and a few businesses did email me, but did not respond to my detailed "sales pitch" (not so much a sales pitch as a short "this is what I have done, lets meet and see if it would be a great fit, first visit is on me".

I do quite a bit of "oh sure, i'll take a look at it for you" free work on a one time basis with various groups. Is that potentially damaging chances of developing paid relationships? (Ie, the $150/h consultant is better than the dude who will take a look at it for free?)

Any thoughts on how a full time netadmin with experience doing pretty much you name it can nudge himself into the market? Is there some key part of networking/work of mouthing that I am missing?

(For what its worth, somewhat of a small town area, a few 10-15k people towns within 25 miles) lots of small businesses. A casual acquaintance who works full time in the area seems to have no problem picking up clients in a geographically similar, but sparser area.

Mac-specific IT guy in a Windows world?

Anonymous — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:50:08 -0800

In the current and near-future markets, are there viable opportunities for a Mac-specific IT guy, and are Apple certifications worth it? I have been a Windows user most of my life until a few years ago when I switched to a Mac. Since then, I have entered the IT world doing mostly Windows administration, with some low-level Mac and UNIX stuff mixed in there. On my own time, I have become engrossed with the Mac platform, and have spent a large majority of my free time learning more about the inner workings of OS X and its core. Right now, I feel extremely confident in my Mac support, troubleshooting, diagnostics, and repair skills. This has really become my passion, and I am just not excited about Windows administration anymore.

All of this leads me to be looking into taking Apple's certification exams. I would ideally like to take all that are applicable to a general-purpose Mac IT dude, which looks to be about seven exams. The total cost on these exams and the materials I would need to brush up on specifics would be near $2000, which my current job would very likely pay for. Again, I feel very good about my skills, and would likely be able to pass all the tests with little trouble.

So that leads me to two main questions that are somewhat pivotal to my future career decisions:

1. Are these exams worthwhile, and will they be at all impressive to a potential employer, or are they the Mac equivalent of an A+? (As an aside, I am very young, even for the tech industry, so all of my potential employers have been very skeptical about my skills, so maybe these would help?)

2. What does the job market look like for an all-around Mac IT guru that would be competent enough to hold all of those certifications? Are there many places that would hire a Mac-only IT guy, or would I be better off working for myself? Is it a viable career move to go Mac-only with IT? Of course, knowing the Mac means knowing UNIX, which I do, but specifically the OS X platform is what I'm talking about here. Am I going to be out of luck on this unless I move somewhere very tech-centric, such as California?

Answers to either or both of these questions would be hugely appreciated. If you want to get in touch with me... macitdude AT gmail DOT com. (NOTE: This is anonymous because I don't want my current employers to get freaked out and think I'm trying to leave. I love my job right now, so I don't want that to change simply based on information gathering.)

How to stop torrents at work?

numlok — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:13:20 -0800

I'm sure this question will not make me the most popular student at the dance, but is there a way to identify (via IP) machines running BitTorrent clients within an internal network (ie. work)? My company has around 50 employees, and the old, "Please don't torrent at work" doesn't seem to be doing much good anymore. It brings our email and web browsing to a near standstill, and dropping by the "usual suspects" is not only tiresome, but doesn't seem to find all the sources of traffic any longer. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Tell me about current NAS manufacturers and technology?

loquacious — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:53:34 -0800

Tell me about Network Attached Storage ( NAS )? In particular what current manufactuers should I avoid for a typical 1 terabyte (or greater) RAID array? I'm also interested in general information and pitfalls for NAS devices and implementations. Deployment is for a mixed platform small office - about 8 seats. Platforms are XP, Vista and OS X.

I'm assuming SAMBA protocol for shares. Usage is low to medium - the office needs a data/file server for storing and reliably sharing typical office documents.

They emphatically do not need an actual server. There's no forseeable upgrade path to an in-office Exchange server or domain controller or the like - this is handled by a remote office through VPN. I could build them a PC-based solution using something like FreeNAS but that would be overkill, and I don't want to introduce a possibly flaky desktop/server into their office.

What NAS models or manufacturers are considered the most reliable? Best support? Best value?

