[Seattle-SAGE] Members Digest, Vol 2, Issue 13

[James Affeld]

This is what that famously cash-strapped outfit the
NSA used for manager-friendly, low-cost, zero-function
eye candy:  a full screen web page from
http://www.securitywizardry.com/radar.htm

The event is covered here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/26/AR2006012601990.html

This seems to me the ultimate test of
manager-friendliness.  

An alternate picture, funnier, is here:
http://www.zorro.hu/nsadware.jpg

--- Ski Kacoroski <kacoroski at comcast.net> wrote:

> Geof,
> 
> The "WOW" factor is used for a few reasons:
> 
> 1. to help impress senior management that IT is
> important to the 
> district as they may have a hard time understanding
> the infrastructure 
> needed to support the applications used in the
> classrooms.
> 
> 2. it allows senior management to show off to
> parents that all the bond 
> and levy money was spent on something that looks
> impressive (perceptions 
> are a large part of management -- if they do not
> feel like they got 
> anything, then you get nothing and the kids suffer).
> 
> I do note that everything done at my district has to
> pass a strict "what 
> does it benefit the student/teaching process" test. 
> The problem is that 
> it is easy to put in applications that pass this
> test without the 
> underlying infrastructure (servers, cooling, power,
> network bandwidth, 
> backups, etc.) that is, should never, be seen by the
> management.  This 
> aspect of the IT department is what needs the WOW
> factor.  I know that 
> another district put a glass front on their server
> room and placed it so 
> people have to walk by it to get to district
> offices.  It looks very 
> impressive to the parents.
> 
> For example, one idea we had was a large screen that
> shows various 
> OpenNMS web pages so management can see the status
> of various part so 
> the network.  Out of a multi-million dollar bond,
> spending a few 
> thousand to make people feel good about IT is a no
> brainer.
> 
> BTW, any other ideas out there for low cost things
> to do that look 
> impressive to the non-computer geek?
> 
> cheers,
> 
> ski
> 
> Geof Grogan wrote:
> >> Chris "Ski" Kacoroski :
> >> A little bit of 
> >> "WOW" factor for the senior management would be
> good also.
> > 
> > What would it be good for ?
> > 
> > I voted for school levies, in order to support to
> education, while knowing that some of the money
> would inevitably be wasted. Apparently you are
> intending to waste money. If you don't stay focused
> on education, you will waste my money and fail the
> students you are supposed to serve.
> > 
> > The general applicability of this comment to
> system administrators is that I often find IT people
> know a lot about processor specifications but little
> about what the business is. IT actions should have a
> business purpose. IT should sell its projects based
> on the business goals that the projects will
> achieve. If your management is impressed by flashing
> LEDs, the company isn't going to achieve much.
> > 
> >  - Geof Grogan
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Members mailing list
> > Members at lists.seattle-sage.org
> >
>
http://lists.seattle-sage.org/mailman/listinfo/members
> > 
> 
> -- 
> "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find
> it
>   connected to the entire universe"            John
> Muir
> 
> Chris "Ski" Kacoroski, kacoroski at comcast.net,
> 206-501-9803
> _______________________________________________
> Members mailing list
> Members at lists.seattle-sage.org
>
http://lists.seattle-sage.org/mailman/listinfo/members
> 


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