August 7, 2025 at 5:00 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Critical Data and Insomnia
August 7, 2025 at 6:47 am
I've been thinking about Shadow IT recently. I've inherited a few things that were built by Shadow IT and have a love-hate relationship with them.
On the plus side, the functionality represents the true expression of business need, solving actual problems faced by the perpetrators. That is a factor that contributes to the longevity of ShadowIT products.
We all know the downsides, but I would like to offer this perspective on it. We see another person's profession from the outside. We see our interface with it, and that is probably a low percentage of what is involved. It doesn't matter if the other person's profession is an IT discipline, a joiner, an electrician or any other profession that we might attempt DIY. If you are a fan of the series Clarkson's Farm, under the hilarity, the stresses and strains on farmers (and pub landlords in season 4) are revealed. An early review said the Clarkson had done more for farming in 6 episodes than the Country File TV Show had achieved in 20 years.
I have seen the IT profession fragment from a discipline into many disciplines, each with its own interface point, allowing us to proceed in ignorance of that discipline's inner workings. I find that IT disciplines can be rather arrogant on things where a more humble attitude should prevail.
August 7, 2025 at 11:51 am
I have seen the IT profession fragment from a discipline into many disciplines, each with its own interface point, allowing us to proceed in ignorance of that discipline's inner workings. I find that IT disciplines can be rather arrogant on things where a more humble attitude should prevail.
I feel one of the things that has been a benefit to me, to making me more "tolerant" and receptive to others, is the fact that I haven't always been a DBA. I've done the trench work of over-the-phone tech support, been an Active Directory Admin, honestly I think at some point I've done almost everything. So when the person I'm asking to make a change to something I no longer have the ability to change (say, creating a service account for my SQL Server) tells me it's going to be X time to get done because of their processes? My response is generally "OK, that's fine."
As for my concerns about the data on the SQL Servers I'm responsible for? I do what I can to keep them secured against both external and internal threats, work with the people responsible for the network / firewalls to keep them blocked from anything that shouldn't touch them, patch the servers in a reasonable timeframe, and keep my boss in the loop on any potential vulnerabilities.
Do I feel my servers are "invulnerable" to any sort of breach? Oh heck no, I can think of several things that are of concern, most of which are things where all I can do is point them out to my boss to take them to someone else to pass along to the developers (who, in side conversations, I've raised my concerns with as well,) or we go to the people in charge of the network to see if they can do something about it.
Pretty much, one must do the best they can to protect the data, and the things you have no control over, point them out.
August 7, 2025 at 5:21 pm
I feel one of the things that has been a benefit to me, to making me more "tolerant" and receptive to others, is the fact that I haven't always been a DBA.
Couldn't have said it better. I feel this is true of life in general. If all you have been is 'X', then your world view is going to be constrained.
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