Much thanks in advance!

How do I enable simple file sharing on Server 2008 and stop my network from crashing?

Magnakai — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:15:12 -0800

How do I transparently share files from a Windows Server 2008 box to several XP computers? I want it to stop asking for a username and password when people try to access files. Also, can anyone point me in the right direction to solving this weird network issue I've been having? I've been assigned to run the IT stuff for the small business that I part-time for. They have four machines running Windows XP. One of them used to host all the office documents in a shared folder, enabling it to be accessed from across the network. They're connected via brand-new Cat 6 cables going into a wireless router, which is connected via another brand-new cable to a rather ancient 4-port ADSL modem.

They now have need of a dedicated server, and because of some incoming (in the next year) custom written software, it needs to be Windows Server 2008. I built them a low-cost machine with stable components and it seems to run fine.

I hooked it up to the network, connected to current share and transferred all the office files over. I then shared that directory. I created accounts that have the same username and passwords as the default accounts on the XP machines. I gave access to the office file directory to Everyone. At the top of that screen, it specified that if you selected Everyone, it wouldn't ask for a username or password. But it does!

When they were shared from the previous workstation, you could happily access them without entering a password. Is there any way to revert to this level of behaviour?

My second question follows from this - I tried accessing the folder from one of the comptuers on the workgroup, and I then entered Administrator and the password for the server into the request box that popped up. It connects absolutely fine. But once it's connected, at regular but random intervals, it seems to hang the workstation for a period of time and kill the network connection for the server. Other computers were able to access the network and connect to the internet fine. I can reproduce this problem Can anyone give me pointers to trying to diagnose this error, as obviously it makes the whole endeavour rather useless!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and thank you for reading this long question.

Ethical/Legal Reasons for keeping passwords secret?

chrisfromthelc — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:49:56 -0800

What are your ethical opinions on supervisors knowing thier direct reports login information? I work in IT for a small company (re: I AM the IT department). A supervisor recently requested all of his employees' login information under the guise that some employees leave certain programs logged in. Now, obviously this is not the true issue at hand. I informed this person that I could not, in good conscious, divulge that information (all new accounts are forced password changes at first login, and every X days afterwards) even if I had it.

I'm in an equal position as this person, so anything serious (firing, etc.) is extremely unlikely, but knowing this person, they will make my life difficult if they possibly can.

I've been in IT for over 10 years, and every employer has handled it the same way: if you have a specific need for something, we'll retrieve that data if it's work related, but we're not giving up passwords.

I'd love to hear the hive mind's thought on this. Yes, you are not my lawyer.

How does IT documenation work?

wabashbdw — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:53:34 -0800

Despite having no training whatsoever, I've gradually become 'the IT guy' at work. I want to get organized and begin building a documentation file but I have no idea where to start. Although there is a lot I don't know about technology, I am able to help people around the office with small computer problems. And when an issue is beyond my knowledge, I usually end up being a middle-man between the user and the company who handles our larger IT issues.

Well, my role as IT first-responder is growing and I need to get organized. My understanding is that 'documentation' is critical to an effective IT department, but I don't even know what 'documentation' means in this context.

So, what pieces of information are documented by most IT departments? Where/how is this information stored that makes it easy to find when it is needed? [For IT workers] What is your system for documentation and what would you keep/change if you were building a new system?

Let Me Run Free Again?

tmcw — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:08:38 -0800

I can walk, I can bike, I can't run more than a mile without my knee locking up. My first thought was IT Band, but that seems to mean stinging pain and just pain. What I'm getting is, a mile or two in, my knee will start to get stiff, and eventually I'll have to stop. There some attendant pain, but not of the stinging variety - only kind of a sharp pain if I extend my knee too much.

I can run, and I've run about 6 seasons of cross-country and track in the past, with occasional shin splints but few joint-related quandries. Since the treatment for IT band is rest, I've given it lots of rest: I've stopped running for 1.5 - 2 months at a time, and the first time I come back, doing a super-short run of 1.5 - 2 miles, this'll happen and my knee will be awful and painful the next day.

And I'm 21, so if it's arthritis, that sucks.

