Useless Conversation

[Ironwood]

 We're a small collection agency,

Money ?  Yeah, this sounds more and more like a Security thing.

[Ingmar]

Sounds like it could be the sort of auditing that is concerned with security of customer records, yeah.

[Minvaren]

They're already confused that we only have two IT people...   

Is it confusion that two is too few, or that you have any IT people in house at all?

Most businesses this TBTF deals with have dozens of IT people and hundreds to thousands of employees.  We're 100 people, with two of those being IT.

My first thought was checks for DB corruption.  Which is silly, but hey, it happens.  Possibly also want to know that you are using a semi-modern storage solution.  Or something that can survive an outsourcing.

Database integrity verification alone didn't meet their criteria, but mayhaps elaborating on the multiple levels of monitoring we do might help meet their loose, vague, and ultimately subjective criteria.  Thanks. 

[Lantyssa]

I think we should go with "Charlie swaps out the tape once a day, we backup full on Fridays before we hit the bar.  Someone hauls the tapes to the bank once a week", personally.

[Sand]

Any other IT management type people know anything about creating a "Data Integrity Policy," which focuses on "quality and integrity of stored data, with relevant policies and sample data quality reports and metrics to prove it" ?  Have a client asking me for one of these, but all the guidance they gave is in quotes above.   

Sounds like consultant speak to me. I will ask my wife.

[Cheddar]

Any other IT management type people know anything about creating a "Data Integrity Policy," which focuses on "quality and integrity of stored data, with relevant policies and sample data quality reports and metrics to prove it" ?  Have a client asking me for one of these, but all the guidance they gave is in quotes above.   

Do you test the shit out?  As in - do you periodically restore random data to ensure you can recover information.

Sounds simple - but you would be surprised how many do NOT do this.  "Oh hai, we got an automatic backup system, no need to verify!" 

Then dooms day occurs and its a scramble to find a retrievable restoral point.  Also - do you store tapes in a seperate area from servers, and is it secure.

[Minvaren]

We have to provide proof of DR testing, DR certification, DR review, DR approval, and DR contingency planning on other audit items for the TBTF.  We have to provide proof of regular backups, proof of backup testing, and proof of offsiting to an approved and audited outside vendor (Iron Mountain) for yet more audit items from said TBTF.

This item is about their data on the servers staying intact and proving it stays intact.

At least they don't require biometric authentication for RAS anymore...   

[Sky]

Have you filled them in on the security angle? OS, network, physical premises, physical transport, etc. I'd assume since you're using a vendor for storage that data is available, maybe they're just looking for the entire trail from live to storage (and back!)

On another note: why do I check the UPS tracking fifteen times a day?

[Viin]

In case it magically shows up before Friday? 

[Sand]

We have to provide proof of DR testing, DR certification, DR review, DR approval, and DR contingency planning on other audit items for the TBTF.  We have to provide proof of regular backups, proof of backup testing, and proof of offsiting to an approved and audited outside vendor (Iron Mountain) for yet more audit items from said TBTF.

This item is about their data on the servers staying intact and proving it stays intact.

At least they don't require biometric authentication for RAS anymore...   

Yeah that's what wife texted me. She says,

Data integrity means ensuring they validate and track any changes made to data and they dont have multiple systems or processes overwriting the same data. 

[Sky]

In case it magically shows up before Friday? 

Newegg, not amazon. So hopefully tomorrow :)

Rather not have my new pc bits subjected to a few hours of rain Wednesday.

[Bunk]

They just want to make sure you don't respond with, "Charlie swaps out the tape once a day, we backup full on Fridays before we hit the bar.  Someone hauls the tapes to the bank once a week. "

Replace "bank" with "my house" and add "run the Dos batchfile to xcopy the whole accpac directory" and you have what I did for about a year.

[Ingmar]

In case it magically shows up before Friday? 

Newegg, not amazon. So hopefully tomorrow :)

Rather not have my new pc bits subjected to a few hours of rain Wednesday.

So, same reason I have been spamming the FedEx tracking. My new box is here today woooooooo

[Sky]

ZOME LONG HOUR PARTS AT HOUSE NOW ONE HOUR LEFT TO GO HOME GAAAAAAHHH

Otoh, I have meetings all morning tomorrow, but the afternoon off. But then Trucks Tedeschi tomorrow evening. Crazy day tomorrow.

