I also work in a small company with two staff in IT. Myself and a web developer. We do use metrics to report to upper management how well systems are running. What I've done is create an excel spreadsheet with all of the systems we have running, the licenses, version and comments for each system. We then assign that system a 1 to 5 score and average the total at the end for a total composite score. One is if there are no problems, five is for serious issues. I generate this spreadsheet every month and send it to my boss. The other Major part to a small operation is customer service. In a small company, how happy your end users are imho more important than if the systems are running perfectly. We have to market ourselves and make sure we are available if anyone needs us. Being personable and friendly is very important. A final point of advice. Please don't make the metrics too complex. Management may be looking to let somebody go. However, they also may be looking to see what needs to be fixed and/or improved for capital expenditures. Metrics help track trends and you can use them to get the equipment and/or programs you need if you design them correctly.

I imagine this impact was much higher than they stated. One of the small operations I support on the side called a couple of days ago about this issue when it cropped up. The Windows XP computer would not even allow him to do a system restore let aloneuse his computer. Luckily, we found out about the fix yesterday or it could have cost them a couple hundred dollars to fix. Along with the lost productivity time, this isn't a good thing for McAfee. While we use other solutions for our systems, this highlights how much testing needs to take place before a patch is deployed. It's amazing these types of 'issues' occur in today's world. Time for McAfee to step up QA.

While Antivirus and a well setup firewall can help, I've found as a sysadmin that there are additional layers that need to be applied. We also use Content Filters to block out any unwanted malicious sites, porn and other sites we need to block. While I use Websense at work as an in-line filter, I setup Opendns at home and on home user's computers to cut most malicious websites off at the knees. We also employ an off-site email scanning service to scan our emails before they hit our internal email server. Once email hits the server, then it gets scanned again. All computers have are locked down and we utilize LANDesk for Malware and Patch Updates / Security Vulnerability scanning. Of course, Altiris works well too as well as MS System Center. Having a layered approach tends to mitigate most problems. Some do get through, but the computer immediately gets re-imaged. All User Files are stored on a central server. The computers themselves are as 'dumb' as I can make them and thus, easy to fix. Of course, you can't avoid everything. However, many solutions exist and are very low cost to implement if needed. A decent home stack would be: Anti-Virus (Sophos, Kaspersky, yada, yada) Malware Detection (Adaware, Spybot, etc.) Content-Filter (aka opendns or k9 webprotection) Backup (aka mozy or carbonite) Online Email (aka gmail, yahoo, etc.) Baseline Image (...) Ad-block, Flashblock and Firefox... Sorry Slashdot... There are many choices available. Many of them work very well. While this won't mitigate all attacks, it will minimize them quite a bit. As long as folks don't intentionally break them... :) Hope this helps.

I agree that games can help many improve their skills in many areas. My son was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when he was three years old. His main difficulty had to do with Coarse Motor Skills and Physical Fitness. Knowing this, we decided to get a Wii and Wii Fit. He's played that game more times than I can remember. He especially loves the 'Marble Madness' game and the Soccer Dodge game. This game has done wonders for his physical activity level and he is more coordinated now more than ever. He was able to get out of the Special Needs program when he was 6 1/2 years old which was amazing. Now, he's seven and reads at a 3rd grader's level. He's mastered everything in his class with straight A's. Sure, he plays Super Mario Wii. However, the applications that game makes him go through are insane. Yet he still progresses well academically. A great motivator for him is the classic "I'll take away the game for 'x' days if you don't get your homework done." My belief is if games are monitored and chosen for the appropriate age, then there's no need to worry about them. They teach skills that cannot be traditionally taught. This is a well known fact. We'll see how things evolve. However, I can't wait until I'm playing Star Wars in my holodeck here in 10 years. :)

I've been musing over this for some time. I currently live in a condo which makes space limited. Since my wife and I read a ton of books, the space issue of storing the books became a problem. Thus, I purchased a Sony ereader which I didn't like due to downloading issues. I returned that and got the nook. Since then, if my wife is going to read it, I'll buy the paperback. If I'm going to read it, then I get the ebook. It saves space and the ebooks tend to be cheaper. I love how the battery is replaceable and the contrast is better than paperbacks (believe it or not...). Plus, with the nook, I can put my pdf's on it as well as some text documents and read them on the go. The classics are free and if I break my device, all my books are backed up on Mozy and on Barnes and Noble's website. I still love the paper books, but it is nice to have all of my books at my fingertips. Newspapers are nice as well since I can now purchase them and I don't have to worry about a subscription. Like it or not, ereaders are here to stay. It will be interesting to see how these gadgets will evolve in the future.

I enjoy using Keypass for all of my password needs with a huge complex mnemonic to open the safe. Most of them are in my head as well. Keypass is just a backup just in case. However, in the case of my significant other, I can't get her to even change her passwords unless I go snooping. "I just broke into your account. Here's what I found." Wife: "Oh crap, I guess I'd better change my password." Three months later, I do the same thing all over again. Keeps her passwords secure and keeps me sane. YMMV...

I was put in your exact position four years ago with the current place I work with. Here's some things I suggest: 1- Make a plan. These things can't be fixed in a day. My boss, the CIO said, "Rome wasn't built in a day." He was right on with that one. It took me three years to get things to where they needed to be. One piece at a time. 2- Make sure you break things up and prioritize them. What is the 'oldest' equipment or the pain points? Is the network holding up? Connectivity is the most important part. Make sure you have your network running well before you mess with other parts of the system or put additional strain on the system. 3- Make sure you have the right people on board. I call this checks and balances. You need to have firepower behind your decisions, especially when it comes to making the budget. 4- Remember the phrase: KISS. Burn it in your mind... It means, keep it simple, stupid. Don't bow to salesman, brochures, 'white papers' or peer pressure. Experience and checks and balances are essential. And finally, be cautious and move slow. Systems don't all just fall apart at once. Once you're prioritized, gotten the right people on board and have your ducks in a row, things will run smothly. If managment gets in your way, refer back to the checks and balances you set up and force it down their throats. It's kind of sad to say that this is just like playing chess, but when management doesn't trust IT in general, you have to prove yourself. Following the above steps will help. Good Luck.

One solution that I've always used and works great is located at showmypc.com. The user you're supporting will download the client (VNC) that will connect to their servers that serve as a bridge. It will give them a code after you download the client that you will type into your showmypc client that authenticates the session. It's very easy to use and works great. I never need to install VNC or any other clients and it doesn't cost me a dime. Good Stuff. Of course, LogMeIn works just as well. For the iPhone lovers out there, there's LogMeIn ignition that costs a pretty penny if you're into paying for it. Lots of solutions exist, it's up to you to decide which one you like best. Hope this helps.