I know YANMD, etc - and I'm going to see a doctor soon, but I'd like a general idea of what this could be, because I dearly miss running and doctors are not 100% accurate.

PHP: How do I get the explode() function to work with multiple separators in a row?

kaozity — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:25:00 -0800

PHP: How do I get the explode() function to work with multiple separators in a row? I am using the explode Function on a string where there are multiple spaces after a word because it is tabbed. When I use explode as follows

$peices = explode(" ",$theData);

the $peices array does not record any of the data that comes after the section with multiples spaces. Any idea on how to get a complete array?

Your victories and woes as a unix/linux sysadmin

Myles — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:36:17 -0800

What were your greatest victories and punishing woes as a unix/linux system administrator? I've been learning both unix and linux recently from a desire to use Solaris on a home server, and then the whole system administration thing hit me. So, I wanted to throw this one out there for the real world sysadmins out there: For those who are or were Unix or Linux system administrators, whether for a small company or large enterprise, what were some of the unique challenges or obstacles you encountered while working on the job? Not limited to just technical challenges, but it can be anything.

If you'll just point me in the right direction...

segatakai — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:10:01 -0800

I have a question in two parts. If that's illegal, admin, please delete the last part. I'd like to hear suggestions for websites I should look at, and then advice on whether this is really how I should move forward with this. Hopefully, this is much clearer in the ... part 1: I'm thinking about putting together a blog/website/internet doohickey that would eventually become an online encyclopedia about a very narrow topic. Narrow as it is, there could end up being many hundreds, but probably not thousands of entries. I'm intrigued by the wikipedia idea, where others can contribute and change etc, but for the time being, I'd like to have comments be the modus operandi for feedback and improvement on the main entry. I think the main thing about the wikipedia model that I like is the community aspect. I like the idea of building something with a group of people across the world (as far fetched as it may be, ultimately). My question is, what recommendations do you have for internet doohickeys that do this well? Do you know of a good encyclopedia/glossary/dictionary type site that ingeniously (or quite capably) handles comments and feedback from visitors? One obvious example is, ahem, AskMe, but please give me some more things to look at and get inspired by. Additionally, one thing that AskMe doesn't really allow that I'd like to incorporate if possible, is a way to comment about, say, one sentence in the main entry, and be able to see that comment in close proximity to the sentence in question, but never be confused about what is the main entry and what is the comment (like notes in the margin?). And I'd like people to be able to comment on the comment, etc. So there might eventually be six or more 'conversations' going on about different parts of one entry, all viewable (with some scrolling necessary, perhaps) on one page per entry. Does that make sense? Is that possible?

part 2: Should I do this?
Sometimes lately (in my more hubristic moments) I've begun to feel that maybe, among English-speaking individuals, I might actually be on the brink of becoming the most knowledgeable person on my narrow topic. I want to share the knowledge I've acquired over the last 10 years studying this narrow topic, but I do feel uncertain about 'giving it away.' The topic is narrow enough (and the 'target marget' infinitesimal enough) that I'm never going to make a million bucks writing books or lecturing about it, but I'm sure there's some money to be made, and I am reluctant to just toss it up on the net for the world to cannibalize. I understand the idea that having an effective web-presence leads to other opportunities, but there's a part of me that can't help asking: Wouldn't I be better off to write a book and just advertise it on the web? I sense that there are probably two camps on this -- please tell me which camp you are in and why, and where possible/applicable, point me to other resources to support your argument.

Thank you kindly for your support.

*I realize this "narrow topic" stuff is a little hinky, but somehow I'm uncomfortable spilling the details (though I realize you can all probably figure it out, this being the internet, and all). I also feel that being more general might induce more creative answers (?).

It's a man's IT world?

I_Love_Bananas — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:45:44 -0800

New to IT department- what to expect? I'll soon be joining our company's IT department - the culmination of a series of events in which I saw an opportunity, seized it and impressed enough people that they created the position for me. It's awesome. I'm nervous but excited about the job-specific uncertainties.

Aside from that, my question is- as a non-IT (female) person, what should I know about dealing with IT types? I come from the admin, executive world in which I had reason to interact with IT on occasion, but that's not the same thing.

