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This was my experience with IBM hardware infrastructure as well. Just replace 'copy jar files' with everything from 'power on server' to 'create LUN'. After a

This was my experience with IBM hardware infrastructure as well. Just replace 'copy jar files' with everything from 'power on server' to 'create LUN'. After a major, unexpected power outage we had to stand around waiting for a technician to be dispatched and drive over to: 1.) Flip the power switch. 2.) Say 'Looks good.' 3.) Leave. (I was told in dead serious terms that I'd be dismissed for powering up the box myself.)

adl 12y ago
The company I work for (that shall remain unnamed) signed a thousand million dollars, 10 year contract with IBM for IT infrastructure. I was in need to log into a Mac Pro that ended up in one of the Server Rooms that IBM took over in our building. I basically needed to connect a keyboard, log in and enable remote desktop so I could run a few XCode builds (I don't have a Mac, and I needed to test a few hybrid Sencha/Phonegap apps) after several phone calls involving my boss and his boss, three meetings with five IBMers and 3 months (I kid you not) we gave up, and ended up borrowing a few personal MacBooks from friends to test the apps. The Server Room was a few meters from the conference room, it was a 2 minute job, but we could not enter and do the changes ourselves without IBMs permission. The word frustration doesn't even cover it. (oh, and the 'copy jar files' thing? totally true.)
- kamaal 12y ago
  >>The Server Room was a few meters from the conference room, it was a 2 minute job, but we could not enter and do the changes ourselves without IBMs permission. Sorry, But there are reasons why your dev team is kept out of the server rooms. Because generally when permission is given they go in and make big mess, which some one has to clean up later. Plus there are thousands of other issues like data security, theft etc that need to be taken care of here. I've worked for a outsourcing firm here in India, we partnered with another outsourcing firm. While we were there our partner offered a lower hourly billing price and we lost most projects to them. We had a strict server room policy. They came in with all these policies of 'process elimination','cutting bureaucracy' - Which ultimately directly translated to cow boy behavior with total collapse in discipline. After some time the chaos ensued. Dev's would just walk into servers rooms for even simple things collecting logs, or troubleshooting production software issues. Until some one accidentally pulled out a power cable while toying with a server. A downtime happened, followed by all kind of data consistency problems. It took quite a while, and a lot of beating from senior management for them to realize rules exist for a reason. My respect for IBM just increased after I read your story. If I have to ever in the future outsource some IT infrastructure I may chose them.
lmg643 12y ago
All these examples are interesting - but why single out and pick on IBM? Seems like IBM is responding to natural competitive pressures in the technology consulting/services industry. Accenture, Wipro, TCS and others basically sell services to US companies and fulfill them overseas. It is not a glamorous business, and the work products are often shite, but this is what happens in price wars. Customers can blame themselves. What is disappointing to read in the IBM case is yet another example of slashing lots of jobs in the US and shipping them overseas. And yes, a lot is lost in the process - it's not a magic one-for-one replacement. The older I get, the more the platitudes used to justify this ring hollow. So much action is driven to satisfy the relative greed of stockholders, and arguably not "necessary." America has forgotten that the health of the stock market != the health of the citizenry. Technology services jobs should be among the highest value work we can do onshore. We can't all be bankers and lawyers, nor would it be desirable even if possible.
- incision 12y ago
  >'Customers can blame themselves.' I agree. I don't fault IBM for the above anecdote - it's what the customer agreed to and in a way it was surely in the customer's best in best interest. The organization in question had long since stopped rewarding or investing in any sort of homegrown excellence. Sadly, it's the same cycle all the way through - neglecting internal investment until you have no choice but to continue paying your minders on their terms.

adl 12y ago

The company I work for (that shall remain unnamed) signed a thousand million dollars, 10 year contract with IBM for IT infrastructure. I was in need to log into a Mac Pro that ended up in one of the Server Rooms that IBM took over in our building. I basically needed to connect a keyboard, log in and enable remote desktop so I could run a few XCode builds (I don't have a Mac, and I needed to test a few hybrid Sencha/Phonegap apps) after several phone calls involving my boss and his boss, three meetings with five IBMers and 3 months (I kid you not) we gave up, and ended up borrowing a few personal MacBooks from friends to test the apps. The Server Room was a few meters from the conference room, it was a 2 minute job, but we could not enter and do the changes ourselves without IBMs permission. The word frustration doesn't even cover it. (oh, and the 'copy jar files' thing? totally true.)

kamaal 12y ago
>>The Server Room was a few meters from the conference room, it was a 2 minute job, but we could not enter and do the changes ourselves without IBMs permission. Sorry, But there are reasons why your dev team is kept out of the server rooms. Because generally when permission is given they go in and make big mess, which some one has to clean up later. Plus there are thousands of other issues like data security, theft etc that need to be taken care of here. I've worked for a outsourcing firm here in India, we partnered with another outsourcing firm. While we were there our partner offered a lower hourly billing price and we lost most projects to them. We had a strict server room policy. They came in with all these policies of 'process elimination','cutting bureaucracy' - Which ultimately directly translated to cow boy behavior with total collapse in discipline. After some time the chaos ensued. Dev's would just walk into servers rooms for even simple things collecting logs, or troubleshooting production software issues. Until some one accidentally pulled out a power cable while toying with a server. A downtime happened, followed by all kind of data consistency problems. It took quite a while, and a lot of beating from senior management for them to realize rules exist for a reason. My respect for IBM just increased after I read your story. If I have to ever in the future outsource some IT infrastructure I may chose them.

lmg643 12y ago

All these examples are interesting - but why single out and pick on IBM? Seems like IBM is responding to natural competitive pressures in the technology consulting/services industry. Accenture, Wipro, TCS and others basically sell services to US companies and fulfill them overseas. It is not a glamorous business, and the work products are often shite, but this is what happens in price wars. Customers can blame themselves. What is disappointing to read in the IBM case is yet another example of slashing lots of jobs in the US and shipping them overseas. And yes, a lot is lost in the process - it's not a magic one-for-one replacement. The older I get, the more the platitudes used to justify this ring hollow. So much action is driven to satisfy the relative greed of stockholders, and arguably not "necessary." America has forgotten that the health of the stock market != the health of the citizenry. Technology services jobs should be among the highest value work we can do onshore. We can't all be bankers and lawyers, nor would it be desirable even if possible.

incision 12y ago
>'Customers can blame themselves.' I agree. I don't fault IBM for the above anecdote - it's what the customer agreed to and in a way it was surely in the customer's best in best interest. The organization in question had long since stopped rewarding or investing in any sort of homegrown excellence. Sadly, it's the same cycle all the way through - neglecting internal investment until you have no choice but to continue paying your minders on their terms.