A phone system you can count on
- TAGS:manufacturing, passwords, PBX
- IT TOPICS:Management, Security
This big manufacturer's internal phone system is getting old, and that causes some problems, says an IT support pilot fish on the scene.
"The PBX is old copper and there is sometimes noticeable static on the line," fish says.
"To make things worse, most people receive calls using the speakerphone option, which worsens the situation with background noise."
And that aggravates other problems. Case in point: Some of the shift mechanics never log in to their e-mail accounts. Inevitably, they forget their passwords.
As a result, after 90 days, IT support gets a list of users whose accounts are slated for deletion.
And part of fish's job is to request that the e-mail passwords be sent to him so he can relay the information to the area managers.
One call such call over the aging phone system:
Fish: "The password is BEC5."
Manager: "Was that DBC5?"
Fish: "No, that's B as in boy, E as in Edward, C as in Charlie, 5."
Manager: "OK, so that's B as in boy, E as in Edward, C as in Charlie, and 5 (pause) as in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5."
Sharky's counting on you. So send me your true tale of IT life at sharky@computerworld.com. You'll score a sharp Shark shirt if I use it. Add your comments below, and read some great old tales in the Sharkives.
Now you can post your own stories of IT ridiculousness at Shark Bait. Join today and vent your IT frustrations to people who've been there, done that.
Free Insider Guide