Will there be more of a "no nonsense, head down, get to work" mentality (which I want) vs. the office politics/brown-nosing/playing favorites that's been the case in my past non-IT positions?

The 25-member department is 80% male. This doesn't necessarily faze me but I just wanted to get some perspective. My plan is to lay low for a while but I'd welcome any advice.

I didn't know what I didn't know about IT.

joshrholloway — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:20:39 -0800

I'm an entry-level computer technician looking for advice on what skills are most vital for me in today's market, and how to best achieve them. Specifically, I would like to know what hands-on classes I should look into in the Nashville, TN area. This is a bit long, but anyone who will take the time to read it and answer will be greatly appreciated.

I'll give just a touch of background: My very first AskMeFi question was a little over a year ago, about how to get an IT security job and work my way up the ladder. At the time I posted it, I was 19, stubborn, cocky, and a know-it-all. Today I am 21 and still stubborn, but I realize now that I was not the computer genius I thought I was then.

Cutting that intervening period short, I will say that I was extremely blessed with an entry-level computer technician job for a great company that I am loving. Because this job has helped me understand the things about IT that I don't know, I'm looking to expand my knowledge further. Being around great guys who know what they're doing is helping already, but there's just not time enough for them to sit me down and train me on what they do, and I wouldn't want to put them through that.

So I'm looking for help. The main questions I have are essentially "what should I be learning to make myself a more valuable employee?" and "what is the best way for me to learn those skills that fits in with my learning style?" I know these are both pretty general, so I will outline a few things to help narrow it down.

I have been using and fixing PCs since I can remember, and I am very comfortable with Windows as a desktop/workstation OS and the user-facing layers of OS X. At my job, we use an infrastructure mainly based on Windows Server 2003 and Active Directory, with some Linux and UNIX server here and there for various purposes. I have been able to handle my basic support tickets very well, but when any of my co-workers discuss servers and network structure and things of that nature, most of it goes over my head. I'm picking up bits and pieces.

So basically I have a foundation that would probably equate to an A+ certification and maybe a little more than that. I have had some hands-on training for the MCP MDST certification, although I never took the test. I have very little experience with UNIX; I know some very basic commands, and that's it.

So where do I begin? I am not a very good book learner, but I can discipline myself if it is important enough. I am really looking for hands-on or classroom training if possible. Please don't recommend I get a degree. I don't want to be short-sighted, but I have neither the time nor the money to pursue a degree with a university at this point. My company will pay $2500 per year for classes or training, but I may be able to get more if the training would be exceptionally valuable to me. I don't plan on leaving the company I work for now anytime soon, but I want to take on more responsibilities and be able to perform tasks myself that I now have to go to my co-workers for.

I have looked into classes, and have found several offerings for rigorous five-day courses in basic Windows Server 2003/AD administration. From reading the description and the coverage areas, I think this would be a good start for me, but I don't want to jump the gun. I also don't know what training facilities or companies are reputable or worth it, so if you have a better recommendation, let me know. As for classes, I am in the Nashville area if that matters.

I am sorry if this was long and a bit scatter-brained, but I am just trying to get all my thoughts out there. Anyone willing to give me a little help would be extremely welcome. Anything you can give is good. Thank you so much in advance.

Low-Riders and My Sanity - Am Losing My MIND!

watercarrier — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:40:22 -0800

Would you go crazy if you were living in the boonies and every couple of minutes some dude comes careening around your corner on an ATV or motorcycle revving up slowly and maliciously? Just wondering if it's only me that's reacting like hot coals are being poured down my brain neurons. What would you do? What are my options? I live in the wild-wild-wild east and there's no *law* that anyone will be upholding soon. They're kids with wheels and noise and they've found that it's better than drugs. I've got music - loud to drown it out - got ear plugs - what else am I missing here? Is there anything I can do to deter these freaks?

How do I tell people I'm not going to work in an office?