[Nebu]

Sounds like good crazy. 

I am dreading Thursday.  I have a meeting 3h away from home.  The best part: the meeting will last an hour. 

I get to spend 6h on the road for a 1h meeting and then get to head into the office for an 8h work day.  Joy. 

[Sand]

Teleconference?

[Sky]

I get to spend 6h on the road for a 1h meeting and then get to head into the office for an 8h work day.  Joy. 

Ok, that's crazy. That's what webex was created for!

The good part is the meeting half is paid (plus mileage!) and the afternoon off...also paid! Stuff like that is why I don't bitch too much about my salary, really.

If I don't hit any hitches on the install tonight, could be a couple nice hours of gaming...though more likely I'll try to get in some yardwork or a nap (the last stretch coming home from albany gets tiring).

Also, The Egg is a phenomenal venue if anyone is within driving distance for a show. Best acoustics I've heard and no bad seats. Seeing Chris Cornell's acoustic set is going to be nuts.

[Nebu]

Teleconference?

This is academia.  We don't use no stinkin' technology.

[Sky]

This is academia.  We don't use no stinkin' technology.

You have to really work to be technologically behind liberries!

[ghost]

Teleconference?

This is academia.  We don't use no stinkin' technology.

Or if you do you need six AV guys to come up and set everything up.   

[Nebu]

Seriously speaking, some of the meeting involves doing assays on some time-sensitive materials.  I trust myself driving them there far more than relying on FedEx and their shipping/receiving to get them to the lab on time.  

[Selby]

This is academia.  We don't use no stinkin' technology.

We don't use anything of the sort at my job and we're on the cutting edge of research in some places.  Just goes to show that some places can be REALLY behind the times and not care one bit.  I mean I'm still supporting vacuum tubes and relay logic.  We're slowly but surely replacing all the ancient technology...

[Chimpy]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Nebu]

We don't use anything of the sort at my job and we're on the cutting edge of research in some places.  Just goes to show that some places can be REALLY behind the times and not care one bit.  I mean I'm still supporting vacuum tubes and relay logic.  We're slowly but surely replacing all the ancient technology...

Don't knock vacuum tubes.  I'm a big fan.  My bass amp is tube and my stereo pre-amp is tube.  I love me some tubes!

[Furiously]

This is academia.  We don't use no stinkin' technology.

We don't use anything of the sort at my job and we're on the cutting edge of research in some places.  Just goes to show that some places can be REALLY behind the times and not care one bit.  I mean I'm still supporting vacuum tubes and relay logic.  We're slowly but surely replacing all the ancient technology...

Vacuum tubes do ok in an emp burst...Don't they?

[Sky]

Don't knock vacuum tubes.  I'm a big fan.  My bass amp is tube and my stereo pre-amp is tube.  I love me some tubes!

Right there with you!

Worst part of new pc build: installing windows (rather, installing the updates). Jerking me around with the activation as usual. At least I have the old lady's laptop to kill some time waiting....might have to install minecraft on here if it goes much longer.

[Rasix]

Our very own "coot-off".  Where's Uncle Ted when you need him?

[Sky]

Tube amps aren't in coot-off territory, unfortunately.

[Nebu]

Our very own "coot-off".  Where's Uncle Ted when you need him?

Flea plays through Ampeg tube amps and doesn't like the tone of your comment!

[ghost]

That's only because you're old, Sky.   

[rattran]

I prefer the cooler sound of digital.

[Selby]

Don't knock vacuum tubes.

These aren't cool tube amps for your amplifiers, these are archaic overcurrent detection switchers and relays that a simple solid state switch could replace.  These are "we've always done it this way for 45 years, screw you for suggesting we change to something we can buy and get spares of!" types of arguments that I get into with the techs who see nothing wrong with not having enough spares to keep the machine up and running >95% of the time.

Tubes definitely have their place, but in the control system that my grandfather would have designed when he was an engineer, it's time to upgrade to parts we can actually obtain and get spares of.  Otherwise we can't be competitive with the EU and Japanese machines that are being built and coming online in the future.

[Ironwood]

Yeah, Google It.  Thanks for that advice you utter and complete tit, I'd never have tried that.

 

[Bunk]

 

Is that some sort of pre-emptive snark?

[WayAbvPar]

I am assuming it is a new conversational tangent. Either that, or IW blew a fuse somewhere in the general cranial region.