How Many Admins Per User/Computer Have You Seen? 414
miffo.swe writes "I'm trying to find the normal ratio of technicians/support tech per user or computer in your average IT-shop. When searching around, I can't find that many examples or any statistics. We manage around 900 computers (mostly Windows XP) and 25+ servers (mostly Linux). There are around 2600 users of varying knowledge, mostly pretty low. I can't find any statistics on this, so real-world examples are very welcome since we do this with one sysadmin (me) and two sneaker techs. Are we seriously understaffed, or is this normal?"
Over 9000 (Score:5, Funny)
Over 9000
Re:Proper Planning (Score:5, Funny)
Why, in my day we didn't have Admins.
We had to unbox the machines ourselves, plug EVERYTHING in. We even had to figure out interrupts by ourselves. And don't get me started about trying to snake the coax around the building.
Kids these days. Spoiled rotten. Don't even have to get up to turn the record over.
Grump.
Re:Over 9000 (Score:2, Funny)
I'm 12 and what is this?
What's a "Sneaker Tech"? (Score:2, Funny)
Google doesn't have any relevant hits for this phrase (except this article).
Re:What's a "Sneaker Tech"? (Score:3, Funny)
Google doesn't have any relevant hits for this phrase (except this article).
Obviously you don't know how to search. I found a job posting for a sneaker tech [jobisjob.com] right away.
Re:Over 9000 (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Over 9000 (Score:5, Funny)
Your users can deceive you. Don't trust them.
Let go your professional self and act on instinct.
Re:Over 9000 (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Over 9000 (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Proper Planning (Score:4, Funny)
Sheesh, I remember token ring. Slickest thing since sliced bread.
Till the token fell out anyway. Then you had to send some noob PFY out to search for it under the desks. Hours of entertainment with that one.
Re:Proper Planning (Score:5, Funny)
This is exactly the way to think about IT. End-users are not your "customers" or "clients", and your role is not to serve them. They are your competitors. Your job is to eliminate them, and to replace them with whirring, glowing rooms filled with triple-redundant servers flawlessly executing fully-normalized databases and millions of tiny shell scripts.
Middle managers are your natural enemies. Their interests are to increase warm bodies and to monitor butt-in-seat time. Treat them with cautious scorn.
Your major challenge is to quantify your work as it relates to deferred costs and increased productivity, and to demonstrate this benefit to executive management. This will require a quick typing finger, elite charting skills, and a deft touch on the laser pointer.
By the way, how many middle managers did you have to kidnap and drug before you were recognized by executive management?
Re:Over 9000 (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Over 9000 (Score:1, Funny)