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:47:45 -0800

I am almost done with college. Since I've started, four separate times I've taken a semester off to study abroad, work overseas or do unorthodox things in the name of adventure. I've come to terms with myself and I know that this is I want out of life, and I know that when I graduate I'm not going to get a steady job with benefits or any of those other things that responsible people are supposed to do. How do I explain this to the people I care about in a way that makes them feel good about me? In the years since I graduated high school I've gotten pretty good at politely blowing people off when they ask me when I'm just going to finish university and get a job. "lol i dunno" usually works fine.

That's not really an acceptable answer for people close to me, though. My parents are starting to ask what kind of job I'm going to get, how I'm going pay for health insurance, what my degree is good for, and the respective answers are "I don't know, maybe I won't, probably nothing." I care about my parents and my close friends too much to cry "Nobody understands me!!!" and ignore them, but at the same time I worry that's the case.

I'm convinced I'll make out well no matter what I do, but I'm concerned that everyone I know thinks I'm a bum and is worried about me. How do I answer the question "What are you doing with your life?"?

Salary for IT: I can't find a title for what I do, so I can't research whether I'm underpaid or not. Help?

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:42:03 -0800

Salary for IT: I can't find a title for what I do, so I can't research whether I'm underpaid or not. Help? I made good money last year, but that's because I worked enough overtime to nearly double my salary.
I won't be repeating that again this year, but I don't want to take a killer pay cut because I refuse to work myself to death.

I got agreement on the less hours, and a raise.
But I have a feeling I'm still underpaid - but I can't be sure.
I'm having trouble finding a job title that matches what I do on salary-comparison websites, so it's hard to calculate.

So here's what I do:
Employer is 45 employees in 3 sites spread around the SF bay area.
Apart from 6 hours a week getting "warm body" level help from their old consultant, I'm the entire IT department for all 3 sites and the firm in general.

I do helpdesk, hardware and software maintenance, training, etc. for 45 staff and their workstations/laptops/remote connections.
There are 8 servers to maintain, configure and back up. MS 2003, Exchange, Terminal servers.
I do all the purchasing, licensing, research for alternatives, etc on all hardware and roughly 25 pieces of specialized software.
I meet directly with the Managing Partner of the firm weekly to prioritize work scheduling and plan out IT strategies, policies, and design workflow and processes for the firm.

BUT: I'm the whole team, so I'm not a manager. I moved into this from a clerical position with no prior training or IT certifications. (I was clever enough to figure out the basics on my own; the understanding was that I'd be given time to go out and get trained/certified, but the workload and the lack of an alternate to cover for me hasn't allowed for that.) So I can't use a metric like "an MCSE supervising 5 staff averages $X a year".

What would be a job title for "(solo) all-around general IT guy who knows more than he should, but holds no certifications"?

mail me at nomdegare@gmail.com

Which IT/Network Certs are most valuable on a resume.

huxley — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:53:44 -0800

Which IT / Network Certifications are most valuable on a resume? In my search I'm finding mostly uninformed articles and 3rd party sites trying to sell me Certifications. Specifically I'm looking for certs involved in Network Administration, Network Engineering. Which have the best cost/time vs value in the workplace ratio. Thanks!

newbie sales need a clue

diode — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:05:13 -0800

I'm doing a career change into sales for an IT company. This company doesn't have a sales person now or a marketing strategy. How can I best contribute and succeed at this role? I've applied for and think I will receive an offer to work for a local IT group. I've worked for small IT groups before. My picture is that they tend to be great at what they do best, building IT systems, and not so good at the other parts of business building.
This company has some great talent and products, but is relatively small and has no sales program in place. They've built their business on the basis of referrals and local connections but need to expand. That's where I come in.
As a relative newbie to sales, I'd be expected to learn their products, establish a marketing strategy, learn sales and start producing. That's quite a lot on my plate. Where can I start? I've been googling sales courses and marketing templates, looking at competitors and seeing how I could contribute. What's the best course of action to drive some success to this company?
We are talking remote server and database admin as one product line, and special expertise in the medical records arena as another.

Foreign phrases for "overacting"

zeraus — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:00:44 -0800

foreign phrases for "overacting" In English, there's "hamming it up", and my personal favorite
"chewing the scenery".

What are the turns of a phrase that you use in your native tongue to describe Shatneresque performances?